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Buschwhacked Cup contenders will be challenged to keep up the pacePosted: Tuesday February 25, 2003 12:41 PM
After 502 laps, the reality is that some teams are in for a very long haul. In the wake of the Daytona 272 1/2 and the Subway 400, Kurt Busch has two top-five finishes and leads Dale Jarrett by 31 points. In fact, the top 12 drivers are separated by only 97 points; the top 18 by 120. It's the marquee names at the back of the pack who are sweating, including Bill Elliott (36th; 211 points behind) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (38th; 221). Winston Cup points are awarded from first through 43rd, with the winner taking at least 175 points. Five bonus points are added by leading a lap, with an additional five bonus points for leading the most laps. The 43rd-place car gets 34 points based on Winston Cup's trickle down system, which was adopted in 1975. Question: If you take the checkered flag, didn't you lead the last lap? So the winner should get 180 points, right? Theoretically, here's how the Cup championship could be won:
Of course, that will never happen, but Busch is making an early season push for 6,000. Through two races he's averaging 172 1/2 points per race, which means he's on pace for 6,210 points.
Last season, Tony Stewart finished with a series-leading 4,800 points, averaging 133.33 points per race. It was the lowest points total for a Cup champ since Jeff Gordon's 4,710 in 1997. His 43rd-place finish in the Daytona 500 is well documented, so rebounding from a woeful start is not unheard of. Still, Elliott, Little E. and the others who are 200-plus points in arears face a long road back to contention. The past three series champions have had at least two top-fives in the first three races, while Jarrett had two top-15 showings and Gordon was 16th, first and 17th in 1998. Entering Las Vegas, Busch has two runner-up finishes and looks to join 2000 champ Bobby Labonte as the only drivers in the past six years to have three top-10s in the first three races. Jarrett knows the third-year driver is going to be a handful. "That young man is the hottest driver out here," Jarrett said. "I told someone [last] week when talking about who would be a surprise for a championship that Kurt Busch is really a guy we're going to have to contend with." Busch, who ran seven races in 2000 before joining the series full-time the next year, finished 27th in points his rookie season with seven DNFs. Last year, he had 12 top-fives, 20 top-10s and only four DNFs en route to a third-place points finish. "I see something that's a little bit scary for the rest of us," Jarrett added. "He's getting smarter out there, knowing when he can go and when he can't. When his car isn't exactly right, he doesn't try to force the issue now, so they've done a really good job."
Even crew chief Jimmy Fennig is heaping accolades: "Yeah, Kurt Busch is ready to win a championship. Because he's so good, that's why." The 24-year-old Busch, who came into his own last season with four wins, is heading home this weekend. And for the competition, Las Vegas is not a place to try to chase down a Jack Roush car. In five races at the 1 1/2-mile oval, Roush Racing has three wins. Even more good news for Busch: No driver has ever won from the pole at Las Vegas. Busch's average starting position this season is 31st, so working his way to the front of the field would not be unexpected. After Sunday's second-place finish at Rockingham, Busch was upbeat and looking ahead: "I don't know what we need to do to get to Victory Lane, but we'll get there." Busch is the hottest driver on the circuit, posting top-10 finishes in 12 of the past 15 races, including three wins. "It feels good to get off to a great start," Busch said. "But we're just two races in. I'd like to say that we're a championship contender with the way we ended last year and we'll just try to keep our momentum rolling forward." Notice has been served, gentlemen. The chase is on -- and Kurt Busch is leading the pack with no sign of looking back. B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.
Got a comment or question for Duane? Click here.
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