Busch turns 23, then runs 5th the next day

Monday, Aug. 6, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Kurt Busch celebrated his 23rd birthday on the eve of the Brickyard 400 but waited a day to unwrap what had to be his best present.

The Las Vegas native ran among the leaders for the final two-thirds of the race en route to a fifth-place finish in his first race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"I'm very proud of the team, the way the Sharpie/Rubbermaid crew executed today," Busch, the highest-finishing rookie in the race, said. "It was wonderful just to get back up toward the front where we need to be. It's just such a wonderful treat to drive here (at Indianapolis)."

Busch drove his No. 97 Sharpie/Rubbermaid Ford through the field from a disappointing 34th starting position and actually led the race for one lap, on lap 64. He fell back to 33rd after a green-flag pit stop, but climbed back into the top 10 with 61 laps to go.

It was Busch's third top-five finish in his rookie season and moved him up four spots to 21st in the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings. It marked the second race this year during which Busch had led a lap.

Despite the positives, Busch said he is growing weary of having to battle his way through the field because of lackluster qualifying efforts.

"We always just seem to be behind the 8-ball when it comes to track position; that's our biggest struggle and that comes from qualifying (poorly)," he said. "When we pick up that program, we'll be able to showcase ourselves a little bit more toward the front."

For one Sunday, at least, Busch was able to shed some of the bad luck that has plagued the Roush Racing team for much of the season. In addition to staying out of trouble, Busch's Ford Taurus consistently posted lap times that mirrored those of the race leaders.

"It has just been bum luck on the racetrack," Busch said of his rookie season. "We've been fairly good at most tracks ... but we've had a lot of bad luck on our side.

"We've had conditions where we've been running 11th -- like last week -- with 30 laps to go and then a wheel falls off and we finish 37th. It has just been a struggle and that's what a rookie team is supposed to go through and that's what you're supposed to weed out."

Busch said he never felt overwhelmed by the Speedway or the nearly 300,000 fans that attended the eighth running of the Brickyard 400.

"This is a treat to drive, this Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Busch said. "This is quite a unique racetrack and it's my pleasure just to even drive here.

"To get that experience here -- this place is where racing evolved around the early 1900s. It was here where everybody started to race and it evolved down to Daytona and the Charlotte area, of course, but this is where racing started and (driving here) is quite a treat."

* FAMILY AFFAIR: It turned out to be a successful weekend for the Busch family.

In addition to Kurt finishing fifth in the Brickyard 400, 16-year-old Kyle Busch finished ninth in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Friday night at nearby Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Kurt cut Kevin Harvick's lead in the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year points standings from 51 to 43 points and Kyle likely earned another start this season in Roush's Ford truck.

* EYEING A LEGEND: Jeff Gordon recorded his 56th career victory Sunday in his 278th Winston Cup start and remained seventh on the series' all-time win list.

Gordon needs 20 more wins to tie the late Dale Earnhardt, with 76 wins, for sixth on the list.

* MAKING A POINT: With his fourth victory of the season, Gordon extended his Winston Cup points lead to 160 points over second-place Dale Jarrett.

It is Gordon's biggest lead of the season and the largest lead of any driver in 2001.

* ROUGH DAY: Ricky Rudd, who was second in points going into the Brickyard 400, slipped to third -- 179 points behind Gordon -- after experiencing engine problems with his Texaco/Havoline Ford 20 laps into the race.

Rudd, who qualified fourth, finished in 39th place. He lost 53 laps when he had to pull into the garage area after he lost the fan belt and his engine began overheating.

"This is probably one of the hardest hits you can take, coming to Indy and be probably one of the first cars out of the race," Rudd said.

* DROPPING IN: IRL driver Davey Hamilton on Saturday visited the garage area at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before qualifying was held for the Brickyard 400.

Hamilton, a former Las Vegas resident, remains in a wheelchair following his most recent surgery to correct feet and leg injuries suffered in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway in June.