LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006 | 7:55 a.m.

Kurt Busch knows he is running out of time, but insists there still are a few ticks left on the clock.

Busch, who won the first NASCAR Nextel Cup championship under the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" format in 2004, finds himself 279 points out of 10th place with three races remaining in NASCAR's "regular season." Only the top 10 drivers will qualify for the 10-race Chase and be eligible to win the championship.

"We're going to step it up and do what we can to try to make it," said Busch, a Las Vegas native. "We've been hanging on a little bit closer (in) the points (than) where we are now, but we're just going to keep driving hard and see what we get.

"We're still going to keep driving just as hard as we need to to gain the points because the fat lady isn't singing yet."

Busch's confidence no doubt is bolstered by the fact that the series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. The site of five of his 15 career Cup victories, Busch makes no secret that the half-mile bullring is his favorite track on the circuit

"It's my favorite track of them all - there's no doubt about that," he said. "There's no other place like it. There's a level of electricity in the air, particularly in the night race there, which is second to none. It's like a homecoming every time we go there."

Busch won four of five races at Bristol from 2002 to 2004 - including three in a row - while driving for Roush Racing. He earned his fifth career victory at Bristol this spring in his fifth race with Penske Racing.

Busch, who has made the Chase the last two years, stood 172 points out of 10th place a week ago. But a 40th-place finish last weekend at Michigan International Speedway has severely hindered his chances this year.

"You don't want to have those bad days," he said. "Those bad days are what really hurt you in points. A win can come along and bump you up in points, but if you have a bad day, it really just erases all that you did the week before."

After Saturday night's race, the series makes stops at California Speedway and Richmond International Raceway - two other tracks where Busch has won.

"Hey, we're going to give it all that we can," Busch said. "We're just going to let everything rip and see where we end up."

Local driver honored

Las Vegas resident Matt Johnson, a seven-time national champion in the karting ranks, recently was honored with the inaugural Lake Speed Achievement of Excellence award from the International Kart Federation.

The award, established this year in honor of 1978 World Karting Champion and former NASCAR driver Lake Speed, recognizes "an outstanding driver, team, shop or individual based on performance, sportsmanship, willingness to help others, overcoming adversity with a positive attitude and other outstanding attributes."

Carpentier in Rolex

Patrick Carpentier of Las Vegas will fill in for Olivier Beretta as a co-driver for CITGO Racing by SAMAX in Saturday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Carpentier, the 1997 CART Rookie of the Year, has been out of racing since making two starts in the A1 Grand Prix series earlier this year. Carpentier spent last season in the Indy Racing League driving for team owner Eddie Cheever.

Beretta won't be with the team this weekend because he is taking part in a Michelin Formula One tire test.

Career Cup victories for Darrell Waltrip at Bristol Motor Speedway

Number of caution periods during the spring Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Cup series record for most caution periods in a race at Bristol Motor Speedway

"Bristol can be crazy it is like flying a jet fighter around the inside of a basketball arena - and try that with 42 other jets doing it at the same time."

Mark Martin, on racing at the high-banked, half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway