Busch claims 5th win of season
The swagger had vanished, and the cocky confidence went with it. A two-week slump sent Kyle Busch spiraling into crankiness despite his hold atop the points standings.
With a win Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., his mood instantly lifted.
Busch snapped his mini-slump by racing to his first Sprint Cup Series win on a road course with a Toyota that was so bad during practice he was certain he'd wreck. Instead, he made his series-high fifth visit to Victory Lane this season.
"I'm not happy unless I am winning, to be honest. I am a miserable person," he said. "But it means a lot to be able to run well and win. I'm a moody person, I guess. All of us drivers are when we're not having a good day. But when you have a good day and win races, it's kind of 'Sun's up.' "
Busch, who had a poor qualifying run and started 30th, steadily moved through the field and grabbed the lead away from defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya on an early restart. Nobody came close to taking the lead from him the rest of the way, but he did have to hold off a pair of challenges on two late restarts.
It was Busch's 11th overall victory this season spanning all three of NASCAR's top series. It also was his second road course victory of the year, following a Nationwide Series win in Mexico City in April.
Busch celebrated with his traditional smoky burnout, then climbed from his car for his customary bow to the crowd. For once, the fans were cheering the driver they so famously love to hate.
"I am really impressed with Kyle," said third-place finisher Jeff Gordon, his former teammate. "I've been around him, and I didn't think he's a really good road racer. So I think you've got to give that guy a lot of credit for his talent. To be able to get their car up front and maintain the position ... I would not have bet on that.
"Obviously, he's maturing and learning and that's what it's going to take for him to maintain that points lead."
Iowa Corn Indy 250: Most people think of their 30th birthday as a milestone to forget. Dan Wheldon spent his in victory lane.
Wheldon turned the big 3-0 in style Sunday, winning the IRL's Iowa Corn Indy 250 in Newton, Iowa, for his second victory of the season. Wheldon plans to donate his winnings to the victims of Iowa's recent floods and tornados.
French Grand Prix: Felipe Massa of Ferrari won the French Grand Prix in Magny Cours, France, and moved top of the overall standings after his third F1 victory of the season. Massa overtook teammate and pole sitter Kimi Raikkonen with 32 laps to go and held on to win by 17.9 seconds.