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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Superb Restart Lifted Busch
Wrecks and restarts didn't hamper Kurt Busch's win at Atlanta Motor Speedway...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted March 07, 2010   Hampton, GA
Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kurt Busch needed two green-white-checkered periods to win the Kobalt Tools 500 Sunday, but he actually nailed down the win on the first restart.

RESULTS: KOBALT TOOLS 500

Busch, who started fourth behind Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray in the first overtime, surged to the front almost immediately after the green flag fell, locking himself into the best position for the chaos still to come.

He stayed out front for what became the final 10 laps as a multi-car crash as the field approached the white flag extended the race again.

On the second and last restart, Busch wasn’t challenged on the way to his first win of the season.

His strong response on the first restart had given him the edge.

“I saw Clint Bowyer was cheating up toward the top side to block,” Busch said of the critical restart. “Menard had to block the low lane with Jamie McMurray there. We were on the offense. I had four tires, and the car stuck really good. We shot through there like a slingshot. We split the middle and held it wide open and cleared those guys.”

The victory was a piece of poetic justice for Steve Addington, Busch’s new crew chief. Despite winning 12 times with Kyle Busch, Kurt’s younger brother, over the past two seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, Addington was bumped from the crew chief spot at the No. 18 team. He declined to accept an administrative job at JGR and moved on to Penske Racing.

Was the win extra special for Addington, given the circumstances?

“I think that if I denied that I would be lying,” he said. “It honestly feels good to be with this race team with Kurt as the driver and come back and win before the 18 car got a chance to win. That’s a personal deal. But that’s nothing against that. I’m still good friends with Kyle.”

Busch said his Dodge was set up perfectly for what became an adventurous day of racing. Eleven caution flags broke up the race into sections of long and short runs, and a series of tire problems forced teams to maneuver lightly with setups.

“Our Dodge was definitely set up for being a utility-type car,” Busch said. “What I mean by that is that it was good on long, good on middle and good on short runs. We weren’t excellent in any area but good overall.

“The car reacted well on old tires. It takes a well-rounded car. I feel like we won the race outright. I think we hit the right combination for restarts.”

Busch said Addington “has really taught me a little bit about how to drive cars differently and how to look at them differently. I’m happy to bring this one home for Steve, this team and Dodge.”

RESULTS: KOBALT TOOLS 500

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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