Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Kyle Busch waits with his crew on pit road during a rain delay in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Pennsylvania 500 auto race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, August 15, 2008 NASCAR notes: Busch enjoying his winning season Also items on Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin By Mike Harris Associated Press BROOKLYN, Mich. -- A record 16 wins already this season and Kyle Busch still isn't satisfied. "In this sport, it's never any fun if you're not winning," he said. If that's the case, Busch has been having quite a bit of fun. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has eight victories in Sprint Cup and leads the series' standings, has racked up six wins in the Nationwide Series and added two more in the Craftsman Truck Series to surpass the previous record of 14 wins in NASCAR's top three series. "It's been a great year and we could never really ask for more," Busch said, "but you hope that the success can continue and you can hope that you can have a shot for the championship when it's all said and done. "But you've got to have a good time while being there. Just being able to have the opportunity to be here is, of course, a dream come true. For myself, though, it's always been more fun to win." Nobody could have predicted the 23-year-old Busch's success this season. He was let go by Hendrick Motorsports at the end of last season to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and quickly signed with JGR, a team making what many expected to be a tough transition from Chevrolet to Toyota. But Gibbs has all three of its drivers in the Chase for the championship with just four races to go until the start of NASCAR's postseason. And instead of two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart or Denny Hamlin leading the way, the surprising Busch is on top. "I wouldn't have moved to a team that I didn't think that they could have the same success I had at Hendrick Motorsports," Busch said. "But this much? No. You couldn't (have) thought of that, but it's definitely been a lot of fun." Going into Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Busch has already clinched the top seed in the Chase if he goes on and makes the 12-man field, as expected. But he wouldn't mind a few more wins in the interim. "We'd love to have four more wins, of course," Busch said. "It would just escalate our point total for the start of the Chase and give us a little bit easier time throughout the Chase. Realistically (though), it's going to be harder than it looks." Handicapping Sunday's race, Busch said, "It's going to be pretty tough to beat Jimmie (Johnson), Carl (Edwards) and, of course, (Greg) Biffle is good here, and Matt's (Kenseth) good here." In seven Cup starts on Michigan's 2-mile oval, Busch's best finish was sixth in June 2007. He finished 13th here this June. QUALIFYING QUESTON: If nothing changes, new teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will each have to qualify for the first five races in 2009. The two Sprint Cup stars will drive next season for Stewart-Haas Racing, which currently fields cars for Scott Riggs and Tony Raines under the name Haas CNC Racing. Neither of the drivers that Stewart and Newman will replace at the end of this season is currently in the top 35 in car owner points. If the season ends that way, neither Stewart nor Newman would be guaranteed a starting spot in any of the first five races, where the previous year's top 35 automatically make the field. Heading into Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, Riggs' No. 66 Chevrolet is 37th, just 31 points behind 35th-place A.J. Allmendinger. Raines' No. 70 is 43rd, 556 points out of the top 35. "You know, obviously we're working really hard to keep Scott in the top 35 right now, and that would ensure that Ryan doesn't have to do what he does best, that's going out and getting front rows and poles and everything," said Stewart, the team's new co-owner. "We're trying to work really hard the rest of the season to accomplish that so we don't put that pressure on Ryan. "That's something that's really big to the organization right now, that we do everything we can to keep that 66 car in the top 35 in points. Let (Newman) worry about going out and racing, not worrying about going out and qualifying the first five weeks." It shouldn't be much of a problem for Newman if he does have to qualify. NASCAR's "Rocket Man" has 43 career poles and is considered one of the best qualifiers in the history of the stock car sport. Stewart, with 10 poles to his credit, is not as well known for his qualifying skills. ON THE CUSP: Denny Hamlin, who has made the Chase in two of his three full-time seasons in Cup, heads into Sunday's race tied with Greg Biffle for 10th and just 83 points ahead of 13th-place Clint Bowyer. "We're performing OK now," Hamlin said of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. "I'd say we're at about a C-plus level as far as our on-track performance. "We're good enough to make the Chase based on how we've run week to week," he added. "If we just have another top-10 run like we ran last week (eighth at Watkins Glen), and do what we have to do, we'll race them once we get into the Chase." The regular season will end Sept. 8 at Richmond, just four races away. "We just need to make sure we don't have to rely on racing our way in that last race because you never know what can happen," Hamlin said. "In a short track, you can get caught up doing just about anything. We've got to play it safe right now." And going for wins in the next few races probably isn't in the cards, either. "No, we can't afford it," Hamlin said. "Not in the position we're in right now. We've got to solely try to get top-10 finishes. If we can do that, we should be fine."

1. Arlington brothers’ fight led to death, police say 2. Detectives consider slaps to father lethal 3. Woman found dead at Bothell house fire 4. Two teens hurt in collision near Granite Falls 5. Lottery win helps Lake Stevens convenience store owner pay bonuses 6. Everett man shot in groin; two men, one woman are arrested 7. I-5 car chase was result of driver's medical condition 8. CBS cancels ‘As the World Turns’ 9. Jail inmates’ meal complaint omits a crucial fact 10. Locker dips toe in NFL pool 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million