Busch tops Car of Tomorrow field at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Kyle Busch held off teammate Jeff Gordon on a restart, then beat Jeff Burton in a drag race to the finish line to win the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol Motor Speedway yesterday.

Busch took the lead with 16 laps to go on a smooth pass around Denny Hamlin in thick traffic and stayed there through a pair of cautions. Busch had driven away from the competition when the 15th and final caution set up overtime.

With Busch and Gordon running 1-2 at the restart, the two plotted their own strategy with their respective crew chiefs.

"Well, good job, guys," Busch sighed at the final caution. "We'll do what we can. I can't promise you anything."

"He'll be nice," crew chief Alan Gustafson said. "He'll play nice."

It didn't sound that way on Gordon's channel.

"Tell that 5, if I get a fender underneath him, he better think about the fact that we're teammates," Gordon said. "If I don't get a fender underneath him, I won't move him out of the way."

It never mattered, though, as Burton jumped past Gordon on the restart and quickly pulled onto Busch's rear bumper. Burton looked low and Busch threw a block, then he went high and Busch blocked that, too.

Burton finally pulled alongside Busch as they closed in on the finish line, but Busch nipped him at the flag for his first Nextel Cup victory on a short track.

Both drivers could have spun Busch to get past him, and the 21-year-old appreciated the veterans for racing him clean.

"Without Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton behind me, I never would have won this race," Busch said.

Burton owed it to Busch, especially after their stirring finish two weeks ago in Las Vegas. The two were battling for the win in the closing laps and Busch could have wrecked Burton to get it.

But Busch kept it clean, ultimately losing the fight as the cars touched and Busch spun backward across the finish line - just a tick behind Burton.

"I could have used the bumper to move him out of the way and win the race, but I didn't want to," Burton said. "I can lay in bed tonight and wonder 'What if?' but that's what I chose to do. If you can't pass him without knocking him out of the way, do the best you can. He's driven me clean, and that's what I did with him."

Gordon, the pole sitter, wound up third and was thrilled with the effort after struggling for most of the race.

Busch's win was the third straight for Hendrick Motorsports - Jimmie Johnson won the last two Cup events - and was the 200th overall win for car owner Rick Hendrick. It also was the 600th for manufacturer Chevrolet, which introduced the Impala SS this weekend to coincide with NASCAR's debut of the Car of Tomorrow.

The COT spent seven years in development as NASCAR tried to build a uniform car that would cut costs, improve safety and even the competition. It will be used in 16 races this season as NASCAR phases it in through the 2009 season.

Kevin Harvick finished fourth and was followed by Greg Biffle, Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Clint Bowyer finished eighth and Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears rounded out the top 10.

Gordon took over the points lead as Mark Martin, who came into the race on top, skipped the event and turned his keys over to rookie Regan Smith.

Smith finished 25th and Martin dropped to eighth in the standings. Gordon has a 36 point lead over Burton.

Perez stable. Indy Pro Series race driver Pablo Perez was in stable condition in a Florida hospital after he underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from his legs following an accident in the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday night.