Kurt Busch was second at 153.971, and points leader Kyle Busch was third at 153.767 on the 1-mile concrete track.
Kyle Busch has proven he can succeed in any level and is having a fantastic overall season. He leads the Sprint Cup series by 94 points over Jeff Burton and won a combined nine times this season in the Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series. What bothers some drivers in the Cup series is Busch's sometimes obnoxious attitude.
The latest run-in for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver came last week in a postrace confrontation with four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. He chased down Gordon after the Coca-Cola 600 and got in his face. His gripe? That Gordon raced him too hard while fighting for position down the stretch. Busch finished third; Gordon fourth.
Gordon accused his former teammate of being bitter over his parting with the Hendrick Motorsports team. Busch said Friday he simply overreacted and should have reached out to Gordon via other methods.
The two talked this week at testing at Pocono Raceway and Busch said, "all is cool now."
"My mistake, but I learned from that," Busch said. "He gave me a bit of advice if there was a next time for that."
Gordon called it a "non-issue."
"I think that if you just look at the circumstances, I'm sure that he's not happy about the way he left Hendrick, but I would think he's got to be pretty happy where he's at right now and things that are happening," he said.
But Kevin Harvick called out Busch and said he showed a lack of respect to the veterans. Harvick said Busch was talented, but doesn't yet have the maturity to go along with his considerable skill.
"At some point, all that disrespect comes back because no matter how good you're doing, you're not going to be good forever," he said.
Busch said Harvick should mind his own business.
Busch, who spun out Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Richmond International Speedway, has been criticized by other drivers for his aggressive driving. He's become unpopular with the fans and usually hears the loudest boos at race introductions. He's egged on fans by waving his arms for more or wiping mock tears.
