NOTEBOOK: Kyle Busch dominates 'the late show'

CONCORD - In a race timed for the convenience of West Coast fans, Kyle Busch captured the Dollar General 300, chalking up his ninth victory this year in the Nationwide Series.

            The race was interrupted by rain and didn't end until well after midnight.

            Busch led 137 of 200 laps and pulled away after the final restart with three laps remaining, winning by .662 of a second over Jeff Burton.

            The series point leaders finished fourth and fifth. Clint Bowyer's edge over Carl Edwards remained at 196 points. Bowyer finished a position higher but never led a lap, which Edwards did.

            In NASCAR's three major touring series - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck - Busch has won a combined 20 races this year.

"We've had a lot of phenomenal racecars this year," said Busch. "It's just been one of those phenomenal seasons for us on the Nationwide side. You've just got to enjoy it while you can."

He ought to know

            Busch defended, at least mildly, Carl Edwards against the charge that he's been overly aggressive in the first half of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"I think his move at Kansas was fine (Edwards made a last-ditch bid to pass winner Jimmie Johnson). There's nothing wrong with that," said Busch "He didn't hurt anybody but himself. If a guy wants to do that, then more power to him and no big deal.

"If he did that move and took Jimmie (Johnson) into the fence with him, then we would be a little bit more critical. Last week he may have stepped over the line a little bit (at Talladega). ... It just seemed as though he's done a couple things in the past few weeks that people have noticed."

On occasion, of course, Busch himself has drawn fire for aggressive tactics.

"I've had six weeks in a row where I've done just a little something that people always notice and make a story of," he said.

How it's changed

            Jeff Burton, asked how NASCAR has changed during his career, pointed to the atmosphere at the tracks.

"You know ,the thing that I've noticed is that, and I'm talking about from 15 years ago to today, there are a lot more families today. There are a lot more kid-friendly environments.

"Last week we went out to do hospitality on Sunday morning (at Talladega) and there was a kid's playground area with inflatable toys and all kinds of slides and all kinds of things. There's been a huge effort to try to get children involved, which I think is a great thing. ... It just seems like it's become more of a family event, which concerns me in some ways because, with the way the economy is, you're not buying two tickets anymore, you're buying four tickets and it's become extremely expensive."

Notwithstanding recent events

            Carl Edwards said that his miscalculation at Talladega - touching off a wreck that eliminated him and two teammates, among others - was something he needed to get past.

"In light of last weekend, I don't know how much I've learned," he said. "I just feel like I'm a better racer and better at communicating with Bob (Osborne, his crew chief).

"Even though last week turned out to be a mistake, I've made less mistakes, and I feel like that's helped us in the points all season, not just in the chase, but all season. I just feel I'm a little more savvy."

            You can reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.