Kyle’s engine goes ‘kablooey’

Kyle and Kurt Busch started the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway hoping their hometown track might show a little favoritism.

By the end of the day, the brothers were happy just to get out of town in one piece.

Kyle Busch, who entered Sunday as NASCAR's Sprint Cup points leader, encountered an assortment of problems before blowing an engine on lap 108. He finished 38th and dropped to 14th in the season standings.

Kurt Busch managed a ninth-place finish that lifted him into a tie for the points lead, but he had to earn it by coming back from a wild spin early in the race.

At least Kyle, 25, could chuckle at his adventurous weekend that included a crash that put him out of the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race Saturday.

"I've been blowing tires, mowing grass, knocking walls down and setting balls of fire down the backstretch," he said after climbing out of his No. 18 Toyota Camry. "And Kurt has been doing loop-de-doos through Turn 4 today.

"We're having problems of our own in our hometown. It might be good just to get out of here and come back and try again next year."

Kyle looked strong early, but his momentum slowed when he cut a tire and tapped the wall on lap 96. He was running second at the time.

"We had a great race car," he said. "We chased down (Tony) Stewart there, and unfortunately the air is so sensitive today that you get within a five-car-length position and you just can't close anymore. I kind of got stuck behind him through traffic."

After an efficient pit stop and a caution, Kyle battled back and was closing in on the leaders when his engine blew.

"Kablooey, it just broke," he said. "I just hated it for these (pit crew) guys. They worked really hard."

Though the younger Busch clearly was disappointed with his early departure, he said the hometown setback was of little concern.

"It wouldn't be any different if it were any other race," he said. "Fortunately, it's early enough in the year that we can still bounce back and rebound to get ourselves in contention and solidly in the Chase before we get to race No. 26."

Kurt Busch, 32, left the speedway wondering how things might have turned out had he not spun his No. 22 Dodge Charger rounding the final turn of lap 103.

"On the restart, I got too racy," said Busch, who nevertheless moved into a tie with Stewart for the points lead. "I wanted the lead and the bonus point, and you can't do that. You have to race your race, let the race come to you."

Though Kurt spun from the high side of the track down onto pit road, he narrowly managed to avoid contact with both walls. That allowed him to slowly work his way back toward the front.

"Man, once you get stuck back in the back here, everybody is running the same speed and it's just really hard to gain spots," he said.

■ GORDON CRASHES OUT -- Jeff Gordon, who snapped a 77-race winless streak with his Feb. 27 victory at Phoenix International Raceway, was unable to make it two in a row. He blew a tire and slammed the wall on lap 194.

Gordon, who managed to stay in the top 10 most of the race, said he never saw the blowout coming.

"No sign," he said. "Just drove into Turn 3 and hit the wall."

■ JOHNSON HANGS IN THERE -- Five-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson salvaged a 16th-place finish after a rough start.

Near the end of an early 72-lap run under green, Johnson was lapped by Stewart, the eventual runner-up, and stayed a lap down until Kurt Busch's spin on lap 103.

Johnson gained one position to 12th in the points standings.

■ DALE JR. RIDES WELL -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed his second consecutive top-10 finish.

Earnhardt, who was 10th at Phoenix, started 33rd and struggled early. He moved into the top 10 midway through the race and finished eighth.

"We made some great adjustments, and the car just drove better and better," said Earnhardt, 10th in points.

■ BAYNE BATTLES -- Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne hit the wall early in the race and finished 20th.

"We will learn from this and head to Bristol in a couple of weeks," the 20-year-old rookie said.

■ NO DOUBLE FOR MARTIN -- Mark Martin, who won the Nationwide race, wasn't a factor Sunday. He started 10th, fell back early and finished 18th. He is 11th in the season standings.