Kurt Busch Remembers Darlington Win That Got Away
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| Kurt Busch and his No. 41 car – featuring a throwback paint scheme honoring his car from the 2003 race |
| Stewart-Haas Racing |
It was the closest finish in NASCAR history at the time, destined to be forever immortalized in print, on commemorative T-shirts and even have its own display in the NASCAR Hall of Fame – yet for one of the participants in that thrilling Darlington Raceway finish from 15 years ago, it's remembered as the victory that got away.
Kurt Busch's two-lap duel with eventual race winner Ricky Craven on March 16, 2003 was one of the most thrilling finishes in NASCAR's history, and has been at the forefront of Darlington's throwback theme this weekend that celebrates races from the track's past.
And Busch is all-in on this throwback theme – coming to Darlington this week his No. 41 Ford decked out in a paint scheme that honors that one he drove in that very race.
"For us on the 41 car, we have a perfect sign of age. For me, I get to have my own Throwback," said Busch. "Everybody is in spirit and that's what is so much fun about this weekend and everybody is chipping in to continue on the legacy of the Throwback Weekend and Darlington is the perfect place to do it."
[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"] Busch, at that time driving for Roush Racing, was an up-and-coming driver who was coming off a third-place finish in the previous year's standings and had already racked up two runner-up finishes in the first two races of the 2003 season.
Craven's career, on the other hand, was on the downswing. Having competed at the top level driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 1997, Craven was now in his third season driving for the upstart Cal Wells-owned PPI Motorsports – Craven's fourth team since leaving HMS in 1999.
Entering the race, Craven was a long shot to win after qualifying 31st , while Busch had to start at the rear of the field after changing engines – driving a car that was largely cobbled together from spare parts from his other Roush Racing teammates.
With 24 laps to go, Busch got past race leader Jeff Gordon and soon was found himself out in front all by himself as Craven started to track him down.
Coming to two laps to go, Craven had caught up to Busch drove Busch's No. 97 Ford Taurus into the wall in turn one but Busch pulled a cross-over move and dived back to the inside, re-taking the lead and opening up a six car-length gap on Craven.
Running on the high side, Craven quickly closed the gap and was right back on Busch's bumper as they took the white flag. By the time they reached the final turn, the two drivers were side by side, with Craven's Pontiac on the inside of Busch.
Just feet from the checkered flag, Busch's car slammed into the right side of Craven's car while craven pushed back, pinning Busch's car on the outside as the two crossed the finish line in a virtual dead heat.
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| Ricky Craven (32) beats out Kurt Busch to win by .002 seconds |
| ISC Archives |
The victory went to Craven, by .002 seconds – the closest finish in NASCAR history at the time. Busch ran nearly the final forty laps with no power steering and was exhausted – but exhilarated – when he climbed out of his car, calling it "the coolest finish I've ever seen."
"It's a fun race to talk about," said Busch. "Genuinely I love to be part of that closest finish and I knew that I gave it my all out on the track and when Ricky Craven and I were battling back-and-forth it had that special feeling of we were deadlocked, laser-focused on each other.
"We didn't wreck each other and we put on one of the coolest shows when it came to racing at a track that you're not supposed to be side-by-side on."
Craven's win was just the second Cup Series of his career, and would be his last, as he would run one more season for Cal Wells before being let go before the end of the 2004 season.
Busch, on the other hand, would go onto win four races in the 2003 season, but would ultimately fail to make an impact in the battle for the 2003 Cup Series title. He would finally reach to the pinnacle of his career the following year, winning the inaugural NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship.
"What's funny is I found this box – I have a dozen t-shirts of that finish and it has Ricky Craven's car and my car finishing close, but it has his like two feet ahead on the t-shirt," said Busch. "I was like, 'He was never that far ahead,'
"There are so many jokes and so much fun that comes with it and maybe one day if I tell this story enough, I will gain two-thousandths of a second and I will pass Ricky Craven. But that's usually when I wake up and then reality sets in."
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