Headline PH: Kurt Busch wins Coca-Cola 600 to sweep Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. – It was only fitting to have Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi cars chasing each other for a victory in a Memorial Day weekend race.

That it happened at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a NASCAR race, and not at their beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway, likely didn't matter to either team owner.

And when Kurt Busch held off Jamie McMurray over the closing laps of Sunday night's race, it gave two of the top owners in American motorsports victories on one of the most storied days of racing.

"Roger, this one is for you," Busch said from Victory Lane. "I thought about the Ganassi car behind me. He wasn't getting by us."

Earlier Sunday, Ganassi became the first owner to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season when Dario Franchitti won the open-wheel race. After a short celebration, Ganassi hopped a flight to North Carolina to catch the second half of NASCAR's longest race of the season.

He arrived just in time to see McMurray, the Daytona 500 winner, begin a charge toward the front and give Ganassi a chance at winning the two prestigious races. Penske, whose highest finishing driver in Indy was eighth, didn't make the trip and watched the NASCAR race on television.

The owners were treated to a 19-lap sprint to the finish in which McMurray simply ran out of time to catch Busch, who swept the May races at Charlotte. Busch last weekend won the $1 million All-Star race.

"The first person I think about is Roger Penske," Busch said. "To win the 600 and All-Star back to back, this is something that will be front and center in Roger's NASCAR trophy case. I was happy to deliver."

Ganassi didn't seem to mind the defeat.

"It was a great race, Jamie did a great job," he smiled. "My old buddy Penske beat me tonight."

By JENNA FRYER,
AP Auto Racing Writer

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