Busch shooting for better finish

For a while, his accomplishments were attributed to precocious driving. His mistakes? Simply youthful errors. Now, starting his third Nextel Cup season and approaching 22, Busch is ready to be judged strictly on his merits.

Busch had a good week at Daytona, but a rookie-like miscue on the last lap of Sunday’s Daytona 500 ruined everything he had built to that point.

“We were running in second at the green-white-checkered finish and I was on Mark Martin’s bumper pushing him because that was two Hendrick Motorsports engines working together,” Busch said. “I tried to move up for a block (on Kevin Harvick), but it was too late.

“I settled back in line and when we went down the frontstretch I got loose from the air off the 17 car (Matt Kenseth) and went down to the apron and spun out.”

Alan Gustafson, Busch’s crew chief, is looking for a considerably better result this week.

“I think we’ve shown our potential at California in the past. … I think Daytona showed a good dose of what is to come from this team.

“It’s too bad we didn’t finish the deal, but Kyle figured out the draft, the team did their job and everything was in line to win that race.

?This week, we’re going to a racetrack where we can win and we’re taking a really good car. So we hope to have at least a top-five finish.”