Kurt Busch

INDIANAPOLIS - The field is set for the Indianapolis 500. And, more importantly, it's full. On an otherwise ho-hum day of qualifying, nine cars made the field on their first attempts, ending any potential last-minute drama and assuring the May 27 race would start with a full field of 33 cars for the 64th consecutive year. Things went almost as smoothly Sunday as race organizers could have expected. For the first time since 2004, there were no bump attempts - taking away the intrigue of last year's enthralling finish when Marco Andretti bumped his way into the race by knocking out teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay on the final four-lap qualifying attempt of the month.

Kurt Busch, the hottest driver in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series over the last two months, won the pole for the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, his first pole since October 2006 in Martinsville, Va. Busch, the first driver to win a title under the Chase format in 2004, goes into tomorrow's race with a solid 157-point lead over 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Busch turned a fast lap of 182.399 m.p.h. on the two-mile oval to barely beat reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, at 182.394.

Driver Kurt Busch has a new ride. NASCAR's most polarizing figure said Thursday that he'll drive the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing and owner James Finch for the entire 2012 Sprint Cup season. "After entertaining a lot of quality offers, there's no better place for me," he said in a statement. Busch has won 24 Sprint Cup races, as well as the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Finch, who celebrated his 20th year as a NASCAR team owner in 2011, says, "all we want to do is win" and with Busch "we have a shot every week.

For a week at least, Pat Tryson is the smartest crew chief in NASCAR. Late in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire, Tryson instructed driver Kurt Busch to stay on the track while several front-running cars made pit stops under caution. Busch was 18th when the yellow flag was waved. By the restart, with 23 laps to go, Busch had gained the lead. Two laps later, a crash involving Clint Bowyer brought out another yellow. Then heavy rain forced NASCAR officials to red-flag the race.

INTERVIEWS WITH NASCAR racers sometimes swerve all over the racetrack. With Kurt Busch yesterday, a major topic was drag racing. While most of his Sprint Cup-racing rivals took last weekend off, Busch made his drag-racing debut in the Pro Stock division at the Gator Nationals in Gainesville, Fla. He was eliminated after the first round. "It was an overall grand experience that I'll never forget," Busch said on a conference call. "Everybody was welcoming us and offering advice.

Lenox Industrial Tools 301 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, N.H. When: Sunday, 1 p.m. TV/Radio: TNT/WNPV (1440-AM), WDSD (94.7-FM) Course: 1.058-mile oval Distance: 300 laps/318.4 miles 2009 winner: Joey Logano 2009 pole winner: None because of inclement weather. Track qualifying record: Juan Pablo Montoya, 133.431 mph (Sept. 20, 2009) Track facts: Joey Logano's first Cup win was in a rain-shortened race. He led only 11 laps before rain halted the race.

INDIANAPOLIS - The field is set for the Indianapolis 500. And, more importantly, it's full. On an otherwise ho-hum day of qualifying, nine cars made the field on their first attempts, ending any potential last-minute drama and assuring the May 27 race would start with a full field of 33 cars for the 64th consecutive year. Things went almost as smoothly Sunday as race organizers could have expected. For the first time since 2004, there were no bump attempts - taking away the intrigue of last year's enthralling finish when Marco Andretti bumped his way into the race by knocking out teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay on the final four-lap qualifying attempt of the month.

Driver Kurt Busch has a new ride. NASCAR's most polarizing figure said Thursday that he'll drive the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing and owner James Finch for the entire 2012 Sprint Cup season. "After entertaining a lot of quality offers, there's no better place for me," he said in a statement. Busch has won 24 Sprint Cup races, as well as the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Finch, who celebrated his 20th year as a NASCAR team owner in 2011, says, "all we want to do is win" and with Busch "we have a shot every week.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said Monday he has contacted U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan so he can advise school leaders about the best practices in dealing with ball boys, ball girls, and students who attend summer camps. Emmert did not provide specific details on what those guidelines may include or when they might be completed. In light of child sexual-abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse, he said he wants to prevent future improprieties from occurring and wants to find out if there is a pervasive culture within athletic departments that could lead to cover-ups.

K.J. Choi birdied his opening five holes Thursday at the Chevron World Challenge - then held on as winds gusts of up to 30 m.p.h. arrived in the afternoon - for a 6-under 66 that gave him a 3-shot lead over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker at the final official tournament in America this year. Only three other players managed to break par at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Woods birdied four of his first five holes and looked as good as he did during his two-week swing in the President's Cup in Australia.

Kurt Busch, ranked sixth in the current NASCAR standings, goes into Saturday night's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., surrounded by whispers that crew chief Steve Addington will bolt at the end of the season. The Charlotte Observer, citing unidentified sources, reported Addington is not likely to return in 2012. Addington did not want to discuss his job status. "I have no comment on the story that's written off pure rumors and speculation that has no leg to stand on," Addington said Friday.

DOVER, Del. - For speed-on-wheels drama fans it doesn't get much better than Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson racing 1-2 in the final stages of a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Since Busch and Johnson have had several racing skirmishes, followed by lively postrace discussions, seeing Johnson stalking Busch in the closing laps of yesterday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway made for riveting viewing. If Johnson could get within bumping distance of Busch, fans were ready to hold their breath.

Matt Kenseth will open the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on the pole at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday. Kenseth had the fastest qualifying lap Saturday with a speed of 183.243 m.p.h. It easily held off Paul Menard , who turned a lap at 183.125, and Kurt Busch , who qualified third at 183.032. Chase drivers took spots four through six, as Ryan Newman , Carl Edwards , and Brad Keselowski kept Kenseth in sight. Non-Chase drivers Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers were seventh and eighth, and points coleader Kyle Busch was ninth.

Sebastian Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix from pole position in Monza, Italy, on Sunday, fighting off an audacious challenge from defending champion Fernando Alonso. Vettel's eighth victory of the year gives the Red Bull driver an opportunity to clinch his second Formula One title in the next race in Singapore later this month. Vettel clocked 1 hour, 20 minute, 46.172 seconds for the 53-lap race, with McLaren's Jenson Button crossing 9.590 seconds behind and Alonso 16.909 back.

BROOKLYN, MICH. - Michigan finally unrolled the welcome mat for Kyle Busch, the first official member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch got his first Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway in his 14th start at the 2.0-mile track, holding off Jimmie Johnson in a green/white/checkered-flag finish to win yesterday's Pure Michigan 400. Busch beat Johnson to the finish line by .568 seconds to claim...

BROOKLYN, Mich. - Kyle Busch won his fourth Sprint Cup race of the year, outlasting Jimmie Johnson in a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. Busch, the series points leader coming into the race, passed Johnson with about a dozen laps remaining and was opening up a comfortable margin when brother Kurt Busch scraped a wall, forcing a caution from laps 198 to 201. The yellow flag erased much of Kyle Busch's lead, but he was able to fight off a quick move from Johnson after the restart and pull away.