Busch, Penske put heated exchange in the past

While neither resorted to yelling, their back-and-forth made it clear neither was too pleased with the other at that moment. But that was last week, during another long day on a short track.

"Roger and I are definitely on the same page, and I have the utmost respect for him," Busch said yesterday. "In the heat of battle, sometimes things are said that aren't exactly the right thing to say. . . . That's behind us."

As are Bristol and Martinsville, for now.

After consecutive races on the tight half-miles, where Busch said the team will have to improve to compete for a series title, NASCAR's Sprint Cup series moves this weekend to the 1½-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway. It is one of the fastest tracks on the circuit and similar to Atlanta, where Busch won three races ago.

"I feel like our mile-and-a-half program is definitely where we want it," Busch said.

But he obviously didn't have the same feeling last week in Martinsville, where he finished 18th after starting on the front row beside polesitter Jeff Gordon.

Coming off pit row after a stop, Busch bluntly told his crew on the radio that a "stupid adjustment" had been made and that there was no way to compete for the victory. Penske responded by telling him to do his best and that he would be fine. But that only led to a testy exchange between driver and owner.

"It's the most frustrating thing in the world to think that you think that we're better than we are," Busch said.

"If you don't blow yourself up, we'd be a lot better," Penske said, referring to the driver's mental approach and not the car. "So let's get serious here, OK? You understand?"

Busch's response: "10-4, dude. 10-4."

Despite the frustration while slipping back through the field at Martinsville, Busch is still third in season points, 132 behind leader Gordon and 89 behind Clint Bowyer.

Gordon, who drives for Rick Hendrick, said he has never had such an exchange with a car owner.

"Can't say I ever called him dude. Just boss," Gordon said before qualifying second for tomorrow's race. "Yes sir, boss. Whatever you say, boss. Yep. Gotcha. 10-4, boss."

Still, Gordon knows how frustrating things can get in the cockpit. And he has said things on the radio that he later wished he hadn't.

"Anything that I ever said I certainly intended for it to be constructive criticism, and I feel the same way toward me," Gordon said. "You got to know how to handle yourself in those moments on the radio because those kind of things can tear a team down too."

Busch insisted yesterday that everything was good between he and Penske and that their conversations during this week leading up to Texas were normal, including the routine Tuesday meeting.

That doesn't erase the radio exchange from Martinsville, which is available on the Internet for anyone to hear.

"The radio, I've always thought has been a team tool that should be utilized just by the team," Busch said. "We don't get to hear what the coach says to his offensive and defensive coordinators in the NFL, what they say in baseball when they call to the bullpen."

But that's not going to change in NASCAR, and Busch realizes that.

"It's up to me do a better job of taking the right words and actions at the appropriate times, and that's back at the race shop when it's closed doors," he said.

. . .

Note: David Reutimann earned the pole for the Sprint Cup Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Reutimann circled the 1½-mile, high-banked track with a lap of 190.517 mph.

It was Reutimann's second career pole in the No. 00 Toyota owned by Michael Waltrip. Season points leader Jeff Gordon will start on the outside of Row 1after running a lap of 190.194 mph.