At weekend's races, some had momentum, others did not

RICHMOND

In a mechanical sport that can be dictated by the smallest parts - a fallen lug nut for example - the idea that momentum affects a team's performance could seem laughable.

Yet, Jeff Gordon proclaimed he needed a good finish in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race to keep building momentum from his Texas win last month. He placed eighth, but it might not be enough.

When Kyle Busch took the checkered flag, he completed a weekend sweep that could lead to more burnouts and bows. Runner-up Tony Stewart moved to third in points with his fourth top-five in the last five races, while teammate Ryan Newman has climbed 17 spots. New personnel, new attitude and Hendrick Motorsports equipment play roles in their strong performances, but Stewart said that's not all.

"Momentum's everything," he said. "That's what you need going into the Chase. You need to have that confidence that goes with the momentum to feel like every day when you go out there, you've got a shot to win the race."

That's the way Busch feels again. He hadn't finished better than 17th in the four Cup races since his Bristol victory in March.

"Four or five weeks does feel like an eternity," he said of his recent Cup winless drought.

Busch struggled so much that his goal was just to land in the top 10 although his career average at Richmond before Saturday was a sixth-place finish.

His turnaround began Friday, when he won the Nationwide race. The wins give Busch 50 NASCAR victories - 15 in Cup, 24 in Nationwide and 11 in Trucks. Busch's goal is 200 overall wins.

"I know it's not 200 Cup victories like Richard Petty has," Busch said. "It will still be a phenomenal mark for me."

Busch's third victory of the year puts pressure on others, including Gordon. Each victory in the first 26 races is worth 10 bonus points for the start of the Chase. Busch now has 20 more bonus points than Gordon.

Despite his first top-10 finish in the past three races, Gordon left Richmond "frustrated with the way we ran.

"We've got to be racing (Busch) for the wins. He's the guy to beat. I thought we were going to be better than that. We weren't good enough. We missed it."

Denny Hamlin was good enough until a pit road problem ended his chances at his hometown track. Hamlin, who led a race-high 148 laps, entered pit road with the lead on lap 274. Car owner Joe Gibbs said two lug nuts fell off the right front tire. Hamlin exited pit road eighth and got stuck in traffic the rest of the race. He fell to 14th at the finish.

"You don't take anything out of it," crew chief Mike Ford said of the finish, "other than frustration."

And bad momentum. This was the team's third finish outside the top 10 in the last four races.

"There's no way to predicting when that momentum is going to stop or when it's going to start," Stewart said.