Busch bumps his way back to Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kurt Busch is a little cranky, even as he returns to the site of his only Winston Cup victory.

"This is the part of the season where players make it to the front," Busch said. "Instead, we're backpedaling, and it's the wrong part of the season to be doing that."

Busch is coming off three straight finishes of 39th or worse that have dropped him from fifth to 12th in the standings. So he's hoping to snap his streak in the Sharpie 500, an event funded by his sponsor, on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

He won here in March but attracted plenty of attention by bumping Jimmy Spencer out of his way for the victory. It was the first of many scrapes that have cost Busch money and time in NASCAR's truck.

His outspokenness and aggressive behavior are proving that the 24-year-old Busch won't be pushed around by anyone as he tries to make the No. 97 Ford a weekly contender.

"I think that 99 percent of the field respects the way I drive," Busch said. "But that's not necessarily a concern of mine."

BUSCH SERIES: Jason Keller won the pole for the Food City 250 after qualifying for the NASCAR Busch Series event was delayed for more than two hours by a spectacular crash in practice that split Mike Harmon's car in two.

Harmon's wreck came during the first session of the day at Bristol Motor Speedway, when his car hit an outside wall that doubles as a crossover gate. He was not seriously injured, but the accident delayed the rest of the practice and pushed qualifying back.

But when Keller finally got to turn a lap in his Ford, he ran it at 124.428 mph to take the top spot for the race Friday night.

Harmon, who escaped serious injury, went to a backup car but needed a provisional to make the field. He'll start 42nd.

-- From wire reports