NASCAR Sprint Cup 2010 First Half Report: Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch has two points race wins and the million dollar Sprint All Star Race under his belt in 2010 but there should be more to come in the second half of the NASCAR season. Kurt Busch and his new crew chief Steve Addington have been working together well but you wouldn't know it by listening in on their scanner conversations.

Kurt Busch is particular about the way he wants his car to handle, which makes the mild mannered Addington a perfect fit for Busch. Addington takes every complaint Busch makes and instead of yelling back at the volatile driver, Addington sets about making the adjustments to keep Busch quiet.

Kurt Busch Doesn't Take Long to Win 1st NASCAR Cup Race of the Season.

Kurt Busch's first three races weren't much to get excited about. Daytona Busch stumbled to a 23rd place finish and followed that up with a decent sixth place finish at California. On Busch's home track of Las Vegas he was caught up in a wreck between teammates, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray, finishing 35th.

Mired in the points after two terrible finishes, everything clicked for Busch and Addington when the arrived at Atlanta. Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2010 and the Blue Duece was on it's way to strong first half of the season.

Busch Has Rough Stretch Through April but May was a Big Pay Day.

April was not the best month for Kurt Busch. Aside from a fourth place finish at Texas Busch struggled to make the top 20 or even finish a race. May was the beginning of Busch and the Penske team's run to the top of the points.

Busch's May fortunes began mid month, winning a million dollars in the Sprint All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and concluded with Busch winning the World 600 on Memorial Day Weekend to complete the sweep of the two prestigious Charlotte races. The Penske Dodge was in full song from that point on to the halfway point ending with Daytona.

Run in With Jeff Gordon at Sonoma Costs Busch Five Top 5's in a Row.

Kurt Busch was on a solid run racking up top fives and contending for every win in the month of June. Then came Sonoma. Kurt Busch was running in the top three most of the race until he and Jeff Gordon got together and Gordon's front splitter cut down Busch's tire and he was forced to pit. Busch finished 32nd after the incident and took a devastating hit in the points.

Kurt Busch Final First Half Grade B.

Busch and Addington are in sync now and will be a threat on any mile and a half track they visit. Of the remaining 18 races, Busch has performed well at most of the tracks and is a legitimate threat when NASCAR visits Watkins Glen.

With only two mile and a half tracks coming up before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase begins, Busch will have to prove he is a threat at some of the more unique tracks such as Indianapolis and Pocono. There will be three mile and a half tracks in the Chase and Busch will be a favorite in all of those races.

Todd Jacobs is featured on many websites you may contact him through Suite 101, Associated Content or view his handicapping picks on www.lasvegasinsideinfo.com.