Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman produced top-15 finishes in Sunday s Goody s Cool Orange 500 to gain several positions in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings and inch closer to 12th place - the cutoff for the Chase for the Championship.
Busch s 12th-place finish in his Miller Lite Dodge Avenger allowed him to gain three positions and move into 17th, just 26 points behind 12th-place Jamie McMurray. Newman also gained three positions, moving into a tie with David Ragan for 19th, with his 14th-place finish in his Alltel Dodge Avenger. He trails McMurray by 61 points.
“It was a decent points day, but I thought we could have finished a little better, ” Busch said. “We picked up three spots, so we ll go to Richmond and test the Avenger a couple of days this week and then head to Texas and see what happens there. “
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