A TALE OF TWO RACERS; Kurt Busch pounds a Bud at Pocono.(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc.)

Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO

The Pennsylvania 500 turned into Budweiser versus Miller and fan favorite versus villain. Miller and the villain won, but the fan favorite showed his mettle, and the chase for NASCAR's Cup got hotter.

Miller-sponsored winner Kurt Busch made a mockery of the other 42 drivers-caution flag, drive away, caution, drive away-and built leads greater than 12 seconds. He led a record 175 of 200 laps and had the fastest car on 99.

Bud's Dale Earnhardt Jr., clawing with Busch for the last spot in the Chase, had nearly as satisfying a day.

Earnhardt went to Pocono clinging to 12th in points-the final qualifying spot for the Chase. He stole his first pole position in five years, thanks to a downpour that cooled the track late in the session but didn't wash away the built-up rubber. And he hung near the front until midway in the race, when handling problems shuffled him out of the top 10.

Earnhardt's spin on lap 122 might have saved him. During the ensuing caution period, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. decided to change Earnhardt's shocks. Thanks to Pocono's two-minute yellow-flag laps, the pit crew did the job while keeping Earnhardt on the lead lap. In seven laps after the restart, Earnhardt drove from 27th to 13th. A short stop for the next caution moved him to fourth, and on lap 144, to a roar from the crowd of about 130,000, Earnhardt passed Reed Sorenson for the lead.

Busch had started second. He led lap one and was five seconds ahead when he pitted during a lap 139 caution. A poor stop by Penske Racing dropped him to ninth for the restart, but he rolled back to the front, retaking the lead from Earnhardt on lap 154.