LONG POND, Pa. — Kurt Busch's reward for slapping the wall at practice was a backup No. 22 Dodge that was better than his regular ride.
    For that, Busch had plenty of people to thank, starting with his team at Penske Racing.
    It's been quite a reversal for Busch a month after he launched into a foul-mouthed tirade against his race team at Richmond. He made it it two straight poles on Saturday, turning a fast lap of 171.579 mph at Pocono Raceway.
    Busch damaged his No. 22 Dodge in Friday's practice and was forced to a backup car. He also spun at practice last week — a sort of bad luck-good luck habit.    
    He wound up first last week at Kansas Speedway, then topped Jeff Gordon in one of the final qualifying runs at Pocono.
    The two-time winner at the 2½-mile track, Busch became the first pole winner under the new Sprint Cup qualifying rules.