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LAS VEGAS — Few would have blamed Kurt Busch if he had skipped Victory Lane. After all, drivers who finish 23rd at their home track don't have much to celebrate.

Yet with a heartfelt smile, he stopped by the party Sunday night to briefly congratulate his kid brother.

If he had even one twinge of jealousy, he didn't show it.

Kurt Busch has been seemingly stuck in neutral. Kyle Busch had 21 trips to the winner's circle last season. Kurt? Just one.

Still, Kurt's weathered the shifting spotlight with grace, and that didn't change Sunday when a Busch won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Growing up in the desert, young drivers didn't dream about NASCAR. That was a sport for the Southeast.

A chance to drive one of Jack Roush's trucks was the break of a lifetime, and Kurt Busch parlayed it into a full-time Cup ride one year later.

It didn't take long for him to find success, but public acceptance did not come as easily. He tangled with fan favorite Jimmy Spencer, starting a lengthy feud that ultimately turned the fans against him.

Back in Las Vegas, Kyle was making a name on the race track. Of course, it helped that Kurt was already in NASCAR and had alerted the industry to Kyle's existence by once saying "if you think I'm good, you should see my little brother."

It all came together so easily for Kyle because there were no doors for him to bang on: Kurt had already blown them all open.

Kyle Busch won a month into his new job, and seemingly every week after that. He became a championship contender, settled quickly into his newfound fame and fortune. He also learned to love the boos that had so tormented Kurt.

Kyle Busch was the top racing brother, and Kurt Busch couldn't compete. But he never made it personal, never publicly complained about being overshadowed by a kid seven years his junior.

Instead, he focused on making his team better. And through three races this season, it seems as if his Penske crew has turned the corner.

Kurt Busch was 10th at Daytona, fifth at California and won the outside pole for Las Vegas. No matter that Kyle Busch won the pole — Kurt relished that they were the first brothers since 2000 to sweep the front row.

Had his engine not lost a cylinder, Kurt Busch might have challenged his brother for the win. But you can only do so much with a limited amount of horsepower, and Kurt had to nurse his car home to a finish 23rd.

He knew it could have been him in Victory Lane. Maybe even should have been him.

But by spending more time fixing his own performance problems than worrying about being overshadowed, Kurt Busch ensured that it will be him in Victory Lane again. And soon.