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DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Kyle Busch's flat tire with two laps left gave Matt Kenseth his first Nationwide Series victory of the season Friday night at Darlington Raceway.

Busch led 143 laps, but a late collision between Scott Legasse Jr. and Joe Nemechek brought out the race's 10th caution period and set up a two-lap sprint to the finish.

That's when Busch's spotter noticed his right-rear tire was flat, apparently because the car ran over debris. Busch tested the tire for several laps before rolling into the pits and finishing 16th.

BACK TALK: Jeff Gordon says he will undergo treatment on his back May 18, two days after NASCAR's all-star race.

The driver's back has bothered him for the past couple of years, but the problem has become worse recently. He's scheduled to receive injections to help him with the pain.

His condition is "sort of like an arthritis," Gordon said, but is "excessive because of some of the trauma my back has gone through."

Gordon says he can't stand or sit for long periods and that his back bothers him more driving at shorter tracks such as Bristol and Martinsville.

"It's been building and getting worse," Gordon said. "Last year, it really started aggravating me and I just didn't get on it soon enough."

PRESSURE BUILDING AT PETTY: An executive with Richard Petty Motorsports says the team is under "pressure" to run the new Dodge engine.

The Petty team, one of two that runs Dodge cars in the Sprint Cup series, has not used the new engine that Penske Racing ran late last season. Kurt Busch has used the engine this season and is second in points entering tonight's Southern 500.

The Petty team has been going through its inventory of older engines and updating them as much as possible. Only one of the four Petty drivers is in the top 20 points -- Kasey Kahne 17th.

"The pressure, it comes from a lot of different quarters, certainly not just from Dodge," says Mark McArdle, the team's director of competition. "We're in the process of making sure that we make the best decisions that we can so that we get out there and improve our performance."

FAST TIME: Matt Kenseth won the pole Friday for tonight's Sprint Cup race with a track-record qualifying lap of 179.514 mph. He broke the record set last year by teammate Greg Biffle, at 179.442 mph.

LOYALTY TEST: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says fans are those who stick by a driver even when he's struggling, as Earnhardt is.

"I wouldn't call a guy a fan if he jumped ship in the middle of the season if a guy is doing poorly or a team is doing poorly in any sport," he said. "I don't need any fair-weather fans. I appreciate the ones that are loyal."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long @news-record.com