And that's from someone who'd know best, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It was only a few days ago that Busch and Earnhardt Jr. collided chasing victory at Richmond International Raceway. Dale Jr. admitted with a smile that Busch's racing style reminded him of his old man's earlier, hard-charging stock-car days.

"On the racetrack, there may be some comparisons there," Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday in Darlington, S.C. "He's fast. He's running well. He's quick. He's aggressive.

"That's the way Dad raced, and Kyle has that same style. Very aggressive."

Does Busch match his father's personality off the track? Not a chance, Earnhardt Jr. said.

"Personality-wise, they are polar opposites," Earnhardt said. "Give me a break."

Earnhardt Jr. was at Darlington Raceway on Thursday, preparing for Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 500.

Dale Jr. fans everywhere thought their hero's two-year winless drought -- Earnhardt's last victory came at Richmond in May 2006 -- was about to end as he fought Busch for the win less than two miles from the checkered flag.

The cars hit, and Earnhardt spun into the wall. Busch, with little damage, recovered to take second behind Clint Bowyer.

Earnhardt wound up 15th -- a finish that unleashed the full wrath of "Little E" fans on Busch, the 23-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Earnhardt could've stoked the flames more with a few incendiary words. Instead, he chose to put the crash and lost opportunity behind him this week at Darlington.

"I've got more important things to worry about," Earnhardt said. "If I let that get under my skin, everything I do this week is going to be a pain in my butt, make for a long week."

Earnhardt wants to concentrate on conquering Darlington, where his father is second all-time with nine wins. Earnhardt Jr. has four top 10s his past five times here.

RAINOUTS AT INDY FORCE DRIVERS TO ADJUST: A second straight rained-out practice is forcing Indy 500 drivers to improvise.

Veterans have had only one practice session this week, and although they can still test setups today and Saturday -- assuming the track is dry -- teams are doing anything they can to get ready for Saturday's pole qualifying.

Even if it's just making adjustments in the garage.

"The whole thing about this place is speed," said Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy 500 pole winner and race winner. "If you can find a couple of tenths of a mile per hour by sitting there and looking at the car and cleaning it up and doing what you can, you're going to do that."

KOVALAINEN TO RACE IN TURKEY: Heikki Kovalainen has been cleared by doctors to race in the Turkish Grand Prix, giving McLaren a boost as it tries to snap Ferrari's three-race win streak.

The 26-year-old Finn was given a go-ahead for Sunday's Formula One race after undergoing medical checks by governing body FIA on Thursday, following his violent crash at the Spanish GP.

A wheel rim failure caused a tire on Kovalainen's car to explode and send him barreling into a wall at high speed. The crash left him in a hospital overnight with slight injuries, including a concussion.