Kurt Busch - NASCAR Cup All-Star Race Preview
May 13, 2008
"It'll all be about getting your car set up for the final 25-lap showdown," Busch said of the 75 laps (first three 25-lap segments) of competition that will set up a final run to the checkered flag. "To tell you the truth, it might not be the most exciting racing the fans have seen leading up to that final segment.
"But when the green flag waves for the final 25 laps, you can fully expect to see all hell break loose," said Busch. "There's a million dollars on the line. It's an all or nothing race and nobody ever remembers who finished second. Can you tell me who finished second in the All-Star race last year?
"I think the determining factor as to who wins there on Saturday night will come down to which team has the best strategy," claims Busch. "You'll already have your chassis setup like you want it and whatever potential fuel mileage issues under control before we head into the last segment, at least you better have.
"I think the bottom line decision will be whether you take on four tires, two tires or no tires going into that final 25-lap run. The importance of track position will likely have crew chiefs pulling their hair out in making that call. The rules for the race mandate that all cars must come down pit road for at least a stop-and-go pit stop and we'll restart in the position that we leave pit road.
"So, do you get four tires and loosen her up a little? Do you take on right-sides only and look to get a little extra grip to boost you on the restart? Or, do you say to heck with it all and do nothing but the stop-and-go and head back out onto the track knowing that you'll at least be up front for the start of the real showdown.
"One thing that I came away thinking after last week's two days of testing there (at LMS) is that the tires that Goodyear has for us are durable and have pretty good longevity. From what we saw in the testing, I think everyone will be running the top side of the track for the first 75 laps. Of course, the double-file restarts will add to the excitement.
"With the final 25 laps being run all under the green flag, perhaps the biggest question will be just how long that final set of Goodyears you have on can last. If you don't stop for tires before the last segment, how many laps do you have on that set? You can take it to the bank that there will be caution flags flying in that last segment.
"The great thing about it for our team is that, just like last year, we have one car that we'll be racing in the All-Star Race and another Miller Lite Dodge that we'll race in the (Coca-Cola) 600 the following week," said Busch. "I think we coined the phrase last year as ‘having an expendable car' for the All-Star Race and that's the exact same situation this time around."
In last year's All-Star Race, Busch was battling with younger brother Kyle during the early laps of the fourth and final 20-lap segment when the two crashed and eliminated each other from the competition.
"I knew I had a car on the inside going down there into Turn 1," said Busch. I had cleared Jeff Burton off the tri-oval. That other car just happened to be my little brother and he was on the gas. He was racing hard and inevitably the Busch Brothers had to get together. We did it in an all-star race. A million bucks were up for grabs, and I'm sure that's why he didn't lift and I'm sure that's why I didn't give an inch. We wrecked two good race cars.
"If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I'd be every bit as aggressive as I was then," said Busch. "The big thing that I would do different is once I passed Burton, I'd have my left-side tires all the way down in the grass. That would eliminate the open half-lane or whatever small bit of asphalt there was down there for him to try to make his move on.
"Fact is that we'd certainly welcome the opportunity for a Busch Brother face-off there on Saturday night," said Busch. "If that happened, it would mean that we were racing strong enough to be up front. Kyle and his Joe Gibbs Team are at the top of their game right now. The way our season has gone, it would be a welcomed change. If we get that chance, there'll be fireworks on the track long before Humpy (Wheeler, track president) tells them to light the fuse after the race."
This weekend's Sprint All-Star Race weekend gets under way on Thursday night with the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman. Busch will be steering his Miller Lite Dodge in the competition among pit crews set for 7:00 p.m. at Time Warner Arena. The action shifts to the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday with practice set for 1:30 p.m. till 2:45 p.m. Qualifying on Friday evening at 6:15 p.m. will feature the unique format of three laps under the clock with a four-tire pit stop thrown into the equation. Saturday's Sprint All-Star Race will begin after the conclusion of the NASCAR Sprint Showdown "last chance" race at approximately 9:00 p.m.
--Just curious...inquiring minds want to know...23-year-old Kyle Busch is definitely the hottest driver on the circuit right now, but the truth is that big brother Kurt had won more races at the same point in his career. Saturday night's Darlington race was the 125th career Cup race for Kyle. Here's the way the Busch Brothers' statistics compare at the same point in their careers:
Kurt Busch completed the 125th race of his Cup career on 5/15/04 at Richmond
Kyle Busch completed the 125th race of his Cup career on 5/10/08 at Darlington
After 125 races into their careers:
Kurt Busch:
125 races
9 wins
25 top-5s
45 top-10s
20 DNFs
2 poles
Kyle Busch:
125 races
7 wins
37 top-5s
59 top-10s
16 DNFs
3 poles
--Kurt talked candidly about brother Kyle, about last week's Darlington race and his expectations for this weekend's Sprint All-Star Race in last night's (Monday's) edition of "Fast Talk" on PRN. "It was a great show, I thought," Kurt said. "I hope I didn't get myself too deep in the hot water by saying some of the things I did." If you missed the broadcast, it can be downloaded here: http://www.goprn.com/shows/fast_talk/
-Kurt labels the first three 25-lap segments of Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race as simply "prep work" in getting the cars set up for the final 25-lap segment. Then what? "When the green flag waves for the final 25 laps, you can fully expect to see all hell break loose," said Kurt. "There's a million dollars on the line. It's an all or nothing race and nobody ever remembers who finished second. Can you tell me who finished second in the All-Star race last year?" Much more on this in this week's advance that follows and is attached.
--Kurt would welcome the opportunity for Saturday's Sprint All-Star Race to be a "Busch Brother Face-Off." "Fact is that we'd certainly welcome that opportunity there on Saturday night," Kurt said. "If that happened, it would mean that we were racing strong enough to be up front. Kyle and his Joe Gibbs Team are at the top of their game right now. The way our season has gone, it would be a welcomed change. If we get that chance, there'll be fireworks on the track long before Humpy (Wheeler, track president) tells them to light the fuse after the race." Much more on this in this week's advance that follows and is attached.
--Not having to worry about points in this weekend's Sprint All-Star Race is certainly a welcomed change for Kurt, Pat and the Miller Lite Dodge Team. "It'll definitely be a welcomed ch