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KURT BUSCH STARTING THIRD IN SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Pleased With Team’s “Total Effort;” Says Strategy Is Key To Winning-
CONCORD, N.C. (May 16, 2008) – Kurt Busch will start Saturday night’s Spring All-Star Race here at Lowe’s Motor Speedway from the third spot after his Pat Tryson-led Miller Lite Dodge Team turned in what he labeled, “an outstanding total team effort.”
“I’m so proud of my guys,” said Busch, who’ll be making his seventh career start in the prestigious NASCAR All-Star event. “The over-the-wall guys were really in the game in last night’s pit crew contest, making it to the quarter-finals with absolutely no penalties. Then they came back here tonight and turned in the fastest overall stop.
“I was a little gun-shy there on the pit entrance because I didn’t want to get the 20-second penalty for speeding,” said Busch. “I was pretty swift getting off pit road, but maybe I left a little on the table with my entrance. It was just an outstanding total team effort here today for our Miller Lite Dodge Team.”
The unique format for qualifying for this special race combined three laps around the 1.5-mile LMS quad-oval with a mandatory four-tire pit stop fit into the equation.
Jeff Gordon was the fourth of the 21 eligible drivers taking to the track for time trials. He posted an overall three-lap time of 122.494 seconds, including a 13.4-second pit stop, to give the remaining drivers the numbers to shoot at.
Kurt Busch was sixth out to make his qualifying attempt. His total three-lap time was 123.157 seconds and was aided by a fast 12.9-second stop on pit road.
It remained a Jeff Gordon/Kurt Busch front row for Saturday night’s race until the final car took to the track. Behind the wheel of that car was Kurt’s younger brother, Kyle, who has been the hottest driver in NASCAR racing this season.
The younger Busch came extremely close to violating the pit road speed limit on his entry. Even with a slower 13.4-second pit stop, his total elapsed time for the three-lap run was 121.956 seconds, knocking Gordon off the pole and relegating his brother to the third starting spot.
Martin Truex Jr. starts Saturday’s race fourth and Greg Biffle fifth. Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Bobby Labonte rounded out today’s top-10 qualifiers.
Saturday’s All-Star event has a special format that is certain to guarantee action and excitement. The competitors will run a total of 100 laps, broken up into four 25-lap segments. All restarts will be double-file, with the “lucky dog” beneficiary rule in effect throughout the race. Green and yellow-flag laps count in the first three segments, with only green-flag laps counted in the final segment.
Chassis changes can be made during the yellows and red-flags between segments one and two and two and three. All teams must make at least a stop-and-go pit stop between the third and fourth segment.
“My crew did a fantastic job,” said Busch. “I want to congratulate my crew on that excellent stop. They were solid last night in the pit crew competition. This translates into, hey, maybe we need to get our cars a little better and we can start competing for some top- fives again like our fans want to see in our Miller Lite Dodge. We found something in the last practice during the daytime and it should translate into speed at night as well. We didn’t test it, but I think we are going to try it. That will only better our chances for the Coca-Cola 600.
“I think the determining factor as to who wins here tomorrow night will come down to which team has the best strategy going into that last segment,” added Busch. “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. There will be fireworks -- both on and off the track – I can promise you that.”
Elliott Sadler claimed the pole for Saturday night’s preliminary Sprint Showdown. The Showdown is set to begin at 7:30 p.m., with the Sprint All-Star Race getting the green flag at approximately 9:00 p.m. EDT. SPEED-TV and MRN Radio will provide live coverage of all the action here at LMS.
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GRAND OPENING OF KURT BUSCH “SUPERDOME” SET FOR MAY 20
-2004 NASCAR Champ Proud Of Alliance With Petty’s “Victory Junction Gang Camp”-
RANDLEMAN, N.C. (May 16, 2008) – The official ribbon-cutting and “Grand Opening” of the new Kurt Busch Superdome at the Victory Junction Gang Camp is set for Tuesday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m.
“It is a day that we’ve been looking forward to for almost two years now,” said Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. “When we made the announcement of the original endowment for this project back in May of 2006, we envisioned the construction of a multi-purpose building that we would all be proud of. That is certainly the case in that we now have an indoor sports facility with a climate-controlled environment that the kids will utilize and enjoy for many years to come.
“I am sincerely honored to have the opportunity to be involved with the VJGC in this manner,” said Busch. “All the hours of hard work and dollars invested by the Kurt Busch Foundation will have been well worth it all when our dream comes to fruition there next Tuesday. It has truly been a labor of love and to finally get the doors open and see all the kids enjoying themselves will be one of the most gratifying moments of my life.”
The Kurt Busch Superdome is a 15,000-square-foot climate-controlled gymnasium, complete with scoreboard, bleachers and a specialty floor that can accommodate wheel chairs. It offers a completely allergy-free environment.
Busch announced the formation of his foundation on May, 19, 2006, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Kyle and Pattie Petty joined Busch at the announcement to discuss details of the Superdome, the Kurt Busch Foundation’s initial project. The Las Vegas native pledged that day the first $1 million toward the construction of the camp’s new gymnasium.
“Kurt has been a huge, huge part of the camp and we certainly appreciate his involvement,” said Petty. “A lot of these kids never have had the opportunity to play sports; never had the chance to be part of a team activity. When Kurt came to Pattie and me and started talking about this, we realized this is what the Kurt Busch Foundation is all about; teamwork and teaching sportsmanship.
“Next Tuesday will certainly be a memorable and historical day for the camp,” Petty added. “I know how happy that Kurt and Eva will be to see how their hard work and investment has paid off. There will definitely be a lot of kids running around with smiling faces there when we officially open the Kurt Busch Superdome.”
Several entertainment and sports figures are expected to attend Tuesday’s “Grand Opening” including members of the Carolina Panthers and Ryan Newman, 2008 Daytona 500 Champion. Members of the Petty Family, representatives of the Richard Petty Driving Experience as well as the team mascots from the Charlotte Bobcats, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Knights and Kannapolis Intimidators are also expected to be in attendance.
After making the announcement of the Superdome project in 2006, Busch has since staged fund-raising events at various tracks, offering contributors exciting “ride-a-longs,” extensive autograph sessions and memorabilia auctions. Several additional fund-raisers are on tap this year. For additional information, we invite you to visit the Kurt Busch Foundation area of his site at: http://www.kurtbusch.com/index_hi_1024.php
The Victory Junction Gang Camp’s official address is 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, NC, 27317. Please call the camp at (336) 498-9055 or the contacts listed above for additional information.
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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: |
Kyle Busch: |
| 125 races |
125 races |
| 9 wins |
7 wins |
| 25 top-5s |
37 top-5s |
| 45 top-10s |
59 top-10s |
| 20 DNFs |
16 DNFs |
| 2 poles |
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/
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The “Grand Opening” of the new Kurt Busch Superdome at the Victory Junction Gang Camp is set for Tuesday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. The project was announced in May 2006, with Kurt announcing the donation of the initial $1 million in support of the project. The facility will provide opportunities for indoor sports in a climate-controlled environment. "It’ll be like seeing a dream come true to finally get the doors open and see all the kids enjoying themselves,” said Kurt. “It’s been a labor of love for all of the people involved and I’m so proud and grateful to have the opportunity to make a contribution in this manner to the Petty camp.” Officials are in the process of ironing out all the final details and a news release on the event can be expected in the next few days. Several entertainment and sports figures are expected to attend including members of the Carolina Panthers and Ryan Newman, 2008 Daytona 500 Champion, Kurt’s teammate at Penske Racing. Just added to the festivities are the team mascots from the Charlotte Bobcats, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Knights and Kannapolis Intimidators.
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Notably missing from action last weekend at Darlington was team co-transport driver/scorer Cindy Lewis. “Our daughter, Stephanie, received her nursing degree and high honors diploma last Friday night and we had all the family in from Maryland to attend the graduation ceremony,” Cindy explained. “We’re so proud of Steph and she has a great career ahead of her.” Stephanie Lynn McKinney received her degree in the ceremony held Friday night at Mitchell Community College. Stephanie was the president of her class and she was also presented with the “Outstanding Leadership Award” during the evening’s activities. The proud mother of three-year-old Kendall Alexandria, Stephanie will be pursuing her career at Lake Norman Hospital. Bill “Stump” Lewis, Cindy’s husband, did a remarkable job taking up the slack at Darlington over the weekend. Cher Nuckels, the team’s veteran marketing assistant, filled in for Cindy in the scoring booth.
KURT BUSCH: LAST SEGMENT STRATEGY WILL DETERMINE
ALL-STAR RACE WINNER ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT LOWE’S
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver “Would Welcome Opportunity For A Busch Brother Face-Off”-
CONCORD, N.C. (May 13, 2008) – According to Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch, the first 75 laps of Saturday night’s 100-lap Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will simply be an exercise of “prep work” for the competitors in getting ready for the final 25-lap segment.
“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.
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Mark it down on your calendars…the Penske Racing Fan Fest will be held at the Penske Racing headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., on Friday, May 23. Many exciting events are being planned for Penske Racing fans, including a special autograph session with NASCAR stars Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and Ryan Newman. In addition, attendees will be able to see a variety of racing machines that have propelled Penske Racing drivers into victory lane as well as the trophies they earned. The popular Sirius Satellite Radio program, “The Morning Drive,” will be broadcasting live from the Penske Racing facility, located at 200 Penske Way in Mooresville. (Mapquest directions available here: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/200+Penske+Way+Mooresville+NC+28115/
12TH-PLACE DARLINGTON FINISH SHOWS PROMISE FOR BUSCH & TEAM
-Potential Top-Five Finish By Miller Lite Dodge Team Foiled By Front Suspension Problems-
DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 10, 2008) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch ran among the top-five for much of tonight’s Dodge Challenger 500 here at Darlington Raceway and actually led a lap during a green-flag pitting sequence. However, mechanical problems with the right-front suspension caused a disastrous pit stop with less than 100 laps remaining and the team had to mount a valiant charge to finish 12th.
The end result saw Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champ, climb two spots to 22nd in the point standings and, most importantly, close the distance to 12th – and Chase eligibility – from 222 points to 194 points.
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Kurt Busch pals around with comic great Ron White at Talladega.
© TRPR Photo
From left: popular Latin comedian Alex Reymundo, Kurt Busch, KBI Executive Assistant Kristy Cloutier, Ron White, Eva Busch and team public relations manager Tom Roberts.
Yes, that was popular comedian Ron White hanging out with Kurt Busch and his Miller Lite Dodge team on Sunday at Talladega. “Ron is a really cool guy and is as funny off the stage as he is on it,” Kurt said. “It was great having him there and he had the whole team in stitches before the race.
“Ron had done a show on Saturday night in Springfield, Mo., and wanted to swing back by the Talladega race and soak in the scene,” Kurt explained. “He requested to come in sort of under the radar screen in a low-profile atmosphere. Kristy (Cloutier, KBI Executive Assistant) did a heckuva’ job in putting it all together at the last moment. Ron brought his comedian buddy Alex Reymundo, one of the hottest Latin comics around these days, along for the day and he was about blown away with what all he saw and did.
“Ron’s been a NASCAR fan for years and he’s always looking for new material,” said Kurt. “I guarantee you that his trip to Talladega was worthwhile. We even had the time to chat a little about a potential new CD he’ll be putting out and we may be doing some promotional work with him relative to that project.
“He hung with us during pre-race and we had him up on the box in the pits for the early part of the race. Then we had Pauly (coach driver Paul “Tater Tot” Bostic) put him on the golf cart and show him around. They went over and had some fun at the new Miller Lite Party Deck down in Turn 1. They spent most of the last half of the race roaming around in the massive infield, taking in all of the weird stuff that goes on there. After the disappointing day we had out there on the track, it sure was nice to have him back at the coach after the race. He was still able to make me laugh; even after all we’d been through.”
“Ron definitely got some new material for his act there at Talladega on Sunday,” Pauly reported on Monday night. “If we’d had a video crew with us in the infield, he could have packaged that whole episode and made millions off of it. It was absolutely amazing how many people out there knew him and begged for us to stop.
“We made several stops and visited inside several of the campers. I don’t have to tell you what all offers people made to him. I’m certain that some of the stuff we saw and did will find its way into the material Ron uses on stage on down the line. We all had a blast.”
For additional information on Ron, we invite you to visit his site at http://www.tatersalad.com
Talladega 2008 Photos
Kurt's back at it again -- hanging with the rock stars at Phoenix
International Raceway. After taking rock
icon Eddie Van Halen for a thrilling ride around the "Desert Mile" last
April, it was only appropriate that
he serve as "Official Driving Teacher" to rock legend Sammy Hagar here at
P.I.R. on Friday.
© Kristen Valus Photo
Hagar, the
"Cabo Wabo Wild Man" and former member of Van Halen, will serve as "Honorary
Pace Car Driver" for
Saturday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 and will also be atop the flagstand to
display the checkered flag. Kurt and
Sammy were wired for sound by ESPN and a videographer was in the back seat
of the pace car as Kurt gave
Sammy his "lessons." Kurt drove first, showing Sammy the fast line around
the track. Then, Sammy had his
turn behind the wheel. Was the legendary rocker singing his classic hit, "I
Can't Drive 55" during his laps?
Only Kurt, Sammy and a future ESPN audience will know for sure. "That was
really cool and Sammy's a
great guy," Kurt said. "Sammy invited Eva and me to come down to Cabo and
hang out at the Cantina when
all of our schedules offer that opportunity and we're probably gonna' take
him up on that. It'd sure be a blast,
I'm certain of that..."
Alan Kulwicki talking about his first win at PIR
Link
A MUST SEE! "Outside the Lines: Alan Kulwicki"
link
Miller Lite Dodge Driver Kurt Busch, The Lone Dodge Representative In Last Season’s “Chase For The NASCAR Championship,” Was Rewarded By Dodge Officials For His Efforts Wednesday In Detroit. Busch Was Given The 25,000th Dodge Viper To Roll Off The Assembly Line. In this photo, Busch is pictured with (L to R) Bob Nardelli, Melissa Holobach (Plant Manager, Conner Ave. Assembly Plant), Busch and General Holiefield (Vice President, United Auto Workers).
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25,000 Vipers Loose On The Streets
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is awarded the 25,000th Dodge Viper to roll off the line
- 25,000th Dodge Viper rolls off the line at Chrysler LLC’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant
- Ultimate American sports car hand-built by Dodge craftpersons since 1992
- All-new 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is powered by an 8.4-liter V-10 engine producing a ground shaking 600 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque
Pat Tryson 2007 Sporting News “Crew Chief of the Year"
Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Pat Tryson officially accepts the 2007 Sporting News "Crew Chief of the Year" Award from Sporting News staff member Matt Crossman during Saturday's activities at Daytona International Speedway. © Steve Rose 2008 -
All Rights Reserved
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MILLER LITE TO WAGER $25,000 FOR CHARITY ON #2 BLUE DEUCE,
CHALLENGES BUD TO PLACE SAME WAGER ON ITS CAR
Miller Lite Racing Team Installed As Big Favorite By The Palms Casino Resort Over Rival in “Battle of the Beer Cars”
MILWAUKEE (February 6, 2008) – The Palms Casino Resort unveiled today a new head-to-head betting line that establishes the #2 Miller Lite NASCAR Sprint Cup team as a clear favorite over the rival Bud car for the 2008 season.
Wasting no time in underscoring its confidence in Kurt Busch and the entire Miller Lite Racing team, Miller Brewing Company announced immediately that it is wagering $25,000 on the Blue Deuce to again finish ahead of the Bud car this year, with the winnings pegged for the Kurt Busch Foundation. The Palms’ official line has the Miller Lite car favored to finish 8½ spots ahead of the Bud car in the final NASCAR Sprint Cup season standings.
Additionally, Miller is wagering $2,500 on the #2 car to finish ahead of the #9 at the Feb. 17 season-opening race in Daytona Beach. At The Palms Casino Resort, the Blue Deuce is favored to finish 6½ spots ahead of the #9 Bud car in the Daytona race. The Palms will be setting similar lines between the two cars for each race.
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Photos Copyright: Wayne Ebinger
PENSKE-TAYLOR TEAM SCORES PODIUM FINISH IN ROLEX 24
-All-Star Trio Of Busch, Castroneves & Briscoe Bring Toshiba Pontiac Riley Home Third-
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26-27) – There is a long-standing motto associated with Penske Racing and that is “Effort Equals Results.” Perhaps there is no better example of that slogan being demonstrated than in the team effort that produced an impressive podium finish for Penske Racing drivers Kurt Busch, Helio Castroneves & Ryan Briscoe in this weekend’s Rolex 24 Grand-Am race at Daytona International Speedway.
Briscoe was behind the wheel of the Penske-Taylor Racing No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley when it crossed the line third and came to rest on pit road in today’s 46th edition of the famed road racing endurance classic. The celebrating crew members, along with Busch and Castroneves swarmed around the podium-finishing ride. Tim Cindric, President of Penske Performance, Inc., who manned the radio for this weekend’s incredible effort, huddled his trio of drivers together by the car.
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KURT BUSCH JOINS LINEUP OF FOXSports.com EXCLUSIVE WRITERS
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Joins Illustrious Group Contributing To 2008 NASCAR Coverage-
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 23, 2008) – Kurt Busch, 2004 NASCAR Sprint Series champion and a 17-time winner at the top level of stock car racing, has joined the list of FOXSports.com’s “Exclusive Writers” covering the 2008 schedule.
Busch, who is among only 12 drivers to have claimed victories and poles in all three of NASCAR’s top series, will offer his unique perspective on his Pat Tryson-led Miller Lite Dodge Team and also his point of view on all the hot topics in the sport.
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USA Today Writer, ESPN Producer and Charlotte TV Reporter
Among Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Award Winners
 CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 22, 2008) – A quintet of journalists were honored Tuesday afternoon during the 23rd annual presentation of the Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin.
The group included a veteran sportswriter whose feature story for USA Today explored whether popular Indy Car driver Danica Patrick could win in the open-wheel series, a Charlotte television reporter who gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at ABC’s coverage of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and an ESPN feature producer who profiled 1992 NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki
The Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence annually recognize outstanding motorsports coverage in five categories while honoring the memory of Russ Catlin, a motorsports journalism pioneer.
The entries were submitted to the Indiana University School of Journalism, whose faculty members selected the winners.
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