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Tip your cap to Busch—he deserves it: with huge potential and a heart to match, Busch will have a seat at the head table for years to come

Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 2004 by Lee Spencer

Gaye Busch sits patiently near the back of the conference room at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Her oldest son, Kurt, just won his first Nextel Cup championship, but the response by the crowd is tepid. After eloquently answering the softball questions tossed to him by NBC after climbing from his racecar, the inquisition from the core media begins.

Gaye Busch is hardly June Cleaver. Still, she's doing her best to graciously mask her emotions as Kurt defends his character. He should be commenting on the strategy used to win the title, but that would be too easy. One moment she winces. The next she smiles. Despite the litany of questions, Kurt is responding succinctly and patiently. Gaye Busch can't hide her pride.

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"I don't think people understand the time we've invested to get Kurt where he's at today," she says. "How he's matured after that, he's done that on his own. But the transformation in the last couple of years has even surprised me."

Love him or hate him, Kurt Busch is the Cup champion. Whatever your opinion of the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup format, Busch and the No. 97 team, led by crew chief Jimmy Fennig, did what was necessary to squeeze out the most points during the 10-race shootout.

The team followed the rules and won in style. Had it not been for an engine failure at Atlanta, Busch's average finish would have been 5.2. That 42nd-place finish, which tightened the points race and tested the No. 97 team, was Busch's only finish outside of the top 10 during the Chase.

Busch drove the wheels off the car at Homestead--literally. He kept his composure after he lost a wheel and when he came back from a pit stop during which the crew nearly forgot to refuel the car. Those incidents would have rattled even the most seasoned driver, but Busch calmly reminded his team over the radio about the big picture.

Busch, 26, is intelligent, articulate and can speak on an array of subjects outside of racing. Although the traditional fan might not be able to relate to Busch, he is the new breed of NASCAR driver.

Still, fans berate him. Rather than filling message boards with kudos for his valiant effort at Homestead, fans criticized Busch for wearing his cap during the national anthem. I assure you it was not intentional. The hustle and bustle of pit road, compounded by Busch being minutes from competing in the biggest race of his life (Jimmie Johnson trailed by 18 points; Jeff Gordon by 21), meant he was focused on the task at hand: winning the title.

"It's hard; it's very hard," Gaye Busch says. "The fans don't know what kind of heart he really has. ... He has the biggest heart I've ever seen. I know there are a lot of drivers who are like that, but I can't say enough about that. It just hurts. It hurts. I just have to try to go with the flow."

People, it's time to lighten up. It's a new NASCAR championship format, and it's a new Kurt Busch. Although you might not have liked either in the beginning, it's time to give both a chance. Neither is going away any time soon.

speed reads

Don't overlook the contribution of the Ford Racing engines in Kurt Busch's championship. Roush Racing has never had horsepower like this.

In the short time Mike Bliss has driven the No. O Chevrolet, he has proved he deserves a full-time shot. There has been a resurgence in the team since crew chief Bootie Barker took over.

The smaller spoilers and new tires will make the combined tests in January at Las Vegas and California the most important preseason tests in a long time. They especially should help the Dodge teams because the Charger will make its debut in 2005.

INSIDE DISH

With two engine failures for Jeff Green in the final six races, it's no big surprise the Petty Enterprises Dodges will be powered by Evernham Motorsports engines, starting with Daytona testing in January. Considering the challenges of keeping up with today's technology and incorporating a new Dodge Charger fleet for Green and Kyle Petty, this will lighten the load at the shop. "Evernham Motorsports has really moved into the forefront in regards to Dodge engine development, and we're excited to be part of that," Petty says. "We've made some big strides with our chassis and bodies, so this was obviously the next step." Green was making strides in the No. 43 with the addition of crew chief Greg Steadman. Having a factory-backed engine program will be a bonus.

Since 1992, engineer Brian Whitesell has been an unsung hero at Hendrick Motorsports. Whitesell, 40, was instrumental in the development of the No. 24 team and subsequently the No. 48 team. He will attempt to work his magic again as team manager for the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 Cup teams of Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Terry Labonte, as HMS brings all three teams under one roof for 2005. Lead engineer Darian Grubb and shop foreman Mark Thoreson will assume Whitesell's former duties. * Jimmie Johnson will have a new rear tire changer next season. Tim Ladyga, who previously changed tires for Robby Gordon on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, is replacing HMS mechanic Shane Parsnow on the Team Lowe's pit crew. * Evernham Motorsports' hotshoe rookie Kasey Kahne is 2-for-2 in the Craftsman Truck Series behind the wheel of the No. 2 Ultra Motorsports Dodge. Kahne upstaged his veteran Ultra teammate Ted Musgrave in the final two truck races of 2004, but a full-time driver for the No. 2 has not been named for 2005. Musgrave doesn't seem worried about whom Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith will choose to be his dancing partner. "Whatever program he has, I deal with it" Musgrave says. "But if he says 'I'm thinking about putting Joe McGumbo in the truck' and in my heart I know it's not right, I'll say so. Other than that, everything he's done so far-whether it's Kasey or Jamie McMurray--I've gotten along with everyone." Since coming to the truck series in 2001, Musgrave hasn't finished worse than third in points. The team already has its Daytona truck ready and tested it last month at Talladega. * Todd Bodine will return to the No. 30 Arnold Motorsports Toyota in 2005. Considering that Bodine won two of the eight races ne ran in the Tundra and finished in the top 10 in all but three, he should contend for the title. * Roush Racing's back-to-back titles is a first for Ford since David Pearson pulled off the double with Holman-Moody in 1968 and 1969. The debut of a new Ford--expected to be named the Fusion--will coincide with NASCAR's introduction of the car of the future in 2006. That should keep the Roush and Yates boys quite busy.

Tip your cap to Busch—he deserves it: with huge potential and a heart to match, Busch will have a seat at the head table for years to come

Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 2004 by Lee Spencer

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