KYLE BUSCH
A MOST COLORFUL END TO THE 2009 SEASON
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 18, 2009) -- With a bright yellow racecar
covered with images of red and blue and green M&M's chocolate candies,
and with a firesuit and helmet to match, it's certainly not a stretch to
call Kyle Busch one of the most colorful drivers in NASCAR.
But as the curtain falls on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
this weekend, Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry for Joe
Gibbs Racing (JGR), hopes it all simply comes down to a matter of black
and white -- checkers, that is.
With his and the No. 18 team's sights already set on a
more-determined-than-ever run for the championship in 2010, Busch would
love nothing more than to circle the 1.5-mile oval at Homestead-Miami
Speedway after Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 by celebrating another
victory with checkered flag in-hand.
That would be a more-than-welcome sight for sponsor M&M's Chocolate
Candies, which flew in some special reinforcements to help root Busch
and the No. 18 team on from the sidelines this weekend. Cynthia Peace
of Havana, Ill., was the grand prize winner of the recent M&M's Seeks
the Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR contest and will be joined by family
members from California, Oklahoma and Texas in a special VIP experience
at Homestead.
Busch, of course, would be more than happy to oblige them in his third
race since new crew chief Dave Rogers joined the M&M's team. Two
weekends ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, the Busch-Rogers era
opened in thoroughly dominating fashion as Busch led a race-high 232
laps before heartbreak set in a mere three laps from the finish when the
No. 18 car ran out of gas. Another gallon-and-a-half in the fuel tank
that afternoon would have made it a history-making weekend for Busch
who, after winning Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and
Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series event, found himself within 4½ miles
of becoming the first driver ever to win in NASCAR's top three series in
the same weekend.
Such busy weekends have contributed to the appeal of Busch to fans who
like his "colorful" personality. Since he arrived on the NASCAR scene
in 2001, the now-24-year-old driver from Las Vegas has made racing in
multiple series on any given weekend a trademark as well-known as his
post-victory bow.
He'll be pulling the "NASCAR Triple" yet again this championship weekend
as he's set to tackle Friday's Truck Series and Saturday's Nationwide
Series events at Homestead. Busch's focus on Sunday, of course, will be
to win the race and solidify his position as the top-finishing driver
among those who did not make the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.
But before that, Busch will clinch his first Nationwide Series title
this weekend simply by taking the green flag in Saturday's Ford 300. He
leads his nearest competitor, Carl Edwards, by 190 points heading into
the Nationwide Series finale.
And so, if Busch could ever make a case for saving his best weekend
performance for last, a trifecta of season finales offers the perfect
opportunity to make it happen. It'll be a colorful sight to see, to say
the least.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs
Racing:
You're going to clinch the Nationwide Series championship this weekend.
Are there some things that you've learned on that side this year --
consistency being one of them -- that you hope to apply toward trying to
win a Sprint Cup championship?
"I've learned a lot, for sure. We've been really consistent over there
and it's going to earn us a championship and we're hoping, with Dave
(Rogers, crew chief) coming on board with our M&M's Toyota, we can build
toward being that consistent starting next year. Any championship in
NASCAR is a big deal and I'm proud of the effort by all the guys over
there. I've had to learn to be a little more patient and take what the
car will give me and not try to drive over my head if my car isn't
the best out there. I've tried to learn to take what you have -- if
it's a 12th-place finish like we had at Phoenix last week -- you take
that, since it's the best you had that day. That kind of stuff wins you
championships and something that Jimmie (Johnson) and Chad (Knaus) have
been able to do so well. You also want to be the best of the best on the
Cup tour and, ultimately, that's what Jimmie's been able to hit on. And
I always bring up his name, probably in about every interview, but you
have to idolize the guy. Who can win four straight titles in this type
of era? Not even Jeff Gordon could do it. It's a big deal. Those guys
have really got it together and, one of these days, whoever beats them,
I can't imagine if they can go five straight."
You have a unique relationship with fans since they are very passionate
one way or another. With M&M's naming NASCAR's most colorful fan this
weekend at Homestead, what do you think the fans appreciate about you,
whether they root for you or someone else?
"Our fans are some of the most passionate fans in any sport. What we
have in common is that they're fans who love to watch racing as much as
I love to put on a show. I'm definitely colorful, so some fans like that
about me and some fans don't. But that's okay, since that's what makes
sports great. I like the Denver Broncos and I want to see them beat
another team, and there are teams I like and I don't like. You always
want to be liked by everyone, but that's not realistic. I got a lot of
fan support when I was going for the triple at Texas and had people
rooting for me because they know I race hard. They might not always
agree with everything I do, but the fans love racing and I love racing.
Look at what Jimmie Johnson has done and some people root against him.
It's just part of it and we're fortunate that fans love our sport and
tune in and come to the track and see us every week."
Homestead is a track where you have your fewest Sprint Cup starts. What
will you expect at Homestead this weekend?
"It seems like I've never been able to finish a race at Homestead. I
always seem to run into bad luck there, and last year's race was my best
finish and we were like 20th before last year. We ran alright there last
year, but ran out of gas at the end and still finished 19th. But, there
have been several tracks that I've not run well at before this year and
ended up winning the race, like we did at Atlanta, or running well on
the road course races."
Do you need a different mindset to race the current Sprint Cup car as
opposed to a Truck or a Nationwide Series car? Will you have to be
constantly changing mindsets, since you'll be driving all three series
one final time this weekend?
"I think the more races I drive in the weekend, it helps me more than
anything. I learned more in the Truck race on Friday in Texas than I
ever have before, and that helped me win on Saturday and run as well
as we did on Sunday. I believe there's a way you drive the Trucks and
there's a way you drive the Nationwide Series cars. That's full-out, as
fast as you can go. The harder you go, the faster you can go, and it's
such a momentum game with those two. You have to pace yourself in the
Cup cars a bit. You have to slow them down. You can drive them hard for
the first three or four laps. Then, you have to start backing off, start
slowing down, slowing up your entry, slowing down in the center, just
kind of moseying around the corner, trying to make the thing stick in
one particular groove. I've found something that's worked for me earlier
this season. You know, we're gaining on the car every week. But I think
a lot of it is a little bit of driver. You've got to stay calm when
you can. You've got to get going when the time's right and not get too
excited before then, or you are prone to make a mistake."
-credit: jgr
