Kyle, Kurt Busch make joint bid for NASCAR Nationwide title
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Backed by a sponsor that likes their "edgy" reputations, Kurt and Kyle Busch will be tag-teaming the NASCAR Nationwide Series next season with aspirations for an owners championship.
Kyle Busch Motorsports will field a Monster Energy-sponsored No. 54 Toyota for the talented but often mercurial siblings, who both found trouble near the end of last season. Kyle Busch was benched for a Sprint Cup race for intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Camping World Truck Series race, and Kurt Busch left Penske Racing after video of him berating ESPN reporter Jerry Punch went viral.
That created the opportunity for Kurt, 33, to be hired by the team owned by his younger brother, who said his new energy-drink sponsor fully supported the move.
"Essentially, they said we love your attitude and the way you guys can be a fit for the Monster brand," Kyle, 26, said. "You guys are edgy, aggressive and take no fear and just win the race. It fits us perfectly, but there's still other brands like Dollar General, M&M's and Interstate Batteries that I'm working with, too. There's going to be a balance there, but it's going to be fun.
"It's not necessarily where we can do some of the antics we've done before, but at Monster, they'll probably be a little more lenient."
Said Kurt, who will drive for one-car operation Phoenix Racing in Cup this season: "It's just about getting to victory lane. That's what they want to see. We're always out there going for the trophy, and sometimes we let that rough edge drag. It's just like (the Monster logo) with the jagged edge. That's us."
The brothers, who last raced together in Legends cars 13 years ago in their hometown of Las Vegas, haven't settled on divvying up the 33-race schedule. Kurt will drive the majority of the races, including those that are most logistically difficult (such as a Nationwide race in Wisconsin followed by a Cup race in Sonoma, Calif., the next day).
"This is an opportunity to keep having fun and jump behind the wheel of a competitive car," Kurt said. "We've got a shot at winning 33 Nationwide races this year between Kyle and I."
The 2004 Cup champion joked the name should read "Busch Brothers" above the doorframe of their Camry.
"We'll have a lot of fun this year," he said. "It's a key deal for both of us. He's a champion, I'm a champion. He's the most winningest driver in Nationwide (with 51 career wins). That says it all about Kyle and how he drives and his intensity behind the wheel always shines through. I have the same fire in the belly of just worry about driving. This gives us a chance to buddy up on something more important than just driving."
Kyle Busch Motorsports has competed primarily in the truck series the past two seasons, winning the 2010 owners championship in its debut season. Kyle said he'd like to expand to a two- or three-car Nationwide team down the road. He and his brother also left the door open on perhaps driving with each other in Cup someday if the team made that leap.
"We want to see this place be around for a long time," Kyle said. "It's a beautiful facility and near and dear to my heart. I didn't inherit this. This is something I've been building and hiring the right people to get them in right places to make it successful."
In driving 10-15 Nationwide races next season, Kyle said he won't run trucks next year because it was "highly recommended" by Cup team owner Joe Gibbs. He also will be competing against Joe Gibbs Racing in Nationwide next year.
"After it was this close to being signed, Joe called and said, 'Why are we doing this? Why are we letting you open your own deal to compete against us?'" Kyle recalled. "I said, 'I don't know, (JGR President) J.D. (Gibbs) said it was OK. Joe is not necessarily a fan of us, but he's open to it. He understands, too, this is Kyle Busch Motorsports, and there's a family of people that work here that need to have an income, and we put food on the table for a lot of people."
Kurt also had to get clearance to drive a Toyota in Nationwide while he'll be driving a Chevrolet for Phoenix, which gets its chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports.
"I just have to respect who each are with the Toyota brand and their information and the Chevrolet people as well," Kurt said. "They're involved with Hendrick, so we need to understand that line of information, and I'm here to respect that. This is one of the first times you'll see a driver bouncing between manufacturers. I hope to learn and put myself in front of as many people as I can."
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updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
