Kyle Busch will be focused on NASCAR Sprint Cup this year and will only race a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Busch, coming off his first NASCAR Nationwide Championship, will not have to worry about catching a helicopter or jet and missing a critical NASCAR Sprint Cup practice in 2010. Busch will have one thing to worry about, his NASCAR Sprint Cup team. Not exactly. 2010 may still be just as complicated as 2009, with Kyle Busch making a decision to try something different
Busch starts Kyle Busch Motorsports NASCAR truck series team.
Kyle Busch announced in late 2009 that he was founding Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch had landed a sponsor, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, for the 25 race season at the time of the announcement but now that sponsorship may be in jeopardy.
On January 5, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming elected a new chairman Colley Billie. He ran a campaign focused on a new proactive economic development platform. On Feb. 4 a vote was held by the tribe to end it’s agreement to sponsor both Kyle Busch’s entry and another entry fielded by James Lynch.
Busch appeared optimistic after the vote, saying he was already working on another sponsor just in case. Bush told thatsracin.com. “It’s unfortunate and disappointing, but we are close to announcing another partner for Daytona and were excited about that,” Busch continued. “We still plan to move on and run both, myself and Brian Ickler in the No. 18 and Tayler Malsam in the No. 56 since I’m committed to the series.”
2009 was a tale of two series for Busch.
Kyle Busch continued his dominance in two of the three NASCAR series in 2009. Busch continued to win in the NASCAR truck series and was up front every race in NASCAR Nationwide also. Busch set a record in NASCAR Nationwide that he wasn’t proud to claim, he finished second a record 11 times in 2009. Busch also led a record 2,698 laps and finished 210 points ahead of his nearest competitor and rival Carl Edwards.
NASCAR Sprint Cup was not as kind to Kyle Busch, as he failed to make the Race to the Chase and fell off in the win department from from 2008. Busch won eight races in 2008 and only won four races in 2009. Busch looked almost relieved when he exited his car and found out he didn’t make the Chase.
Busch could have swept Daytona if he had a little luck.
Busch had the best car for both Daytona races in 2009 but was caught up in wrecks in both events. In the Daytona 500, Busch was out front all day but was within range when Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brian VIckers tangled, taking out Busch and nearly half the field. In the July Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Busch was leading most of the day again on the last lap, when he threw a block on Tony Stewart and Stewart caught his quarter panel, launching Busch into the outside wall as Stewart raced to the finish line for the victory.
2010 could again be the year of Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch.
Judging by the close calls and bad breaks the #18 team suffered through in 2009, they have to be considered the early favorite. Kyle Busch is the third betting favorite to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, behind Jimmy Johnson and Mark Martin, according the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook, see all driver odds here.
Busch, a Las Vegas native, is the defending race winner of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Shelby 427 and the track is the first mile and half track NASCAR will race at the beginning of the season. Since the track has been banked it has produced some of the most exciting races in recent memory.
The first three races are at tracks on which Busch has won and performs well on every year. The second race is at the two mile California Speedway and the site of Kyle Busch’s first career victory. With the season starting at these three tracks Busch has a great chance to be the early NASCAR Sprint Cup leader.
sources:
www.thatsracing.com
www.nascar.com
www.speedtv.com
