Kurt Busch: "There’s always something exciting about racing for $1 million"

Kurt Busch won the All-Star Race in 2010.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

Talk about having a tire option for the All-Star Race this weekend at Charlotte. 

“We’ll have a set in practice, and that will allow the team to adjust to the car according to that set, or find out that it’s not that much of an advantage. That’s something we’ll have to find out through practice. But that makes it that much more fun, going into a race where there’s a million bucks on the line, no points and the format is very crisp and clean this year. If these tires, if they’re soft and they go, I’ll run them all 70 laps.” 

Talk about racing in the All-Star Race. 

“There’s always something exciting about racing for $1 million. There’s a unique element about having that kind of money on the line in one night. It’s the prestige, it’s the intensity of it. I like coming onto pit road with no speed limit. I like that the pit crew is part of qualifying. The format itself is unique. It’s a fun environment for a novice fan to enjoy his or her first taste of NASCAR. It’s an even better environment for a longtime fan to see his or her favorite driver laying it all on the line for $1 million with no points at stake.” 

What does it mean to you to be in the All-Star Race? 

“It’s a who’s who of the Cup Series. It’s a big honor to be included in that race. Those are the winners, the top percent of our sport. To win that race in 2010 was a special moment. To beat the best of the best, and then to receive a check for $1 million, that’s a great feeling.” 

Talk about winning the event in 2010. What do you remember about that race? And what would it mean to you to win another one? 

“The weekend was perfect. The car unloaded fast. We had an excellent pit stop during our run. We won the pole and it seemed like, in the race, we were the ones dictating what everyone else had to do because of the pace we set. That all starts with the trends that you’ve learned in the beginning of the season. That’s what is different about the All-Star Race and The Clash in Daytona. At Daytona, you’re coming off the offseason, there’s the buildup and excitement for another season and seeing what you’ve got. The All-Star Race is taking what you’ve learned in the first part of the year, applying that and trying to cash in on a big payday.”

Chassis No. 933: Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 933 in Saturday night’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Built new for 2015, Chassis No. 933 debuted at Charlotte in May, when Busch finished 10th. It was next raced at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, where Busch again finished 10th. Chassis No. 933 was utilized again at Charlotte in October, when Busch recorded a fifth-place finish. Chassis No. 933 made its first start of the 2016 season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April, when Busch scored a third-place finish. It next raced at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in May, where Busch finished fifth after a tough day of obstacles. It saw its last laps of the 2016 season at Bristol in August, when Busch had overtaken Joey Logano for the lead before getting loose and setting off an 11-car incident that would see Busch’s historic streak of lead-lap finishes end at 22 races. Since then, the car received chassis and body updates and saw its first laps of the 2017 season at Bristol in March, when Busch was involved in an early incident but was able to soldier to a 25th-place finish.