Kurt Busch Las Vegas Teleconference from Tuesday

NASCAR CUP SERIES

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PENNZOIL 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 2, 2021

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR WIN AT LAS VEGAS LAST YEAR AND WHAT IT MEANT TO YOU

“It was a huge win for me, personally. Las Vegas Motor Speedway had been a thorn in my side over the years. I left there every year more and more displeased and frustrated. Sometimes you don’t win at a track. Daytona took me 17 years to win the 500. I felt differently leaving Daytona. I know it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen. It will happen. Vegas, I don’t think it is ever going to happen. Vegas was that tough on me. It was an emotional tie of growing up there and having all my friends and family and people there, rooting me on, and just not being able to get the job done just felt weird. And so, it was really a spiritual moment of winning last September in the Playoffs at the South Point 400, and then not having fans and having people at the race track. I missed them and it was like boom, they zoomed in on me and we all celebrated through the TV lens. So, it was just a pretty big moment for me last year and I was just happy to win for Ganassi and to help us advance to through the Playoffs. It was a very impactful win las year.”

THERE ARE THREE UNUSUAL WINNERS TO START THE SEASON. IS IT MORE THAT THE THREE TRACKS ARE NOT TRADITIONAL TRACKS AS OPPOSED TO WHERE TEAMS ACTUALLY ARE RIGHT NOW?

“Yeah, I think you’re on the right path that it’s three unique tracks with a superspeedway, a road course, a 1.5-mile. But then the rules have stayed the same, primarily. And yet also my crew chief, Matt McCall, was telling me how some of the tech procedures have changed and different things are being enforced differently than what they have been in years past. Some of the aero advantages that some teams had, they might not be at full strength or there’s just different ways that we’re all adjusting to the sequences. And so there’s adjusting to the new but there’s also the impounds or lack of practice and the other things that it seems like other teams are finding better patterns for. I’m enjoying the start of the season and watching different guys lead leaps, passing different guys, different guys are passing me; it’s a very unique time right now. And then you have all manufacturers have won. Ford won the big 500, Toyota’s got a road course, a Chevy wins this weekend at a 1.5-mile, so we’ve got everything going for us right now. You don’t see a clear advantage for anybody.”

TYPICALLY, THE THOUGHT IS THAT WHEN NASCAR MOVES TO THE TRADITIONAL 1.5-MILES, THAT’S WHEN THE SEASON REALLY STARTS. WITH THE CHANGE IN THE SCHEDULE THIS YEAR THERE ARE STILL EIGHT 1.5-MILES. IS THE IMPORTANCE STILL THERE AND IS IT STILL AN INDICATOR OF WHERE TEAMS ARE RIGHT NOW?

“It’s hard to really put a thumb on everything all at once. I’ve always looked at the start of the year is the chunk of races before the Easter break. And that’s how a team evaluates what direction they need to go. The schedule that I’ve seen this year for everything, you have all these road courses that are part of the regular season and they can fill up with different winners towards who is going to be in the Playoffs or not. We might have somebody, new first-time winners with these road courses, that changes the way that points are accumulated to work your way in to the Playoffs. But then when you see the traditional ten races that are in the Playoffs go through those 1.5-miles, and the short tracks, too, that we haven’t even been to. And that’s how you win the championship. You win it at Phoenix. So, it’s still a lot of variety and no set patterns right now.”

DOES IT CHANGE YOUR MINDSET OR YOUR TEAM STRATEGY WHEN IT COMES TO HOW YOU APPROACH THE REST OF THE REGULAR SEASON WITH THREE SURPRISING WINNERS?

“Again, you can’t put the cart before the horse. You’ve just got to let things play out here a little bit and see how things shake out with guys that have the wins. Are they going to go after these Stage points only now to help them once the Playoffs start? You have the tracks still, that we need to, that balance out all of the off-season changes. Vegas is a high-grip 1.5-mile. Phoenix will be next week. The short tracks will start popping up. We’re going to go sling some mud at Bristol. So, a quality team like ours, we have to be in the Playoffs. We know we will. The important thing for us is to stick to our strength and that’s to gain points, methodically, through the Stages of each race, with race finishes, and if we’ve got the chance to gamble for a win at the end, we of course need to grab it. But right now, I think we’re only like four points out of being third overall with the wreck at Daytona. So, we’ve just got to keep chiseling away at getting our points built up. Then that will give us more options to do things.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRISTOL? ARE YOU OKAY WITH A DIRT TRACK ON THE SCHEDULE?

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be fun. It’s something different. Bristol Motor Speedway has done an incredible job of marketing the difference and putting dirt on it I think January 1. And then it’s like March 1st, they’re on their social. I heard the race is sold out. There’s going to be all types of other divisions racing. It’s got a bunch of hype. And they’ve done a really good job with it. And so, we’ll see how the race plays out. I think the track is going to go dry-slick and the cars are going to be super slow and sensitive. But hey, there’s points. You’ve got to get them. And there’s a chance to win and to get into the Playoffs. So, some guys are going to absorb it. Some guys are going to dread it.”

WITH THREE DIFFERENT WINNERS, IS IT GOOD FOR THE SPORT HAVING A SITUATION WHERE ALMOST NOW WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO HAS A CHANCE TO WIN EVERY WEEK?

“It’s like the beginning of the Kentucky Derby. You have all horses that have a shot at it. One guy leads. One guy drops back. Then by the end of those two minutes, the fastest two minutes in sports, you see your front-runners. You see who has jumped to the lead and who will get there. It’s just this is a great start to the year with the variety of tracks, the rules in place. You’re still going to have your front-runners. There’s no way that Denny (Hamlin) is not going to win multiple races. Harvick. I hope we’re in that click. I still think you’ll have your front-runners and then you’re going to have your guys that have won and then they’re going to get complacent.”

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN TO THE RACE FANS HOW YOU TALK ABOUT A TRACK LIKE ATLANTA AND SAY IT’S WORN OUT, IT’S COMING APART, AND THE DRIVER SMILES AND SAYS, WE LOVE IT?

“The easiest way to explain it is the lap times. When you have fresh tires at a track like Homestead or California Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, you get to just barrel it down in there. And you’re running just as fast as you can go and then by lap 3, the tires go, we can’t hold that grip. What are you going to do now? And then by lap 20, you’re sliding all around and you’re like oh, this is great because I’ve still got 20 more laps to go before we get to a pit window. And so, the driver really has to work at the worn-out asphalt tracks to keep up with changing track conditions and tire wear. Some of the other tracks (like) Michigan, some of the other hybrid 1.5-miles, we basically run the same lap time the whole time. And there’s nothing we can do to manipulate the car’s speed to catch the other guy in front of us.”

SO, THERE’S NO POINT IN SLIDING AROUND WHEN IT DOESN’T BECOME FUN? OR, IS IT FUN ANYMORE?

“Oh, it’s fun of course. And that’s what makes the lower grip tracks the bigger challenge. Like Bristol going to dirt, that’s going to be the least amount of grip we’ve ever seen. So, here we go.”

TELL US ABOUT THAT MONSTER VIDEO. WHAT WAS THE PRODUCTION LIKE? IS THERE A HIDDEN MESSAGE BEHIND THAT ABOUT YOUR FUTURE?

“To me, it was a blast to assemble a quality car from Ganassi and from Hendrick engines, and to take a NASCAR car out on the open road. And to have free reign, to work with Florida and the Dept. of Transportation, the Tourism Bureau, and to work with the Highway Patrol, it was a dream of mine to do something different, to create the Monster lifestyle that I enjoy every day with the employees, with the workers, with our fans. And to see a NASCAR car going 200 mph over the seven-mile bridge to Key West, it was a theme of what is the Monster lifestyle about? And then with the Harley riders, the moto guys doing backflips over the ramps, the bridge, cameos from Monster athletes, Vanilla Ice, who is a friend of mine down in South Florida. It just tied in a story of mine as well, on my career; with race wins, the good and the bad, and just the race journey that I’ve been on. I wanted to create those moments with such a scenic drive. And then yes, at the end is my racing career fulfilled? Is it complete? There are always those things that keep drawing any racer back. And there are those subliminal messages I sprinkled in throughout it. So, it was just a blast working with everybody and having fun down in Florida. I was trying to just put together something fun.”

SO, IS THAT A RETIREMENT VIDEO OR NOT?

“It’s left to your interpretation. Replay it and watch it again and have everybody else open it up and watch for more views.”

WHEN YOU HAVE A VIBRATION, WHAT GOES THROUGH A DRIVER’S MIND? HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?

‘I have flashbacks of 2004 when my wheel came apart. The center section came apart from the outer rim. You go through your memory bank of moments when there are vibrations. Is it a tire rub? Is it a loose lug nut? Is it damage from something else? You go through all these checklists and then if it keeps getting worse, you’re like man, it’s not going to make it with the amount of laps that are left based off of how the vibration feels in the car. It’s the worst feeling in the world when you pull in and they go yeah, everything was tight. And my crew, now that I’ve learned a little bit more of what was going on after that pit stop, it was loose. They just didn’t want to tell me. They were just hoping that it would go the distance because that was the end of the race. It went green all the way to the end. And the pit crew is gambling, trying to give me that track position to go for the win because we ran in the top 5 all day. And those are those moments where a team has to be on their game, but also truthful and work through the situation together. And I. said this is enough. We’re going to hit the fence and have a problem. And I did it early enough in the run to where we could still work our way back. My hope was to just get back to the lead lap and then if a yellow came out, at least we gave ourselves a chance without damage. So, there are a lot of things to evaluate. And you’ve got to go on past experience; and we pulled it together to come back and finish eighth.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SORT OF KNOW FROM ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE? YOU KNOW TIRES AS WELL AS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORK ON THE CAR. DO YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY OR IS IT JUST A SHOT IN THE DARK, OR WHAT?

“I’m not going to say I’m an expert in problem solving with crappy problems (laughs) but, having loose wheels or having vibrations and understanding where they’re coming from, I’m going to give myself a report card of eight out of 10 times I’ve been right. And if you’re wrong on those other two times, you’ve just got to take it. And so, I pitted, running in the top 5, with a chance to win. But at the end of the day, if that thing would have vibrated apart and tore the fender off and we had hit the fence, we would have finished 35th instead of where we rallied back and finished eighth. Points at the beginning part of the year are very important. And you’ve just got to stick with your gut and make the call.”

FOR BRISTOL, YOUR BROTHER, KYLE BUSCH, SIGNED UP TO RACE THE DIRT RACE THE WEEK BEFORE ALONG WITH (JOEY) LOGANO AND (KYLE) LARSON. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? DO YOU THINK IT WILL GIVE HIM A LEG-UP?

“Yeah, I’ve been researching the Bristol Dirt Race with what cars are running, when they’re running, how many laps will they get; and to me, with NASCAR somewhat unveiling our schedule now, we’re going to have practice on Friday. We’re going to have heat races on Saturday. And then race on Sunday. That helps me feel more confident that I’ll drive my Cup car on that track and go through the track’s changing conditions with the same car. If we didn’t have all that and just went in cold turkey, then I’d be looking to run other cars. And yet when you go to run other Late Models or Modifieds, wheel travel is different; side-force and downforce, everything is different. And I don’t want to develop bad habits leading into the Cup car. So, my most and best preparation and approach to this is to stick with my team, our car, and talk with Truck Series guys that have run Eldora. That’s where you’re going to learn the most in prep for Bristol Dirt.”

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Las Vegas NASCAR Betting Preview: 2021 Pennzoil 400

PENNZOIL 400 BEST BETS

It’s only fitting that NASCAR’s fourth stop on the schedule is at the gambling capital of the world because the first three races have produced the highest odds total ever with three improbable winners.

It’s the first Las Vegas NASCAR weekend of 2021 with Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 and the most exciting news is that fans will be allowed to attend at 20% capacity after no fans were allowed in the fall Vegas race last season. Things are slowly getting back to normal living under a pandemic, but the winners from the first three races are anything but normal.

NASCAR CUP BETTING RESOURCES
PENNZOIL 400 PICKS
Date: Sunday, March 7, 2021
TV-Time: FOX, 3:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

2021 FILLED WITH LONG SHOTS!

The Daytona 500 was won by Michael McDowell at 65/1 odds and the Daytona road course race was won by Christopher Bell at a whopping 80/1 odds.

First-time NASCAR winners in the first two races for the first time since 1950.

And then last week at Homestead, William Byron led a race-high 102 laps won his second career Cup race, and paid out at 25/1 odds.

Never ever have I seen anything like it and I’ve been creating NASCAR odds since Jeff Gordon was a rookie.

Last season we saw Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin combine to win 16 of the 36 races with a set-up edge they kept quiet about all season. They were the best with all three race packages. Everyone else was way behind, especially with the 550 horsepower package used on the larger tracks. Hamlin and Harvick won 11 of the 20 races using it. Neither of them has won yet.

I think the secret is out of the bag because there were some wild things happening at Homestead last week using the 550 HP package. New blood has been injected into the series from old teams that had struggled to keep up with Joe Gibbs and Stewart-Haas Racing teams.

BALANCED COMPETITION

The Ford camp has helped McDowell (6th last week) and Roush Fenway Racing be competitive again.

Roush’s Ryan Newman was seventh at Homestead and Chris Buescher led 57 laps, the second-most while winning the first stage and finished sixth in the second stage. Buescher looked like the best car in the first third of the race and then fell back to 19th-place after the sun went down.

Harvick was an ordinary fifth and Hamlin was 11th at Homestead and neither led a lap.

But it wasn’t just the Fords that found new speed.

It was Chevrolet as well with Hendrick Motorsports leading the way with three top-10 finishes and their best, last season's Cup Champion, Chase Elliott finishing 14th. They won two races with this week’s package last season and they’re already 1-for-1 with it in 2021.

Hendrick also produces for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain as well as the JTG Daugherty drivers (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 13th last week).

The ECR engines also worked well for Richard Childress Racing as Tyler Reddick was runner-up and the fastest driver on the track rim-riding in the final stages of the race when it became dark and Austin Dillon was 12th.

Even Daniel Suarez had a solid 15th-place finish using the ECR engines in his No. 99 Chevrolet co-owned by rapper Pitbull.

The bottom line is that we all have to change our betting strategies on these types of tracks with the 550 HP to include more candidates to win. 2020 is gone. There is parity now like I haven’t seen in ages. We can include up to 20 drivers with a legitimate chance to win this week instead of the usual crop of 10 or 12.

HANDICAPPING NASCAR AT LAS VEGAS

I’m chasing a betting strategy and willing to adapt on the fly and not rely so much on what happened last season.

The Homestead race showed me so much that I didn’t see last year and I’m relying on it heavily this week even though the two 1.5-mile layouts are vastly different.

READ MORE HERE....TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Kurt Busch wins 2020 South Point 400 at Las Vegas, ends long winless streak at home

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by tonight's race winner of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. We'll kick it over to media for questions.

Q. I know how bad you've wanted to win this race; has it sunk in at all? The celebration out there, that was memorable, but after getting the Daytona 500, I knew this was absolutely tops on your list.

KURT BUSCH: This is 20 years of agony and defeat and now today with triumph, I don't know if I have any more gas left or if I just filled my tank up to go win every race that I'm going to go race next. This feeling of growing up here and watching the track get built from the desert gravel pit that it was by Richie Clyne and his group and then when Speedway Motorsports came in and bought it, I'm like, man, there's going to be a Cup race there, I hope I can make my way up through Legend cars. And just all the memories, all the memories of everybody, my mom and dad, every Saturday night, all the commitment they gave me and my little brother to make it in racing.

For me it was a hobby. I never knew I'd get this far. A guy named Craig Keough here locally here in Las Vegas, the owner of the Star Nurseries here in Las Vegas took a chance on me and let me run his late model a few times and we won a couple races and started working our way up.

It takes a village to make somebody cut through and make it, and this is my hometown and I have so many people to thank, and I couldn't be more proud and I know that they're very proud right now watching on TV, watching on NBC Sports Network and seeing their hometown boy win at the hometown track.

Q. I knew on normal weekends you would have your friends from Star Nursery, you would have the high school people you grew up with. Is it somewhat bittersweet under the pandemic that that it just wasn't -- I mean, I don't know, it just seems like it would have been a little bit different had there been your hometown crowd there to cheer you on.

KURT BUSCH: They've pierced my heart right now. My memory of everybody, I know they're thinking of me and I know they're celebrating. They're enjoying this just as much as I am. And yes, with empty grandstands, that's tough. The governor couldn't quite help make the right call to get fans in the grandstands, but everything aside, yes, it's a bit empty, but my heart is full. I won at my hometown track after 20-some odd tries.

Kurt Busch still looking for first career Darlington win

Darlington Notes of Interest: 

 The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will mark Kurt Busch’s 637 th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and his 22nd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Busch has three poles, three top-five finishes and seven top-10s at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. Additionally, Busch has led 266 laps, has an average starting position of 11.3 and an average finish of 17.4. 

 Busch has career totals of 30 wins, 25 poles, 135 top-fives, 273 top-10s and 9,335 laps led in 636 career starts. 

 His most recent Cup Series win came two weeks ago in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Aug. 18, 2018).  His last Cup Series pole came five races ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (July 20, 2018). 

 Busch’s best finish at Darlington is second in March 2003. In one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR history, Busch came up .002 of a second shy of victory at the track “Too Tough to Tame” when he was nosed out by Ricky Craven in one of the closest finishes in Cup Series competition since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993. 

Kurt Busch finally grabbed a win in 2018 at Bristol two weeks ago.

 The Las Vegas native has three poles to his credit at Darlington. His first came in September 2001. He won his second in November 2004. His most recent Sprint Cup pole at Darlington was in May 2013. Busch has 25 career Sprint Cup poles.

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

What would a win at Darlington mean? 

“I’ve been close and it would mean the world to me because, when I first went there, I had no idea how difficult that track was going to be. And how narrow it is and how different both ends of the track are. Over the years, I quickly gained an appreciation for the nostalgia and the setting of Darlington, South Carolina and what it means for our sport. With all that mixed in together, I’d love to win that race. It’s a tough track because it changes dramatically with rubber and you have to have tire management there. You have to balance a lot of things over 500 miles.” 

Are these 500 miles at Darlington the most difficult in all of NASCAR? 

“Yeah, it’s flat out the most difficult. I think 500 miles at Darlington is tougher than 600 miles at Charlotte because you are up on the wheel all race long and you’re right on the edge and, when you slip over that edge, you get that Darlington stripe and usually you get a fender rub and then you’re working out of a hole. Attrition usually wipes out a few guys and you don’t want to be one of those, and so you’re just right on that edge all night long.”

What makes Darlington unique? 

“Darlington demands so much attention and respect. It’s similar to a Bristol like that. It’s hard to get the setup perfect because both ends of the racetrack are so different.” 

What do you think of the retro feel of Darlington? 

“It’s really a fun weekend. It feels like a field trip experience when you’re a kid. It’s like when you go out with your friends and you all get dressed up together. The first year, it was about the cars. The second year, it seemed like the crew guys took over and they had all their outfits. There are diecasts that are made just for that race. Chip Wile (former president of Darlington) hit a grand slam with throwback weekend and I think all of us look forward to that. And I think the fans do, as well. It definitely helps bridge the past to the present and overall just creates a fun weekend.” 

Do you remember your first race at Darlington? Your first stripe? 

“My first race and first stripe – that place chewed me up and spit me out. I think I wrecked 20 times, kept bouncing off wall. I wore out the tires but kept going. I probably finished 40th my first time there. It really was an eye-opener on how tough NASCAR was going to be.” 

Other than the finish with Ricky Craven at Darlington, do you have any other memorable moments that stand out? 

“The biggest moment at Darlington I ever had was finishing second to Ricky Craven in 2003 – everyone knows that race. It’s one of the best finishes in NASCAR history. But, probably the next-biggest moment would be during my championship run in 2004. I had an ill-handling car and still managed to finish sixth with it due to good pit stops. That was a perfect moment because it was our championship to lose, with where we finished that day in 2004. That was back when Darlington used to be in the playoffs.”

Kurt Busch is 18/1 to win, looks for sixth Bristol win

Kurt Busch has yet to win on the new Bristol layout.

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

Talk about Bristol Motor Speedway – you’ve won there five times. 

“I don’t know what it is about the track. My first couple times there, I was blown away by the speed and intensity of it. When I went back in the spring of 2002, everything slowed down and it was like I had a perfect manual on how to get around there. That was all brought to me by Jimmy Fenning (former crew chief from Roush-Fenway Racing). He really helped calm me down and told me the different points to look for. The biggest key is knowing when to run hard and when not to run hard. If you try to run hard every single lap, you’re not going to make it. There are certain points in the race when you run hard and there are certain points when you’re not necessarily cruising, but just trying to maintain the right pace. You go hard, and then you save a little bit and then you go hard again because you saved a little bit. It’s a matter of applying it at the right time.” 

And changes to Bristol since you starting running there in 2002? You have driven everything there. 

“I haven’t won since they put in the transition banking, the way it goes from the low groove to the high groove. They ground the high groove and that seemed to backfire on what they were trying to accomplish. The outside groove is now the preferred groove. When it heats up with rubber, it’s like glue. But you have to wait for it. You have to wait for that rubber to get warm and grab the tires. In the end, though, it’s still the same characteristics of Bristol. Lap times are still in the 15-second range. The races I’ve won there, we were maintaining good lap times throughout the 100-lap run. And that’s still what it takes to win at Bristol.” 

What do you like about how to approach a Bristol race? 

“I like how you can attack the track in certain situations. And then you have to cruise in other situations. You always have to know your surroundings at Bristol. When someone is on your rear bumper, or if you are really trying to pressure somebody hard, is there a reason to be doing that? You have to be one with the track and then just digest where the other cars are around you.”

Kurt Busch just trying to put himself in position to win in plate races

Kurt Busch is 12/1 to win at Daytona Saturday night.

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

What makes success in restrictor-plate racing so elusive? 

“I think being in the right place at the right time is one of the toughest things to do, but you have to have that to be successful. When you have a car built by (crew chief) Billy Scott and Stewart-Haas Racing, you feel like you have the best bullet possible when you show up for your first practice session. So, I’m thankful to have Billy Scott and everyone from SHR on my side when it comes to superspeedway racing.” 

While teamwork is a part of restrictor-plate racing, eventually you need to look out for yourself. At what point in the race do you do that? 

“You’re looking out for yourself on lap one, but the percentage of it changes throughout the race. You want to work together as much as you can with teammates and other guys and gals that you’ve worked with in the past. But once it gets down to the final set of tires and the final fuel run, you’re really working independently. If it comes down to a late-race restart at Daytona, what goes through my mind is it isn’t going to be the last restart. So you have to be ready to roll with whatever comes your way – what drafting lane you’re in, where your teammates are and what game plan you have put together with them. There are so many different things going on that it’s kind of like a roulette wheel – when you spin and you’ve got your money laid down, you hope you have your money in enough areas to come out on top.” 

You need drafting partners in order to be successful in a restrictor-plate race. How do you pick your dance partners? 

“You just quickly digest if they’re around you, in front of you, behind you. Every restart things change, every lap things change, but you’re always keeping them in mind to try and work with them.” 

How much of what you experienced in the Daytona 500 is applicable to the Coke Zero 400? 

“A lot of it. We finished second at Talladega. That’s all you’re trying to do – putting yourself in position to win, and that’s what we want to do again in July at Daytona.”

Kurt Busch, with Chicago ties, looking for first win of 2018

Kurt Busch is 20/1 to win at Chicagoland.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (June 26, 2018) – It’s well known that Kurt Busch is a massive Chicago Cubs fan. Despite growing up in Las Vegas, he caught many Chicago Cubs games on WGN-TV in the 1980s and 1990s. 

He has connections to Chicago as his parents were born in the metro area and his grandfather lived in downtown Chicago. And his grandfather was a huge Cubs fan. In 1984, when Busch was just 6 years old, the late Steve Goodman wrote the famous song, “Go Cubs Go,” which is played at Wrigley Field after Cubs victories. Busch is hoping he can play “Go Kurt Go,” as he hopes to win his first-ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. 

He has two top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 17 races at the 1.5-mile oval just southwest of Chicago, but he’s yet to find victory lane. Busch’s best finish at Chicagoland came in 2015, when he came home third. He overcame a flat tire on lap 86 and a green-flag pit stop that put him a lap down to still contend for the win. However, a late-race caution took away what appeared to be a sure win and an automatic advance into the next round of the playoffs for Busch and the No. 41 team. 

The prospects for a career-best Chicagoland finish this weekend for Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), look good as he’s been fast on 1.5-mile ovals this season. His average starting position on the intermediate tracks has been 7.0, including a pole at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. 

He’s qualified in the top-eight in four of five races at 1.5-mile ovals. Busch has also finished in the top-eight in four of the five races at 1.5-mile ovals. While he may not be singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on lap 200 of Sunday’s 267-lap race, Busch is hoping that, in the words of the late Cubs broadcasters Harry Carey and Jack Brickhouse, he hears either “Busch Wins!” or “Hey Hey!” once the checkered flag falls. And then his fans can launch into a heartfelt rendition of “Go Kurt Go.” 

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

You have a lot of connections to Chicago. Talk about that. 

“Both my mom and dad were born in the Chicagoland area. My grandfather lived downtown and was a big Chicago Cubs fan. I remember growing up and going to his house and seeing all of his Cubs stuff. And then in Vegas, where I grew up, we had WGN-TV and it was cool to be connected to the Cubs at an early age. I still have aunts and uncles in the Chicago area. The Busches moved out to Vegas in the early ’70’s. And that’s where Kyle and I were born and raised.” 

Do you look at Chicago as another hometown race? 

“It’s fun just with my affinity for Chicago. I love the town, the Chicago Cubs, the Bears. Over the years, I’ve met a lot of good people throughout the Illinois area. It does feel like a second home.” 

The 1.5-mile ovals all look the same but are completely different. How is Chicagoland? 

“They’re all very different. It’s all about the asphalt and grip level. It’d be very interesting to get to choose what sets of tires we all wanted to race on for grip levels. Chicago is very similar to Homestead and it’s similar to Atlanta that we run earlier in the year. Very worn-out mile-and-a-half that chews up tires, and you have to be nice to your tires.”

What have your previous races at Chicago been like for you?

“Chicago is a fast, mile-and-a-half track I have always enjoyed racing on since I started racing there in my rookie season. The track isn’t as smooth as it used to be – it has some bumps in it – but it’s a place I like. It’s another one of those tracks, though, where I just haven’t had the best of luck. An example is the 2002 race. We had a really fast car for that race but, for some reason after the last pit stop, the car just wasn’t handling the same as it had been. We were just way too tight and really couldn’t figure out why. When we got back to the shop and started going over the car, we realized that the radiator pan had come off and that’s like 100 pounds of front downforce. We were going so fast that the car bottomed out and dragged the radiator pan out. It’s just weird stuff like that.”

Kurt Busch has 6.9 average finish in past 10 road course races

Kurt Busch is 8/1 to win at Sonoma on Sunday.

Kurt Busch’s seven top-fives at Sonoma puts him in a tie with his SHR teammate Clint Bowyer for the most of all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

Busch’s only road-course win in the Cup Series came at Sonoma in 2011 and it was a dominant victory as he led a race-high 76 laps. He passed Denny Hamlin for the lead on lap 13 and stayed out front for the next 19 circuits around the 1.99-mile track. He relinquished the lead twice for scheduled, green-flag pit stops and took over the top spot for the final time on lap 88, then led the final 23 laps.

He’s even had success at Sonoma in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series, finishing third in 1998 after starting 19th and winning the 1999 race after starting third. Busch is coming off a historic 1-2-3 finish for SHR two weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Bowyer won the event with Kevin Harvick second and Busch third. Busch is hoping he can score his first victory of 2018 this week at Sonoma. 

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

We used to see supposed road-course ringers show up at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, but that’s pretty rare now. Why do you think that is? 

“If you’re a good driver and you want to be in the top tier of NASCAR, you’ve got to drive well everywhere. The road courses were a bit more of a specialty back in the day and you used to be able to take advantage of the guys who didn’t put forth the full effort in the road courses, but not anymore.” 

You’ve proven to be a pretty good road-course driver. Was it something you took to right away or did you really have to work at it to enjoy the success you’ve had? 

“I really enjoyed it right off the bat. I thought it was fun and different and I worked at it to develop the skills that I have in Legends car races and Late Model races. I even went to the Bob Bondurant Driving School. My first professional type of road-course race was in the Truck Series. I jumped right in there. (Greg) Biffle won that day and I beat Ron Fellows.” 

You mentioned that racing Legends cars was how you were first introduced to road-course racing. Where did you race? 

“Legends racing was big in the mid-90s in the Desert Southwest and they would let us run on the infield road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as well as the exterior road course there. We also ran road-course races at Buttonwillow (Raceway Park) and they had a street-course race in Los Angeles and they raced up in Sonoma. I was just kind of thrown into the fire with road-course racing, but I loved it from the first time I jumped on track.” 

You won the 1999 NASCAR Southwest Tour race at Sonoma. Was that your first road-course win in a stock car? Was it a pivotal victory considering NASCAR teams were there and you were able to showcase your talents to Cup Series car owners and crew chiefs? 

“That was my first win in a stock car at a road course. I’ve always believed that Saturday race was the most important stage to stand on because there wasn’t a Truck Series race or an Xfinity Series race. Back in the day, the Southwest Tour race was the support race, and my race was live on ESPN. I’ve always thought Sonoma helped springboard me into the spotlight, and I’m very thankful for that chance.” 

How important is it to have a positive mindset when you come into a road-course race? 

“I love road racing and I think it’s fun. It’s important to have a positive mindset everywhere, but it’s not problem for me at the road courses.”

What do you like best about road-course racing? 
“I just like the rhythm. I like how you use one corner to help you in the next corner. You have to be thinking three corners ahead.” 

Is there more opportunity on a road course because mistakes are magnified and because the race is more in the driver’s hands? 

“Everything seems to have a larger consequence because track position is so important. So, as soon as you have a flat tire or a fender rub or you go off track, it’s very difficult to get back the track position you once had.”

Kurt Busch has five top-12 finishes in past six Michigan starts

Kurt Busch last won at Michigan in 2015. He's 25/1 to win this week.

The Las Vegas native has five top-12 finishes, including a win, in his last six Michigan starts. He’s hoping to score another victory as the dog days of summer get underway. 

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

You won the June 2003 Michigan race for Ford almost 100 years after the company was formed. Can you talk about what you remember from that experience? 

“It was really neat. In my office at my house, I have a letter form Edsel Ford congratulating our team on the race win. And it’s something I framed and put in a similar format to a letter that my grandfather got from Henry Ford when he was a Ford employee. And it was really neat to have that moment and the lineage of our family of letters from the Ford family.” 

What does it take to be fast at Michigan? 

“Michigan is a tough place because of the way the cars have a certain grip level on fresh tires versus old tires. What I mean by that is, when you put on fresh tires, your tires are cold and they don’t grab the asphalt as well. A lot of guys try to stay out at Michigan with the hot tires on and they get better restarts. Restarts at Michigan are already pretty wild with how wide the track is and how many lanes there are for options. It comes down to just trying to put yourself in the best position with the best-percentage chance according to whether you’re on fresh tires, or by staying out, as you try to make up spots on restarts.” 

What’s been the key to your success at Michigan? 

“The biggest thing about Michigan is respecting the speed. It’s a very fast racetrack.” What do you feel like is the toughest part of Michigan? “The toughest part is turn three. It seems like the cars do this weird, four-wheel, light drift getting down in there. If your car is dialed in – and I’ve won there three times – it feels like turn three is the easiest corner. Turn three to me is the challenge each time I go there.”

Kurt Busch wins pole for second straight Texas race

Kurt Busch is 40/1 to win this week at Texas.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kurt Busch will start first in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway after his No. 41 Ford was fastest in the first round of qualifying.

After a delay for lightning in the vicinity of the 1.5-mile oval, NASCAR scrubbed the final two rounds of qualifying and set the field off the first round. That put Busch on the pole position for the first time this season and the 23rd time in his career. His No. 41 Ford posted a lap at 197.368 mph.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick will line up second, and Clint Bowyer, who won two weeks ago for SHR at Martinsville Speedway, will start third. Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin will round out the top five starting spots.

Read More Here....NBC Sports

Starting Lineup

Kurt Busch Texas quotes prior to Friday's fastest practice lap

Kurt Busch sat on the pole last fall at Texas. He's 40/1 to win Sunday.

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

Talk about how challenging Texas Motor Speedway is. 

“It was an incredible qualifying run last year and to set a track record. The feel of the tire and the asphalt were better in the fall than the spring. So, now that it’s aged even more through the wintertime with the rain and the cold and the track settling a little bit more, the track will be that much better. And, what I saw last year during the playoff race at Texas was a textbook pass for the lead with Kevin Harvick passing (Martin) Truex (Jr.) going into turn one. He was able to cut underneath him in turn two. Then you get that run through the fast sections between turns three and four. Texas Motor Speedway has a very unique layout with the speed differences between three and four and one and two.” 

Overall thoughts heading to Texas this week? 

“Texas is a good track for us and a good market. I always enjoy coming out to Texas. Hopefully, the weather will look perfect for this weekend. It’s a great track.” 

Talk about your record-setting lap last year at Texas. 

“(Turns) three and four are an incredible sensation. Once the car goes into the banking, it travels. The suspension collapses in the car and the car gets lower to the ground and picks up speed because you are lower to the ground and have less drag. It is a sensation that is hard to describe. When you have that grip level in the car, it gives you the feeling that you can just put it down to the floor and there won’t be any consequences. Turns one and two are where I think the lap times come from – if you can get it to hook and stay right on the bottom because that end of the track is a lot flatter. You have to back out of the gas all the way. Then, in three and four, you can hold it wide open. Both ends of the track are very different. It is a cool sensation going through three and four almost holding it wide open.”

O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Notes of Interest: 

 The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 will mark Kurt Busch’s 619 th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and his 31st career NASCAR Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Busch has two poles, one win, three top-five finishes and 17 top-10s at the 1.5-mile oval. Additionally, the 39-year-old driver has led 295 laps, has an average starting position of 14.2, an average finish of 15.1, and has completed 98.4 percent (9,845 of 10,003) of the laps he’s contested there. 

 Busch has career total totals of 29 wins, 22 poles, 131 top-fives, 260 top-10s and 8,951 laps led in 618 starts. 

 His most recent Cup Series win came 42 races ago in the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (Feb. 26, 2017). 

 His last Cup Series pole came nine races ago at Texas (Nov. 3, 2017). 

 Previous Win – Busch has one career NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas, which came in November 2009. It was his second victory that season and the 20th of his career and came by a nearly 26-second margin. Busch led six times for 89 laps. 

 The Las Vegas native has two poles to his credit (April 2015 and November 2017) at Texas. Busch has 22 career NASCAR Cup Series poles. His November 2017 lap of 200.915 mph set a NASCAR record at a 1.5-mile track. 

 Busch has led laps in 12 of his 30 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas for a combined total of 295 laps led. Busch has led 50 or more laps in a race twice at Texas. In addition to his 89 laps led in the November 2009 win, he led 50 laps in April 2011 en route to a 10th-place finish.

 A Win in Other Series at Texas – In April 2006, Busch scored the victory in his first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series start. He became the fifth driver to win the race in his first start in NASCAR’s second-tier series. He also earned the distinction of becoming the 16th driver to record a victory in all three of NASCAR’s top-tier series – Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck. 

 Thus Far in 2018 – Busch has accumulated two top-10 finishes and four top-15s in six races. 

 Get to the Points – With his 11 th-place finish two weekends ago at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Busch is 10 th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings with 177 points.

Kurt Busch still looking for first Las Vegas NASCAR win in any series

Kurt Busch is 30/1 to win at Las Vegas.

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

How important was the test out in Las Vegas in late January? 

“I love going back to my hometown and racing. I always like to test in Vegas in the offseason. I think it helps answer a lot of questions going into the season and better prepares you for the race. Normally, that was the first mile-and-a-half track of the year and all of your offseason work showed up at Vegas. And if you have a test session, it moved along that much faster.” 

Does coming to Las Vegas give you a “home-field” advantage, and are you excited about two chances to win at Vegas in 2018? 

“It never translated to a home-field advantage. I’ve always struggled at Las Vegas. I’ve qualified well but just haven’t raced that well. I’m looking to turn that around. There’s no sense in having the fast laps at the beginning if you can’t back them up at the end. And to get the second weekend, that’s huge for Las Vegas. To kick off the NASCAR playoffs in Las Vegas, it will be hot – be forewarned – and it will be a new, exciting feel for our sport. I’m really happy for the track and the town to have two dates.” 

What does it feel like coming back to Las Vegas? 

“Vegas is different. It’s our hometown and we grew up racing on that little three-eighth-mile bullring that is in the shadows of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Every time I go out there, it reminds me of all the people who helped Kyle (Busch, brother) and I, especially our dad Tom. But the different Late Model teams, Modified teams, the Legend car races, and all the competitors, the Dwarf car days. It’s just fun to come back and reminisce. But, ultimately, you’ve got to strap on the helmet and focus on the task at hand. It’s always special in Vegas.” 

The West Coast swing of races at Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Fontana serves as a pretty good indicator of where a team stands. How important is that slate of races? 

“The West Coast swing is a perfect gauge for how your work went through the offseason, whether it’s the wind tunnel, the chassis dyno, new development, and then the team, as far as how the pit crew is performing. Those races on the West Coast swing really can put a stamp on where you are, what needs to be done, and what weaknesses or strengths we have.” 

There are a lot of logistics involved in the West Coast swing. What do you do? Do you stay out on the West Coast or do you commute like you would to other NASCAR races? 

“I stay on the West Coast. I call in to the team call-ins. Ashley (Busch, wife) likes to drive to the races out West. So, it’s just a nice, old- school road trip, going from Vegas to Phoenix to Los Angeles and making the best of it. We stop at some of the scenic spots – Grand Canyon, there are the beaches out in L.A. So, it’s a fun, cool West Coast trip.” 

Of those venues that you mentioned, is there an area of the West Coast that you like to visit – have to visit – when you’re out there? 

“My hometown of Las Vegas, going back there to see family, friends, and restaurants. There’s this old-school place where we always used to go get pizza when I was a kid. It was just great to go back to the roots and reminisce. It gets you back to where everything started, going to Vegas.”

Kurt Busch goes for fourth Atlanta win

Kurt Busch is 30/1 to win at Atlanta.

Three Times a Winner at Atlanta 

Busch won his first race at Atlanta in October 2002. He had the strongest car of the afternoon, leading a race-high 84 laps and holding the point when rain stopped the race after 248 of a scheduled 325 laps. His second Atlanta win came in March 2009, when he again had a dominant car, leading 235 of the eventual 330 laps to claim the victory in a green-white-checkered finish. His most-recent Atlanta win came in 2010 when, for the second year in a row, he won the spring race. He was in the lead when a horrific accident sent the race into overtime. He was in the lead during the first green-white-checkered finish, when another accident involving seven cars sent the race into another extended period. He was able to hold on and score the win in the second green-white-checkered finish.

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

How do you switch gears from all that is Speedweeks at Daytona and go about your business on a normal race weekend like you will at Atlanta? 

“Atlanta is the first mile-and-a-half track, the regular season kicks off there and you have that feel of, alright, this is the repetition of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Daytona was different this time around because of the new ride-height rule and how stiff the rear springs are. So this really gets us into the regular season and all of the R&D work that went on during the offseason. It really comes into play at Atlanta.” 

What do you think about the decision by Atlanta Motor Speedway management to continue racing on the old track surface rather than repave it after last year’s event? 

“The decision was made and I think it was primarily based on the drivers’ comments. The drivers don’t have a union, so to speak, or a race driver alliance like the teams do so, ultimately, Bruton Smith, Marcus Smith and the staff at Atlanta Motor Speedway had to make a decision and they went off what the drivers had to say. I’m hoping the old surface continues to make it where it’s about tire management and you see the multiple lanes and the grooves widen out, and the race is going to come down to that last pit stop. While it’s about which lane you’re in and how well you’ve done on tire management at the point, it also could be a 30- or 50-lap run at the end where it’ll be obvious who saved their tires. I applaud Atlanta’s effort and we’ll have to make sure the asphalt doesn’t tear up too much and hurt the cars, but we are going to be slip-sliding around and it’s going to be pretty neat.”  

We saw at Daytona that finishing position at the end of each stage seems to be more important than ever. Do you expect that trend to continue? 

“I think this whole season in 2018 we’re going to see each of the stages a bit more aggressive where people are going to try to gain those points and to win those stages because you need those bonus points to help cover you or protect you in the playoffs. If you don’t have them, you’re now working from behind in the playoffs. We’ll see it probably right away – guys will be out to win those first and second stages early in the season and on through the rest of the regular season.”

Kurt Busch going for back-to-back Daytona 500 wins

Kurt Busch is 20/1 to win Daytona 500.

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

Has Ford lifted its game overall this year? Do you anticipate things being better? 
“I think having a year under our belt will help things. That newness stage is gone and those meetings have productivity and not people stepping on each other’s toes. I like it. I like the way it feels. Mark Rushbrook is now the director of Ford Performance with our group and there is an enthusiasm still there. We just needed to find a little more rear aero last year. This new system, where they will be scanning the cars in tech inspection, should help us close the gap.”

Was there any work in the offseason on the engine or chassis that can help the Ford group?
“There isn’t a big new PR announcement or rollout of a new car, but there is always development. There are always new things. I can’t talk specifics about the engine, but we have improved in the areas that Penske, Roush and us at SHR all demanded. Doug Yates listened to us and applied that. That is exciting news (with) all the 1.5-mile and short-track stuff. We believe we have the elite superspeedway engines right now. The aero side, with the new Hawkeye scanning system in tech, that will be a whole new game that the teams have to learn and play within. We have hired four guys already just to try to help perfect that system for us at Stewart- Haas.”

Has it been good to get to Florida and distance yourself in the offseason in order to be fresh for Daytona? 
“It has been good and the weather is great down there. I came back a few days ago and I feel stuffy already. Jimmie Johnson goes to Colorado and does a lot of skiing and high-altitude training. When I am down in Florida, I love the weather and love to support my wife’s polo team. It is great to be down there with her in the offseason because she gives so much to be on the road with our race season. For me, I work out twice as hard down there. I have one of those altitude masks that help raise the altitude level. At sea level, the air is really good down there but, as soon as you get the season started and go to Atlanta, that isn’t too bad. But Vegas and Phoenix are high altitude and dry, dirty air out West. That is why I like Florida and like to train down there.”

How often do you think about the 2017 Daytona 500 and what happened? 
“It was an amazing win. The prestige, history and value of that race and just being part of it over the years was special. Now, to go back there as the defending champion of the Daytona 500 gives me that much more motivation to do it again and make sure nobody shares in all the glory. It was a huge day. With Monster’s CEO there and announcing the entitlement sponsorship and, for us, getting back together for me with Ford. I couldn’t have written more of a fairy tale-type of race. Daytona, I think about it all the time. Once we get past that race and it is on to Atlanta and we don’t win, 2017 Daytona 500 winner is done. We have to find other wins.”

What do you think of the new pit-road rules? 
“I like the move. It will create a safer environment with one less guy per team out on pit road. What it does now is put more responsibility on the jack man and tire carrier. Yet it is just the evolution. We used to have seven guys on pit road and we thought taking the catch can man away was going to be big, but it didn’t change the game much. Now, we are down to five guys. Will it change it much, I don’t think so. What I like to do is always change it up (during practice). The car doesn’t stop in the same spot each time. I will come in there nosed-in, nosed-out and juke up a lot of our sequences so they can adapt.”

Have you had conversations with Billy Scott and the No. 41 team about strategies you may incorporate due to the new pit-road rule?
“There is the new pit-road rule and also tires that continue to be limited as far as our quantity every weekend. I think we saw at the spring race at Richmond, guys were gluing up old scuffed tires, which is a no-no, and now you have more of a tire management sequence. I think it puts more variables on pit road by having fewer guys, fewer tires and the stages and when yellows come out and how many heat cycles are on your tires. I think that is what NASCAR wants. More variables to create more opportunities for guys.”

Las Vegas Motor Speedway to host two days of NASCAR Cup testing

Las Vegas is the perfect place for teams to test. Welcome Back!!!!

Racing fans can soon hear the magical sound of NASCAR cars screaming around Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

More than a dozen NASCAR drivers - including Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champions Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch - will be turning laps at the 1.5-mile oval on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 1, during two days of testing in advance of the 2018 NASCAR season. LVMS grandstands and the Neon Garage will be open and available to the public free of charge, so fans can get an early racing fix roughly a month before the speedway's March 2-4 NASCAR tripleheader weekend.

Erik Jones - the 2017 MENCS Rookie of the Year - Chris Buescher, William Byron, Cole Custer, Ty Dillon, Drew Herring, Kyle Larson, Paul Menard, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. will be among the drivers joining Keselowski and Busch at LVMS. Additional drivers may be added to the list in the coming weeks, and that information will be available on www.LVMS.com.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, and testing will run until 5 p.m. Food trucks, concessions and restroom facilities will be available for anyone coming to the track for the testing sessions, and free parking will be provided.

LVMS' first 2018 tripleheader weekend will consist of Stratosphere Pole Day and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, March 2, the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 3, and the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 4. LVMS will be the first track in history to host two NASCAR tripleheader weekends in the same year.

Race fans can already lock in their tickets to both LVMS tripleheaders and capitalize on discounted prices for buying annual passes for all six NASCAR races. The track's 2018 six-pack of events will show off a number of enhancements the track has planned for the coming months as well.

NASCAR Testing at LVMS Driver list
Chris Buescher--JTG Racing
Kurt Busch--Stewart-Haas Racing
William Byron--Hendrick Motorsports
Cole Custer--Go Fas Racing
Ty Dillon--Germain Racing
Erik Jones--Joe Gibbs Racing
Drew Herring--Toyota Racing
Brad Keselowski--Team Penske
Kyle Larson--Chip Ganassi Racing
Paul Menard--Wood Brothers Racing
David Ragan--Ford Motor Company
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.--Roush Fenway Racing
Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr.--Richard Petty Motorsports

Event schedule
Jan. 31-Feb. 1
9 a.m. PT--LVMS gates, grandstands and Neon Garage open to the public
5 p.m.--Track secure

Pocono Betting Preview: 2017 Pocono 400

Buescher paid out at 1,000-to-1 in Las Vegas, most ever in NASCAR.

Last years two races on the 2.5-mile tricky triangle produced a couple of juicy payouts for bettors at the sports books, including the one in the fall which was an all-time NASCAR record in Las Vegas.

Thanks to a rain out out and a thick sheet of fog settling over the front stretch and turns, Chris Buescher in an underfunded car with fumes remaining in fuel tank was able to get the win paying at 1,000/1 odds. He's 500/1 this week.

In this race last season Kurt Busch opened at 20/1 odds and closed at 12/1 after showing well in the final practices. He had overcome all kinds of issues, but managed to win for the third time on the most unique track on the circuit.

“Just the fact that it’s different in the way that each of the straightaways has its different length, the corners have their banking," Kurt Busch said earlier this week about what he likes about likes about Pocono. "It’s not a typical oval in that you don't get to shift at an oval track. It blends a lot of road-racing techniques into an oval technique.”

Each of three Pocono corners get flatter along the way from 14 degrees in turn one down to six degrees in the tight turn three, which is where many try to be set up the best for and make passes.

Read More Here.........Top-5 Finish Prediction on VegasInsider.com

Westgate SuperBook Odds to Win Pocono 400

Martin TRUEX JR 5/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 6/1
Kyle LARSON 6/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 6/1
Kyle BUSCH 7/1
Kevin HARVICK 7/1
Chase ELLIOTT 10/1
Denny HAMLIN 12/1
Matt KENSETH 12/1
Joey LOGANO 12/1
Clint BOWYER 30/1
Ryan BLANEY 30/1
Dale EARNHARDT JR 30/1
Kurt BUSCH 40/1
Jamie McMURRAY 40/1
Erik JONES 40/1

Kurt Busch using 2016 winning Pocono chassis this week

Kurt Busch is 40/1 this week at Pocono.

Stewart Haas Racing's most-recent win at Pocono came in this race last year, when Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion, was able to overcome team and fuel challenges to win the rain-delayed Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400. The win was Busch’s 28th career Cup Series victory, his third at Pocono and his lone triumph of the 2016 season. 

In addition to Busch’s three Pocono triumphs, he also has 13 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s in 31 starts there, which equal his career high top-fives at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and career-high top-10s at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. 

Additionally, Busch’s solid performance statistics extend beyond tradition and into some pretty stout loop data numbers as he ranks in the top-five in a several categories, including average running position, average speed early in a run, average speed late in a run, fastest laps run, fastest laps on a restart, green-flag speed, laps in the top-15, laps led and more. Add it all up and it equates to the top driver rating at the “Tricky Triangle.” 

A return to Pocono couldn’t come at a better time for Busch. Since scoring the win in the season-opening Daytona 500, Busch has struggled to find the consistency he’s become so accustomed to. A glance at the upcoming schedule gives him the optimism he’ll soon find a way to end his search. And it all starts this weekend at Pocono, where he’ll look to score his fourth victory at one of the most unique racetracks on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit and his second of the 2017 season.

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

What makes Pocono so unique? 

“Just the fact that it’s different in the way that each of the straightaways has its different length, the corners have their banking. It’s not a typical oval in that you get to shift at an oval track. It blends a lot of road-racing techniques into an oval technique.” 

What is the one thing you know you are going to have to work on when you return to Pocono? 

“The one thing you know is shifting. You have to work on that. But, each time we go back, the setups change so rapidly that you have to find the right setup to gain the speed, whether it’s turn one, turn two or turn three. Each time there, you have to challenge the track and the car’s technology.”

Chassis No. 977: 

Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 977 in Sunday’s Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Built new for 2016, Chassis No. 977 saw its first laps of competition in March at Phoenix, where Busch finished sixth. Chassis No. 977 was then raced at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in April, when Busch contended for the win but finished 10th after a lengthy, late-race pit stop. Chassis No. 977 next raced at Pocono in June, when Busch overcame team and fuel challenges to earn his 28th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. Chassis No. 977 raced again at Pocono in August, when Busch finished 10th in the rain-delayed, rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400. Chassis No. 977 was then utilized at Richmond in September, when Busch finished eighth in the final event of the 2016 regular season. Chassis No. 977 next saw action at Phoenix International Raceway in November, when the hard work of the driver and team saw them rewarded with a fifth-place finish. Since then, Chassis No. 977 was outfitted with a new front clip and body in preparation for 2017 and its debut at Phoenix in March, when Busch was plagued with electrical issues and finished 25th.

Kurt Busch using chassis making 2017 debut at Dover

Kurt Busch is 30/1 to win this week at Dover.

Chassis No. 951: 

Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 951 in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Built new for 2015, Chassis No. 951 debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, when Busch was able to overcome a flat tire to come home with a hard-fought eighth-place finish. It then saw action at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where Busch overcame a flat tire on lap 86 and a green-flag pit stop that put him a lap down to finish third. Chassis No. 951 made its final start of the 2015 season at HomesteadMiami Speedway, when Busch scraped the wall but fought back to bring home an eighth-place finish. 

Chassis No. 951 spent much of the 2016 season as a backup racecar but was called into service at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City after an accident coming off turn four on his last lap of final practice forced the No. 41 team to unload the chassis and start the race from the rear of the field. Busch overcame persistent handling issues to finish 13th. Since then, the car has received chassis updates and the body has been updated in preparation for its first start of the 2017 season.

Kurt Busch is 50/1 to win at Martinsville this week

Kurt Busch has two wins at Martinsville.

Chassis No. 865: Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 865 in Sunday’s Martinsville 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Formerly a No. 10 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick, Chassis No. 865 debuted in March 2014 at Martinsville, where Patrick started 10th and finished 32nd. Its next event was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where she started 29th and finished 22nd. Chassis No. 865 then raced at Martinsville in October, where Patrick started 30th and finished 34th after being involved in an accident late in the race. 

Chassis No. 865 was utilized in both 2015 races at Martinsville, where Busch finished 14th in March and was in contention for the win in October when he was caught up in an incident not of his own making and was relegated to a 34th-place finish. Chassis No. 865 again was utilized in both races at Martinsville in 2016. Busch finished 13th in March and struggled with ill handling and finished 22nd in its most recent start there last October.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: What is the toughest part about racing at Martinsville? 

“To me, the toughest part of Martinsville is you just never have a moment to breathe. You have to be on your game nonstop for 500 laps because somebody’s on you, or you are on top of somebody the whole time, and there’s just no room for error.” 

How much does pit strategy become a factor at Martinsville?

“It’s definitely something that comes into play. You may gamble early to pick up some positions on the track, especially if you’ve had trouble in qualifying. It’s just one of those things, though, where you always hope you’re on the right one (strategy) and, if you get caught on the wrong one, then you’re kicking yourself the whole time.” 

How much more important is track position at a place like Martinsville? 

“Track position is everything, everywhere, but at Martinsville it is just so easy to lose it. It doesn’t take much to find yourself going backward, whether it’s a situation with someone bumping you out of the way or you get too high on the track and up in the marbles. Then, deal with what that does to the tires and, boom, next thing you know, you may have had a 10th-place car and now you are 18th . It’s a goal all day to work your way forward and then just to have smooth pit stops to carry you through those midpoints of the race. Then, at the end, when everything is on the line, you have to be aggressive and you can’t be afraid to use the fenders on people to get that solid finish.”

Martinsville Speedway Notes of Interest:

 Kurt Busch has career totals of 29 wins, 21 poles, 126 top-five finishes and 245 top-10s in 581 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts heading into Sunday’s Martinsville 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. His most recent NASCAR Cup Series win came in February at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the season-opening Daytona 500. 

 Sunday’s Martinsville 500 will mark Busch’s 34th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville. Busch has two wins, one pole, three top-five finishes and five top-10s at the .526-mile oval. Additionally, the 38-year-old driver has led 464 laps, has an average starting position of 19.8, an average finish of 21.2, and has completed 97.3 percent (16,083 of 16,534) of the laps he’s contested there.

 The Las Vegas native has one pole to his credit (October 2006) at Martinsville. Busch has 21 career NASCAR Cup Series poles.

 Twice a Winner at Martinsville – Busch won his first race at Martinsville in October 2002. It was his second NASCAR Cup Series victory and a record-breaking one, at that, as he took the green flag from the 36th starting position – the deepest in the field a Martinsville winner had ever started. His most-recent Martinsville win came in March 2014. He held off six-time Cup Series champion and nine-time Martinsville race-winner Jimmie Johnson to win the Martinsville 500.

 A Place of Firsts - Busch’s March 2014 win at Martinsville was the first for Haas Automation as a primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series. Prior to Martinsville, Haas Automation was winless as a primary sponsor for 11 different drivers and 115 races since 2002. Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in the Western World, is owned by Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) founder and co-owner Gene Haas.

- True Speed Communications

Kurt Busch debuts SHR Ford at Daytona while going for second Clash win

Kurt Busch is 15/1 to win Clash at Daytona.

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Feb. 10, 2017) – As Kurt Busch embarks on his 17th full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and his fourth with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), he has a good reason to feel right at home as the driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion, as the 2017 marks a homecoming for Busch to Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer with whom he won the 2004 Cup Series championship.

It was Busch’s first Cup Series title and Ford’s most recent. Now reunited, the goal is to once again hoist the trophy during the season-ending Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch will attempt to surpass NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte’s record for time between championships –12 seasons separated Labonte’s two titles in 1984 and 1996 – and do it with the Dearborn, Michigan-based manufacturer with whom his NASCAR Cup Series career began.

The story of Busch’s start in NASCAR is well documented. While racing in the Southwest Tour Series, his skill attracted the attention of team owner Jack Roush, who decided to host driver auditions for a team he fielded in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The auditions were informally known as “The Gong Show” and Roush invited Busch to participate. In a pivotal moment in Busch’s life, he won the audition and started competing in Ford F-150s for Roush in 2000. Since then, both Busch and Ford have gone on to experience much success. But, there’s more to be had, and to be had together.

That all starts with the 59th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Three times a runner-up in the season-opening event, Busch is still seeking his first Harley J. Earl trophy. In fact, while he’s found victory lane at Daytona before, in 2011’s Advance Auto Parts Clash and Can-Am Duel, he’s yet to score a win in a points-paying race at either Daytona or its sister racetrack, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. While he hasn’t found victory, he’s almost always found a way to be in contention at the end. And that, in a race that is known for unpredictable racing with the high likelihood of large, multicar accidents at any moment, is an impressive feat that cannot be overlooked.

Busch has been listed as running at the end of 30 of 31 career points-paying Cup Series starts at Daytona. While he’s seemingly mastered the art of finishing Daytona races, it’s the finishing first part he’s yet to figure out. In fact, a superspeedway win is the only kind that has eluded him during his 18-year Cup Series career. With a victory in the Daytona 500, Busch would join an elite list of drivers who have won at every type of track on the circuit: superspeedway, speedway, intermediate, short track and road course.

So, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Daytona to kick off the 2017 season, Busch hopes being reunited with Ford can help him not only to finally find his way to victory in the Daytona 500, but also to improve upon his successes of the last four seasons with SHR. While he’s made the playoffs each year with the Kannapolis, North Carolina-based team, he’s fallen short of contending for the championship late in the playoffs.

With the 16-driver Cup Series championship format, all it takes is just one win to lock a driver and team into the playoffs. Busch would like nothing more than to score that win in the 59th Daytona 500, marking his first victory in the prestigious event and placing him well on his way to reaching his season-long goal of winning his second Cup Series title.

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

You’re the most recent Ford NASCAR Cup Series champion. How special would it be to be able to win another for the company?
“It is a special homecoming feeling to head back to work with Ford and to have them with our power and our bodies at Stewart-Haas Racing. It really feels neat to come back to a place where I’ve seen the faces before and the way that the structure has been polished up on and the way that there’s more depth with Ford Performance. Edsel (Ford) has done an incredible job over the last decade to continue to improve. Guys like Raj Nair, Dave Pericak – the whole gang is ready and willing to help in all areas and directions and the best thing that I’ve seen already come out of things with the engineering staff at Stewart-Haas. It’s like they just opened up a whole new book of things to look at and to advance our program further from where we were.”

You can’t test like you once were able to in January. So how do you, as a driver, adjust to a change like the one that has been made at Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2017 season?
“It’s because the teams have more depth. There is more simulation. The engineering staff has gone through things at a much higher level, whereas it used to be the driver and the crew chief who would go to the track and then come back with a notebook of things. Now the notebook has been gone through by the lead engineers and they’ve prepared it as best as possible before we show up. Limited track time saves money but, at the same time, you end up spending it on personnel and hiring the key guys to make the cars safer, faster, stronger, and I know we’ve done a great job to transition with Ford because I’ve seen some of the drawings and the way that Doug Yates has the engine set up. We had to change a few of our suspension settings to adapt to the way he had his engine set up, so there might be a couple bugs here or there, but I’m not too worried about it. We’ve got really good, quality people at Stewart-Haas with Yates engines.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing