Double Duty for Successful Road-Course Driver

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 19, 2012) - This weekend will be a busy one for former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch, who will perform double duty from two different road courses. Busch will make his seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the seat of his brother's No. 54 Monster Energy Camry on Saturday, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. The Las Vegas native will then travel to Sonoma, Calif. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series event, where he is the defending race winner.

The long journey between states will be worth it, as Busch has earned three victories at road courses across his career. Although he has not raced in the Nationwide Series at Road America before, Busch has accomplished three poles and two victories from three previous road-course starts at a similar NNS track, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, along with the 2011 Sonoma Raceway Cup Series win.

Texas native Colin Braun, whose NNS career consists of 31 races, two poles, three laps led, one top-five and six top-10 finishes, will prepare the car during practice sessions before Busch's arrival from California Saturday. Braun has two road-course events under his belt, including a 2008 pole position at Mexico City (Mexico), where he led for two laps, and a 2010 top-15 finish at this week's Road America course.

Logistics are specific for the dual-driver plan, however it isn't anything new to Crew Chief Mike Beam, who conducted the same process in 2011 with his previous driver. Beam took the No. 54 Monster Energy team, with Busch and Braun, to a recent test session at Road Atlanta (Ga.). A plan was made specifically for Braun to use during race practice, while Busch has studied film on the Wisconsin four-mile course. The team feels prepared, and with limited mistakes, looks to make Busch's extensive travel plans worthwhile, bringing home the first road-course victory for the company.

Kurt Busch, Driver of the No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series Monster Energy Camry:

How will you prepare for the travel associated with racing at two different road courses in the same weekend?

"I think we've already prepared as well as we can, thinking ahead about the logistics involved, making sure there will be limited conflicts with both schedules and working out a game plan for Colin (Braun) to practice the car. I know how Mike (Beam, crew chief) is going to set it up and he'll keep me informed."

Do you enjoy the road courses?

"Before the Sonoma Cup Series win last year, people didn't really talk about me as a road-course racer. I think they didn't know my comfort level for these types of tracks. I really enjoy them and feel knowledgeable about the car changes needed to be competitive. The variety of tracks I raced on growing up, I think, prepared me for the challenges of a road course. I've had two wins at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) so I'm ready to attack this week's course at Road America. As a team we traveled to Road Atlanta and had a really productive test session. Every week we continue to get stronger with the program and resources that Kyle has put into place here."

Mike Beam, Crew Chief of the No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series Monster Energy Camry:

How difficult will it be preparing the car for this race considering Kurt's Sonoma schedule?

"This weekend will be a logistical challenge with Kurt flying in on race morning from Sonoma. Luckily I had to deal with this in the past, so we just have to focus on not making any mistakes. Having Colin (Braun) drive the car in practice will be very helpful. He's a smart driver and a fine young man.

We had a great test at Road Atlanta with Kurt and Colin, so now I have to stick with our practice plan and be prepared for Kurt to come in Saturday morning. He has studied the breakdown of last year's race and qualifying and will be debriefed on our practice information, with balance of chassis and balance of brakes, from Friday."

What are the chances of your team securing KBM's first road-course victory?

"I'm really excited to have Kurt in the car for this event. He is one of the best road racers in stock cars that I have ever seen. I really appreciate the effort that Kurt and Kyle have both put into this whole program. As I say every week, if we limit our mistakes we should contend for the victory."

Kurt Busch's No. 54 Monster Energy Camry:

Chassis KBM-001: KBM will unload car #001, now converted into a road-course machine, previously raced at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway where the team earned an eleventh-place finish. The backup machine is Chassis KBM-002, previously raced at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway with a 17th-place finish.

Notes of Interest:

Crew Chief Mike Beam's Road America totals include 1 race (2011) where his car started from the fourth position and finished in the 33rd position.

With a third-place finish at Michigan International Speedway, the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 NNS entry remains ninth in the Series Owner’s Point Standings, 95 points out of first place through 13 races completed.

After recording only one top-10 finish over its first six starts, the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry has reeled off seven straight top-10 finishes, including three consecutive top-five results.

2012 season statistics for Kyle Busch Motorsports’ new NNS team include: 13 starts, one win, six top-five finishes, eight top-10 finishes, zero poles and 164 laps led.

The team’s average finish the last seven races is a remarkable 3.71 after registering an average finish of 19.5 over its first six starts.

Kurt Busch’s win at Richmond International Raceway was KBM’s first in the Nationwide Series and 17th NASCAR victory as a company; the team has 16 Truck Series wins in 71 races since debuting in 2010.

Kurt Busch will remain as driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta on June 29.

Kurt Busch Career Highlights include:

• 24 Career Sprint Cup Series victories and 15 poles, including one win in each of last 10 seasons
• Four Career NNS victories: Richmond ('12), Watkins Glen ('11 & '06) and Texas ('06)
• 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shootout at Daytona Winner
• Four-time qualifier of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
• 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race Winner
• 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, first to win in "Chase for the Cup" points format