Travels Winning Car to Drive New Kansas Surface
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 16, 2012) – There are two things that Kyle Busch looks forward to in this weekend’s Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race. One, a newly paved surface on the 1.5-mile oval, where Busch has seven series starts which have yielded one win and four top-five finishes. Two, the opportunity to drive on the new track surface with one of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ (KBM) best fleet cars, chassis #009, that earned the 27-year-old owner his first taste of victory, with older brother Kurt Busch as driver of the No. 54 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. With more track banking and a fast race car, Busch and team will work hard for the right setup in the Monster Energy Camry, to strive for that elusive season win together.
Following the 2012 spring events at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, NASCAR and track officials conducted a repaving project on portions of the intermediate-size race track, changing the oval from 15 degrees of uniform banking to 20 degrees of variable banking in the track turns. “It’s just a matter of trying to figure it out,” described Busch after visiting the track, close to the Missouri-Kansas state line, in April. He continued, “Once you kind of get it figured out or get the right situations lined up, you can have a shot. I look at this place a lot like Michigan. That’s a place where I struggled for a long time, but we finally were able to break through there for a win last year.”
Busch has tasted victory at Kansas in NASCAR’s second tier of competition, winning the 2007 event. Additionally, he has two runner-up finishes (2010, 2009) and a pair of third-place runs (2010, 2006). Breaking through for a win this year, with his own NNS crew would be special and the KBM Monster Energy team believe they have the car and driver to do it.
Kyle Busch, Driver of the No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series Monster Energy Camry:
You have run well on intermediate tracks lately with the No. 54 team – do you feel prepared for Kansas this week?
“We are taking one of our best cars this week, the one that Kurt (Busch, brother) won with in Richmond, and that’s had some top-fives since then. Hopefully we can dial it in again for the new track surface. Our intermediate-track program has progressed over the season, we’ve been competitive, just need those last few tweaks to be there at the end. We’ll have a test session there before regular practice, so plenty of time to work with Mike (Beam, crew chief) and the guys to get it where we like it.”
Mike Beam, Crew Chief of the No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series Monster Energy Camry:
What are your goals for the Kansas event this week with Kyle?
“Hopefully we can get a much needed win for the sponsor Monster Energy, for KBM, and to win a race with Kyle to keep his streak going. We are trying everything there is, to do this; we just need to put it all together.”
How will you approach it considering the repave?
“Going to Kansas with the new pavement will allow us to get in some valuable test time. We have a lot of test items to go through and still have time to work on our race and qualifying set ups. We are taking chassis #009 to Kansas and this car has always run well for us.”
Kyle Busch’s No. 54 Monster Energy Camry:
Chassis KBM-009: KBM will unload car #009, the team’s winning chassis from Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, earlier in the season with Kurt Busch. This car, considered one of the best in the No. 54 fleet, has raced four subsequent events with both Kurt and Kyle Busch, running at Iowa Speedway in Newton, twice (fifth-place and 17th place), Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway (22nd-place) and most recently returning to Richmond International Raceway for a third-place finish. The backup machine is Chassis KBM-007, regularly traveled as a second team car.
Notes of Interest:
> Loop Data Statistics over the past seven races, record Busch first at Kansas Speedway in: Driver Rating (115.1) with an Average Finish of 8.7, Laps Led (275, 22.9%), Fastest Driver Late in a Run (161.912 mph), Fastest on Restarts
(158.357 mph) and Speed by Quarter (Q3, 2.237); Busch is recorded second in: Fastest Laps (154, 16.9%), Green Flag Speed (162.758 mph) and Laps in the Top 15 (1206, 86.1%); Busch is also recorded third in: Speed in Traffic
(161.973 mph), Fastest Early in a Run (164.471 mph) and Average Running Position (7.599).
>Busch accomplished the first career pole with his KBM team in week 24, at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, continuing a nine-year streak from 2004, of consecutive pole positions as a driver in the Nationwide Series.
>Busch holds an eight-year streak from 2004 to 2011 of consecutive seasons with a win in the Nationwide Series.
> Crew Chief Mike Beam’s Kansas Speedway statistics include nine races, zero wins, two top-five finishes, four top-10 finishes, one NNS pole and 12 laps led.
Kyle Busch @ Kansas Speedway in All Series over Career:
|
Series |
Wins |
Top 5 |
Top 10 |
Poles |
Led |
Earnings |
AvSt |
AvFn |
|
Sprint |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 races |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
84 |
$1,174,855 |
18.7 |
20.0 |
|
Nationwide |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 races |
1 (’07) |
4 |
5 |
0 |
275 |
$324,290 |
9.4 |
11.6 |
|
Truck |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 race |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$12,500 |
11.0 |
6.0 |
Kyle Busch NASCAR Nationwide Series Career Results:
|
Series |
Wins |
Top 5 |
Top 10 |
Poles |
Led |
Earnings |
AvSt |
AvFn |
|
Nationwide |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
240 races |
51 |
126 |
159 |
24 |
10,788 |
$8,851,367 |
8.7 |
10.7 |
-All-time winningest driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with 51 victories
-Entered the 2011 season with at least one win in each of the last eight years and one pole in each of the last nine years
-2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Champion Driver for JGR (a record 13-win season)
-2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver’s Championship and Owner’s Championship with JGR
-2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Champion Driver for JGR
-2004 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year
What are fans saying about Kyle on Social Media sites?
Facebook: Kyle Busch (149,180+ followers)
Terry W Herring Jr. Monster up!! Have a helluva weekend! GOOOO KB! (Oct. 15)
Laderris Dock Kyle is the best racer out there on the track (Oct. 15)
Debi Cruickshank Rideout You’re the best Kyle. Keep showing them how it’s done. (Oct. 15)
Jackie Polson I watch the races on TV every week, next weekend will be the first Sprint Cup Race I have been to. I bought fan walk tickets for three of us in my group, so I hope we get the chance to see a glimpse of KB in person. Good luck in Kansas and we hope to see you put on a helluva show like normal. (Oct 15)
Kathy Gumbert Dang Kyle, so close! I was rooting for you all the way. You did great. Best of luck this week. (Oct 15)
Don Clark It’s just Kyle and then “others” to me. He’s the best! (Oct 15)
Twitter: @KyleBusch (284,000 + followers)
@fireballjeremy Yeah!! I am so glad the best shirt design won!! Kyle and Samantha Busch FAN-4-LIFE!! #1 Kyle Fan in Nebraska (Oct. 15)
@Brook_Raikkonen Good luck man, from South Korea with Formula 1. (Oct. 12)
@Psr18 Hope he gets first win with his team!! (Oct. 12)
@nclady18 Looking good!! Nice pink touch, thanks for awareness – (Oct. 12)
@TylerFitzgerald Can I get a follow? I’m a huge @KurtBusch & @KyleBusch fan!! Love cheering on the @MonsterEnergy 54 every week!! J (Oct. 12)
Kyle’s preferred Monster Energy drink flavor:
Original Monster Energy Green
-KBM-
