Sprint Cup Is Busch’s Top Priority

CIA Stock Photo, Inc.

Apr 26, 2008

NASCAR doesn’t have a grand slam, but it does have three major series: Craftsman Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup. While Kyle Busch hasn’t made any bold statements, the way the 22-year-old is driving these days — and if he could somehow commit to the grueling schedule — a grand sweeping slam isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Currently Busch is in second place in the Sprint Cup standings, 80 points behind Jeff Burton. In the Nationwide Series, he’s in third, 66 points behind Clint Bowyer. And in the Craftsman Truck Series, he is holding down first place, 35 points ahead of Todd Bodine.

His lead in the Trucks could slip away this week, as the series is in Kansas and he won’t be able to run, bring about a little disappointment in the hardest-working man in motorsports.

“I am a little bit,” he said. “I wish maybe there was a way we could get with NASCAR and have them set up times a little better to where we could make it from there to there or there to here — however it would work out better.”

“Simply put, Kyle Busch is out there getting it done,” said Mark Martin, 35-time race winner. “I told him just a couple of weeks ago that he was absolutely one driving son of a gun.

“Kyle is young and he is fast. He is as talented as anyone I’ve seen and he can drive anything. I have to admit, I’m a big fan and I love to watch him drive a race car.”

Busch is adamant that Sprint is his top priority. Running for a Nationwide title — and everything else — is secondary.

“It’s undecided and we’re not running for it right now,” Busch said of the Nationwide championship. “We’ll see how it goes.

“I definitely don’t do it for the paycheck in the Truck Series and in the Nationwide Series, the paycheck is not what it is (in Cup),” Busch said. “It’s just for the pure love and the enjoyment and the willingness or wanting to do well.”

While NASCAR’s biggest three series are the ones that everyone sees, it’s not the only thing Busch has his hands in.
He has a late model car that takes up whatever “spare” time he has. And even recently he took his driving off the asphalt and dirt out to the desert dunes … “I drive anything,” he said.

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