Kurt comes into the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good!® third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. He’s 115 points out of first.
Q: Kurt, it’s the Monster Mile. It’s a tough place with endurance and all kinds of strategy challenges. What’s the outlook this week?
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KURT BUSCH: Well, it is. It’s always a tough track that you look forward to going to because if you don’t, it makes the weekend that much longer. For me I made my first what was then Winston Cup start at Dover, so it’s always had that special place in my heart. Get pumped up for it just because of that fact. Like you said, the Monster Mile, it can jump up and bite you very quickly, and you always have to be on your toes when you go there to make your adjustments on the racetrack.
Q. You’ve already had a fair amount of success this year with the new Dodge engine, and I guess Kasey Kahne is going to start using it at Dover this coming weekend. I know they’re a different team and all that, but is it going to help to have more of those things out on the racetrack for everybody involved?
KURT BUSCH: Well, I’ve always felt that more is better, and the fact that they’re getting it in their cars is great news, just so that we can advance the whole Dodge program in general. Does it affect us? No, not really, but it’s good news to know that they’re moving forward with that engine because of the fact that who knows what direction Gillett Evernham Motorsports is heading or Richard Petty Motorsports is heading because their contract is up at the end of the year. So it’s nice to know that they’re pushing forward with their Dodge product.
Q. Looking back to this past weekend, you were running really well up until you reported a vibration. Did you guys ever figure out what that vibration was?
KURT BUSCH: Yeah, we actually had a loose wheel. It was the right front, and the stud length on the new hubs, they’ve mandated the length on all the threads that when the lug nut goes on it has to be a certain length. I see it almost as a safety hazard because of the fact that they’re so long that the crew guys have trouble getting them tight every time, and therefore it creates a loose wheel situation.
So we’ve had it almost every other race this year, and it’s a big concern of mine to get this ironed out.
Q. As you know, this media is going on today or maybe has already taken place. I just wonder from a driver’s standpoint if you have any suggestions for NASCAR on how to improve the racing.
KURT BUSCH: Well, it’s always a difficult question, and to address the issues for the drivers is always in NASCAR’s mind, and then, of course, putting on better racing is always in their mind, and a lot of times when the drivers ask for one thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean the best for racing. So we always have to keep in mind that we need to put the best foot forward in everybody’s concerns, whether it’s safety, whether it’s better racing, whether it’s on Goodyear making a better tire for us.
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That would be one of my big issues is the tire seems to be a question every week, and it’s due to the fact of this new car. So if Goodyear can produce a wider or a bigger tire, why don’t we go to that. So that’s going to be one of my questions that I’m wanting to get answered for me.
Q. Looking ahead a little bit, and I know this is kind of like in the future, but if Dodge drops out of NASCAR because of the possible bankruptcy, does something like switching to a different car present a big problem for you as a driver? It’s too bad because the new Dodge engine seems to get you out of the hole faster when they drop the green flag, and it seems like the car has much more power and it’s faster. But what does happen if all of a sudden there’s a bankruptcy situation and Dodge drops out?
KURT BUSCH: Well, it’s always difficult to play what-if, and right now our concern is to make Dodge as fast as we can on the racetrack to allow people to feel comfortable with their decision to buy a Dodge product. And for us to be third in points racing our Dodge Charger feels good, and we just have to continue to work hard to keep at that pace.
It’s always difficult to look beyond what is current or what the reality is, and so therefore I look up to a guy like Roger Penske to make those decisions for us, and to me it wouldn’t present any type of problem if we did have to switch, but right now our concern is to really go forward with our Dodge products and make sure that they’re receiving all of the credit with this new engine and the products that they give us to race.
Q. These days it’s tough growing up anywhere, any way actually. But your brother and Joey Logano have had to grow up in the top levels of motorsports under the public eye. It seems like around the time that you were in the NASCAR championship you seem to have matured a lot. I just have a question, do you have a comment on your brother’s situation and his maturity process and how it compared to yours?
KURT BUSCH: It’s great to see him having the success that he is, and he’s one of the top drivers out on the circuit. When you grow up in the spotlight or under the microscope, it definitely can humble you very quickly. So he’s seen the good and the bad with it, and he’s doing an excellent job of staying focused on the race car, because ultimately that’s what’s most important. And the fact that he’s able to go out there and answer the critics’ questions and perform, that’s all that he’s worried about and that’s all that he wants to do right now. Is that the best thing? Of course, that’s what every driver wants to do. But in the big picture, he’ll begin to settle in and find his own rhythm sooner than later.
Q. What specifically have you done and has Penske as an organization done that’s elevated you really into a point where you’re able to contend for a championship this year where maybe you wouldn’t have the past few years?
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KURT BUSCH: Well, it’s been a battle with the new car, and we felt like we had to improve in all areas of the program, whether it’s downforce, better power from the new engine. The setups that we’re running seem to be quite a bit different than last year. So we’re really just – going through a year of hardship and struggle of last year helped us focus this off-season to develop new things, new ideas, and we can’t just really point our finger at one thing that’s helped us. It’s been all around. So we look forward to more ideas and better things that can advance our program to keeping us at this level.
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