On The Line: Kurt Busch
This week, Chase competitor and former (2004) series champion Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) was the guest on the NASCAR teleconference. Busch is currently fifth in the standings having posted one win, eight top fives and 16 top 10s this season.
Q: Nine contenders legitimately have a chance to win the championship. What do you think are your chances?
Busch: “There are still plenty of guys that have a legitimate shot at this. And ours is still very high with our team at Penske Racing. We feel like the first couple of races have gone very well. To finish 11th at Kansas was a bit off for us, but we struggled on pit road. We had loose wheels and the last adjustment we made on our Miller Lite Dodge didn’t allow us to take advantage of the double restarts at the end. So we still find ourselves in a great position. You just don’t want to have that bad race early on and have to dig out of a hole.”
Q: Being on both sides, in the Chase and out of the Chase, does being out of the Chase make you feel like an outcast riding around, is it a tough situation to be in?
Busch: “No, not at all. I still think it’s a great opportunity to do a number of things.
“One is to just throw yourself into position to try to win. Whether it’s staying out on a pit stop or short pitting for fuel.
“Then there is the next scenario of using those final ten races to advance your program for the upcoming season.
“There are guys this year that didn’t make the Chase that are running very competitively: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&Ms Toyota), David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota).
“They’re making names and waves out there just as they would if they were in the Chase.”
California Natives: More Than You Would Think Behind The Wheel
Many think that most of the drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are from the east coast of the country, but what many don’t know is California also has quite the contingent of natives behind the wheel.
Of the seven drivers from California, two are vying for the championship this season, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon who hails from Vallejo, Calif. and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson who grew up in El Cajon, Calif.
Another set of teammates, Kevin Harvick (No 29 SHELL/Pennzoil Chevrolet) and Casey Mears (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) for Richard Childress Racing are both from Bakersfield, Calif.
The next driver, Robby Gordon (No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota) calls Orange, Calif. his hometown. Gordon is 33rd in the standings, having posted one top five this season. He has made 14 starts at Auto Club Speedway posting one top-five finish.
One of this season’s Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders Scott Speed (No. 82 Red Bull Toyota) is from Manteca, Calif., and AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Dassault Systems Dodge) is from Los Gatos.
NSCS California Native Drivers
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 driver) – Bakersfield
Casey Mears (No. 07 driver) – Bakersfield
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 driver) – El Cajon
Robby Gordon (No. 7 driver) – Orange
Scott Speed (No. 82 driver)—Manteca
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 driver) – Vallejo
AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 driver) – Los Gatos
The Stars Will Be Out This Weekend
Audrina Patridge who stars on the hit MTV series The Hills has been named Honorary Starter for the much-anticipated Inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race – the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway.
As Honorary Starter for the Pepsi 500, Patridge will wave the Green Flag from the top of the flag stand on the speedway’s start/finish line, to get the Pepsi 500 underway.
Also, Kelsey Grammer will serve as Grand Marshal for the race. Grammer, of “Frasier” fame, now stars in the new ABC comedy “Hank.”
On Saturday, Dancing with the Stars celebrity contestant Kelly Osbourne will serve as Honorary Starter for the Copart 300, NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Oct. 10, and joining her will be Academy Award and multi-Golden Globe Award-nominated actor John C. Reilly, who will serve as Grand Marshal.
Chevrolet Clinches 33rd Manufacturers’ Championship
Chevrolet clinched the 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It is the 33rd manufacturers’ crown for Chevrolet, the most ever by any automobile manufacturer in the sport.
“To win the Manufacturers’ title for Chevy by winning this race is awesome,” Tony Stewart said. “This is a proud moment. Chevrolet has been a big part of my career, and General Motors, in general, has. To be the team that wins the race today and locks down the championship for them is a huge sense of pride for us.”
Up Next: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
The Chase reaches the halfway point next week when Lowe’s Motor Speedway hosts the fifth race in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — the Bank of America 500 — next Saturday, Oct. 17 (7 p.m. start on ABC).
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) is the defending race champion. Last October’s victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway was Burton’s third time winning at the 1.5-mile track. It also was car owner Richard Childress’s fifth win there.
Fast Facts
The Race: Pepsi 500
The Place: Auto Club Speedway (2-mile oval)
The Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
The Time: 3:15 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 500 miles//250 laps
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson
Schedule: Friday—Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m. Saturday—Practice, 10:30 -11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
2009 Top 12 Drivers
Driver Points
1 Mark Martin 5,551
2 Jimmie Johnson 5,533
3 Juan Pablo Montoya 5,500
4 Tony Stewart 5,484
5 Kurt Busch 5,460
6 Denny Hamlin 5,452
7 Jeff Gordon 5,448
8 Greg Biffle 5,437
9 Ryan Newman 5,387
10 Carl Edwards 5,386
11 Kasey Kahne 5,361
12 Brian Vickers 5,301
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