Uhh, that’s usually not the descriptor that comes to mind when talking about a guy who has the tact of a screaming baby. However, what Busch lacks in nuance he seems to make up for with pinpoint honesty. And his team, most notably teammate Brad Keselowski, could be the better for it.
It’s been awhile since Keselowski was the apple of the NASCAR world’s eye – since 2009, in fact, when he stunned everyone with a win at Talladega on the Cup side.
That and his 2010 Nationwide title made Keselowski the hottest free agent on the market, and when he signed with Penske Racing it was seen as somewhat of a coup for the organization to snatch up the sport’s brightest rising star.
Then Keselowski went out and laid an egg in his first full season: He didn’t collect a single top-five finish, recorded only two top 10s and finished a supremely disappointing 25th in the standings.
Was he learning on the job? Maybe, except things didn’t get any better this season. His best finish was a 15th at Phoenix to go along with a string of C-minus results which led to Busch saying he hadn’t had a top-line teammate to lean on since Ryan Newman in 2007.
The comment stung Keselowski, of course. But the thing is: Busch was right.
“I think that if you look at all of 2010, he was absolutely right,” Keselowski said. “Until the last two or three races, with the exception of Phoenix, I wasn’t even close to running with Kurt – not even close. I think that he definitely has legs to stand on with that comment.”
A day after Busch’s rebuke, Keselowski finished third at Darlington – his best result since joining Penske.
A week earlier at Richmond, Busch went on a tirade that was over the top even for him. Locked in a slide down the standings after a month of subpar finishes, Busch lashed out at Penske’s technical director.
“We’re two laps down; our day is done!” Busch screamed over his radio in the middle of the Crown Royal 400. “I’m sorry, our day was done when Tom German decided he was in charge.”
Ten days later, German announced he was leaving Penske to go to graduate school.
Coincidence or not, Keselowski’s undergone a minor transformation since. He ran up front for most of the race at Dover before finishing 13th; led much of the Sprint Showdown en route to a second-place finish; and Thursday claimed the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.
After collecting the pole, Keselowski credited Busch speaking up for the improvements he’s seeing at Penske. He said German leaving the organization has “opened doors that would have never opened before” and has allowed others within the company to provide input.
“If [Kurt] didn’t have that approach, I probably would adopt it because you keep trying different things until you get what you want,” Keselowski said. “It’s somewhat refreshing to have someone that can speak up, have a voice, have the credibility of being a past champion and past winner and those around him perhaps listen more intently.”
Busch’s sharp-tongued style of communication has for years made him an easy target for ridicule and criticism. Former boss Jack Roush, whom Busch last drove for six years ago, is still taking shots at him.
“Jimmy is a consummate stock-car racer,” Roush said earlier this season, referring to crew chief Jimmie Fennig. “Heck, he even won a championship with Kurt Busch.”
Friday, Busch said managing expectations and offering feedback is a “matter of trying to be the most professional that you can be about it.”
“Not every situation is good,” he explained. “You’re being graded on how you persevere through the troubling times. I always laugh and listen to you guys contradict yourselves because you say that you want us to be more colorful, but all that you want to do to a driver is just thrash them when they show personality.”
That’s not exactly true. There’s a difference between showing personality and making things personal. Busch has a tendency to do the latter. That’s the aim of the criticism.
When Busch stops winning races and competing for championships, his audience will go away. Until then, people will listen and maybe even be the better for it – even if that means catering to the needs of a screaming baby.
Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - NNS Race Final - Charlotte
May 28, 2011 , CONCORD, N.C. - Saturday, May 28, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Top Gear 300
Post-Race Quotes
NASCAR Nationwide Series
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished Sixth
“An uneventful day for us. We were about a sixth or seventh-place car all day. We want to win these Nationwide Series races, but we’re just missing something with our car. The Roush cars are really dialed-in right now. We didn’t unload like we needed to and had to make some big changes last night. Track position was so important here and when you don’t qualify well, it makes a difference. We just need a little bit more. If we can get our race cars to turn better (in the center of the corner), I know that we’ll see victory lane.”
WHAT AREA DO YOU THINK YOUR CAR IS MISSING ON FOR RACE DAY? “I think we’re off just a little bit everywhere. It’s going to take a little bit more attention to detail preparing these race cars. Our performance isn’t due to a lack of hard work. These guys are busting their tails in giving me a fast race car. We’re just off a bit.”
TODD GORDON (crew chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger R/T)
“We sat down last night and made a lot of changes to the car because we didn’t feel that practice went that well. We just went back and looked at all the data we had and the off day actually gave us a chance to go back to the shop and get some better balance for today. I think we made strides with our Discount Tire Dodge today. I still think that we need a little bit more. We just need to find a little bit more every week. The guys did a good job getting the car where it needed to be from where we were in practice. Our car is just fighting the center of the corner too much. When we get that figured out we’ll be OK.”
SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger R/T) Finished 12th
“A solid day except for our pit stops. We were as good as the 22 (Brad Keselowski) and they ended up sixth. I think we could have been right there with the 22, but we had a pit violation with a tire and on the last set, they left the right front just a little bit loose. It was good enough to get us back up to the first car a lap down before it started vibrating, but the caution never came out. The car handled pretty good. I’m proud of Chad (Walter, crew chief) and the guys that work on the Alliance Truck Parts Dodge. We just need to get our pit stops better.
“On that first pit stop, we tried to go with two (tires) and the car was way too tight. That got us back a little bit. We were working our way forward and then we had the pit violation. I think we had a fifth-place, at least a sixth- or seventh-place car. We want to be better than that. We’ll just keep working at it. The way we practiced the other day, I thought we had an opportunity to compete for the win. We tried to gamble a little bit there at the beginning, but made the wrong call (two tires). We worked our way back up into the top 10 with plenty of laps remaining, but then had the pit road penalty.”
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
May 28, 2011 , CONCORD, N.C. - Saturday, May 28, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Keys for Success: Coca-Cola 600
CONCORD, N.C. (May 28, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, the green flag drops on the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Race 12 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps/600 miles)
Trivia Question: How many North Carolina tracks have hosted Sprint Cup events since 1949? (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (Dodge Motorsports Engineering)
Fuel Mileage: “Six-hundred miles at Charlotte tomorrow night will not be dictated by fuel economy as to who wins the race. In this 600-mile race, so much happens and the scenarios are so vast. The race is about track position, running in clean air, keeping the car clean and making moves at the end of the race. I would be very surprised if after 600-miles the outcome is a result of fuel strategy”
Good Start: “You have to get off to a good start. We’ve seen in the past that the early part of this race will run caution-free. If you start in the back of the field and don’t have the setup to keep you competitive, you will get lapped fairly quickly. Getting behind early is really tough and the last thing you want is to be chasing your setup for 600 miles.”
Night Moves: “We start the race at six o’clock. It’s going to be a hot day and there will be a lot of sun load on the track. This is one of the races that will get faster as the race progresses. Lap times are fast and you better have your car dialed-in at the end of the race to have a shot a winning.”
Answer to trivia question: 27
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
May 30, 2011 , CONCORD, N.C. - Sunday, May 29, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Coca-Cola 600
Post-Race Quotes
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger) Finished Fourth
“It’s amazing that we can race 600 miles and it comes down to a green-white-checkered finish and fuel mileage. That’s the excitement that this sport brings and you never know when it’s going to be your time to have fuel or not. Today, we had enough and Steve (Addington) made a great call to come in and top-off for fuel. It worked out and we made the right calculations to make it to the end of the race.”
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD ENOUGH FUEL? “We knew that we could make it to one green-white-checker flag; we didn’t think that we could make it to a second.”
CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THE LAST RESTART? “We got lucky. People were spinning their tires and struggling to get fuel to their carburetor.”
DID YOU SEE THAT THE 4 CAR RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE RESTART? “There was chaos up above on the restart and I know my teammate got into it. It’s tough. Brad Keselowski had a good run today in that Miller Lite Dodge.”
STEVE ADDINGTON Crew Chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)
“I seen fuel mileage wins here before and I’ve finished runner-up with it. Everybody did a good job on this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge tonight. We still have a ways to go to get our cars where we need them to get competitive with those Fords. We’re headed in the right direction. Everybody stayed focused. The driver stayed focus and we got a good finish out of it.”
HOW SOON DID YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A FUEL MILEAGE GAME? “We pitted around lap 297 with the 2 car, topped-off with gas and took two tires and that was the game plan and it worked out.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) Finished 19th
"It's disappointing to run as well as we did and have that happen at the end. Disappointing. The Miller Lite Dodge was fast all night. We started on the pole. We ran in the top 10 most of the night. The crew did a great job. It was a total team effort. Unfortunately, we ended up three miles short of a top-five finish."
PAUL WOLFE ( Crew Chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)
“It was a strong run all night. We started from the pole and the encouraging part was we were able to maintain in the top 10 all night. It’s a long race, but we kept working on the car and had ourselves in position at the end for a good finish. We knew everyone was close on fuel; it got all jammed up on that last restart. I’m real proud of the team and how far we’ve come with this Miller Lite Dodge since Vegas, our first mile-and-half race this year. That race was a disaster. We’ve come a long ways, but we’ve still got a long ways to go. Definitely a strong run tonight.”
MIKE NELSON (Vice-President – Competition, Penske Racing)
“It was a good day for Penske Racing. Our Dodge Chargers were good all race. We got a little off on track position, but was able to get it back with some good calls. A good solid effort. We definitely heading in the right direction after some of the tough weeks we’ve had. I feel really bad for the Miller Lite Team, for Brad, Paul and the whole crew. They had a great car. Kurt, Steve (Addington, crew chief) the 22 team had a great race tonight.”
ROBBY GORDON (No. 7 SPEED Energy / Harris Teeter / Sam’s Mart Dodge Charger) Finished 38th
“A tough night. We lost a (front) brake master cylinder that sent us to the garage early. It’s frustrating. I’m not sure what happened. We changed out a new one, made some other changes with bars and springs and went out to run some laps. It was important for us to get out there and earn some owner points in this SPEED Energy/Harris Teeter/Sam’s Mart Dodge Charger. Basically, it became a test session for us the rest of the night.”
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
Fully-Equipped w/all factory options
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