NASCAR News

[rickaren]

Kyle Busch is becoming a team owner

Monday, Dec. 07, 2009



Sprint Cup series driver and reigning Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch is set to become a NASCAR team owner.

Busch has finalized plans to begin fielding up to three teams in the Camping World Truck Series next season, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned.

An official announcement regarding Busch's plans in the series next season is expected on Friday, multiple sources said. Busch could not be reached for comment Monday and a team spokesman would say only more information on Busch's 2010 season plans would be available later this week.

Busch, 24, has driven recently for team owner Billy Ballew and there had been speculation he would buy into that organization but he is instead starting his own team having purchased assets from Xpress Motorsports, sources said.

The headquarters for Kyle Busch Motorsports is still under construction and the team will use the old Xpress Motorsports facility until KBM is completed.

Busch has made 69 series starts and has 16 wins, 35 top-five and 51 top-10 finishes. He had seven wins this season in 15 starts.

Rick Ren, who led Ron Hornaday to the Truck series title this season as crew chief, confirmed in a recent interview on Sirius Satellite Radio he was joining KBM in a management position next season.

LINK: Kyle Busch is becoming a team owner | www.thatsracin.com

[rickaren]

Today We Welcome Danica To NASCAR

Tuesday, December 08, 2009


Any way you look at it, today’s announcement that Danica Patrick will dip her toes into the stock car-racing pool will be good for NASCAR.

It already is good news, actually, as every racing writer I know is planning their day around the big event in Phoenix.

And I guess that is the positive which will come out of this months-old dance -- so let's dwell on that for a while.

By about every impartial measure, NASCAR’s popularity is in ebb right now. Television numbers, ticket sales and interest levels have all been sliding backward the last couple of years.

It could be the economy, it could be dull racing, it could be a mass defection by the old guard of fans, it could be the cars with spoilers and splitters, it could be unabated commercialization, it could be Jimmie Johnson’s beard and it could be solar activity.

Whatever.

NASCAR could use a jolt right now. A big one. A positive one. Probably two or three.

Importing Patrick from the open-wheel scene will provide a jolt and the thought here is a pretty big one.

While there are major doubts about Patrick’s prospects for a successful on-track career in NASCAR, there are very few about her ability to attract attention.

The attention that she will bring is the kind which all forms of entertainment crave. Crossover attention. Earnhardt Jr.-caliber attention but more of it.

Many females will be pulling for her, most old-schoolers will be rooting against her and all males will be ogling her.

Those out there who were merely curious about NASCAR in the past, will surely keep a closer eye on Speed Weeks this season. In fact, they will likely not have a choice about that as Danicamania 2.0 will be everywhere.

The media will converge on her like ants on spilled syrup. Every movement will reported. Some will run countdown clocks reading: Time remaining until Danica fires up her first stock car engine.

Virtually every broadcast piece and every print notes package from Speed Weeks will include Danica news. Morning network “news” shows will have crews in Daytona.

Get ready for all Danica, all the time.

And it should all be good for the sport – if you believe that when it comes to publicity, more is better.

Then the racing will start and then ... well, that’s another opinion for another time. Today, we welcome Danica to NASCAR.

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