Showing posts with label Kurt Busch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kurt Busch. Show all posts
The action was fast and furious during Fan Appreciation Weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The energy from the track to the crowd was electric as sparks flew, tempers flared and 40 of the world’s most talented athletes roared around America’s Premier Short Track in one of the more memorable NASCAR regular season finales.

From the dramatic four-wide salute to furious four-wide racing, it was some of the best racing of the NASCAR season. The consensus from fans, drivers, and media was the action is truly back at “The Action Track!”




The Action Track is Back


http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/richmond-provides-endless-chase-storylines-091316

http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/09/11/what-drivers-said-after-richmond-race/
www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-rir-follow-0912-20160911-story.html

http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/09/11/what-drivers-said-after-richmond-race/
http://www.richmond.com/sports/auto-racing/nascar/article_42db6390-6ba8-5c24-a4fc-7fc3103d0b70.html

http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/09/11/what-drivers-said-after-richmond-race/
http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/tony-stewart-ryan-newman-chase-show-why-ugly-new-beautiful-chicagoland-richmond-sprint-cup-091216








Credit: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio





9:33 AM
Ah, the final stretch. Only three races remain before the regular season finale at Richmond, and the Chase bubble grows smaller and smaller as we approach the Federated Auto Parts 400. Less than 20 points separate Kyle Larson (No. 15) from Ryan Blaney (No. 18) in the standings, while Chris Buescher needs to gain one spot in the standings for his win at Pocono to vault him into the Chase. Click the link to look at five drivers whose Chase Bubble is at risk of popping.


A Nice Problem to Have
Furniture Row Racing made headlines a couple weeks ago when they announced their addition of Erik Jones to the Sprint Cup lineup on a one-year deal in 2017, marking the first time the team has fielded more than a single driver (currently home to Martin Truex Jr.). Jones is the reigning NCWTS Champ and sits fourth in the XFINITY Series standing as a rookie for Joe Gibbs Racing. His three wins on the year tops all other XFINITY Series regulars, so it won't come as a surprise that Coach Gibbs already has his eye on a spot for the talented young driver. Also lurking in the wings is Daniel Suarez - who sits second in XFINITY points in his second season in the series. The future is undoubtedly bright for the JGR team, but so is the present. Kyle Busch (four wins), Carl Edwards (two wins), Matt Kenseth (two wins) and Denny Hamlin (two wins) are all locked into the Chase while sitting within the top nine in points. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We can't wait to find out.


Have we mentioned there's only four races left in the NASCAR regular season? And with Bristol and Richmond on the calendar, half of the remaining races will be battled on short tracks. As we head into this weekend's Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, FOX Sport's
4:29 PM
Kurt Busch

With 33 laps to go, substitute crew chief John Klausemeier told Kurt Busch was told that he'd be two laps short on fuel in Monday's rain-delayed Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 at Pocono Raceway. Turns out he had enough to pick up his first win of 2016 and even throw in a burnout to celebrate. "We just had to balance everything," said Busch, who got to the stripe 1.126 seconds ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. "We had a fast car, a (suspended) crew chief, and the way the fuel mileage played out, I didn't know if we would have enough fuel. It's a wonderful win for us. We have been so close all year. It was just a matter of putting it all together." It was the 2004 Cup Champion's first win since the 2015 TOYOTA OWNERS 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and the third of his career at the Tricky Triangle.

Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott's phenomenal rookie season continued yesterday, scoring his fifth consecutive top-10 finish with a fourth-place showing (including a race-high 51 laps led) at Pocono Raceway. "We certainly had, I feel like, one of our best days of the year personally," Elliott said. "I thought for us to be able to contend and lead laps all day and have a car that could fight for the lead the majority of the day... I thought was great." It certainly was, and the finish put him in the company of NASCAR royalty. It was the rookie's fifth top-5 of the year, which ties Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s 1979 rookie mark through the first 14 races in a season.

Kyle Busch

We're used to seeing borderline historic stretches of success out of Kyle Busch and the No. 18 car. Remember last Spring when he went on a tear that saw him win four races in a five week stretch? Or when he turned it on during last year's Eliminator Round, scoring three consecutive top-5 finishes before claiming the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship? Or how about earlier this season when we saw him finish either first or second in five of six races - starting with a win at the STP 500 in Martinsville? Well Monday's race saw the continuation of a not-so familiar streak for the defending Series Champ. After smacking the wall with 51 laps to go, Busch was forced to the garage and sent to his third consecutive finish of 30th or worse. With three wins on the year, his Chase dreams are secure - but no doubt he'd like to see some luck come his way sooner than later.

Michigan International Speedway

Drivers have already raved about the success of NASCAR's new aerodynamics package at the likes of Auto Club, Richmond, Charlotte, and more. But now we'll see how it performs at one of NASCAR's fastest tracks - Michigan International Speedway. "The collaboration between NASCAR and the other stakeholders to improve the racing has produced tremendous results this season. I look forward to a continuation of that when we get to Michigan," said Brad Keselowski. "The racing is more in the hands of the drivers than it has been in quite some time and I think we are just scratching the surface as to what this package can become." And the Michigan-native isn't the only driver who's anxious to see how the package will perform this weekend. "I expect the racing to be really good," said Kyle Larson. "I think with you lifting the groove will move up some. It’s just going to be really exciting racing."
2:55 PM



Check out some of the sights from Kurt Busch's stop in Richmond yesterday, where he splashed around on the historic James River and zip lined across Richmond's Bell Isle with kids from the Passages Rock and River camp!
11:36 AM

With a Richmond win already on his 2015 resume, Kurt Busch tried to sneak in a a second checkered flag  before the rest of the NASCAR field returns in September. That was, until a couple of kids had something to say about it.

“Man they ambushed me!” said Busch. “It was a fun event, I thought, then it turns into a full-on race and they staged it to where they surrounded me and I couldn’t even get my paddle going.”

No it wasn’t a paddle-powered stock car. Kurt and the kids were out kayaking on the historic James River in advance of RIR’s upcoming race weekend September 10-12.

“It was a perfect ambush,” he chuckled. “They’re like ‘Yeah our plan worked,’ and I’m here thinking 'What plan!'”


Busch and Richmond International Raceway came out to the Passages Rock and River camp on the James, where the defending TOYOTA OWNERS 400 champ made the rounds across Richmond’s famous Belle Isle. In addition to splashing around in a kayak, Busch took to the air with some zip line action across the island's quarry.


“I'd been coming to Richmond for 15 years, and I haven't been able to do something like (kayaking or zip-lining) here,” said Busch. "It's fun to jump in and do some outdoorsy things like that,"

And as much fun as the No. 41 driver had on the river, Kurt is looking forward to coming back to RIR in September for the Last Race to Make the Chase, the 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400.

“There’s some of those races that slip through your fingers and you want them back. Richmond’s done that to me over the years,” said Busch. “I always get excited about coming here, going for that win. It’s a perfect type of cut-off scenario, whether you’re in or you’re out Richmond’s the short track where you gotta let it all hang out.”

5:56 PM
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