Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Toyota, celebrates in victory lane during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 200 fueled by AmeriGas at Phoenix International Raceway on March 2, 2013 Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Nothing was going to keep Kyle Busch out of Victory Lane on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Not a pit road speeding penalty. Not a spate of cautions that kept bunching the field. Not Brad Keselowski, who in the past has found magic out front on old tires.
The prohibitive favorite in the Dollar General 200—after he won the pole in a laydown earlier in the day—Busch overcame a speeding penalty that dropped him to 22nd position for a restart on Lap 44. Continue reading →
After a solid first qualifying lap at the Phoenix International Raceway 1-mile oval Friday, Busch’s No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet SS scraped the wall during the second lap due to a malfunction in the coolant system.
The damage (right-front and right-side) was enough that the team will go to the backup car for Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup race.
“Kurt did a great job saving the car from further damage,” said team crew chief Todd Berrier.
The culprit for the loss of grip was a parts breakage in the coolant system that sprayed water under the tires, causing Busch to wiggle and eventually lose control of the car.
“The Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevy steered to the right, brushed the wall and we’ll be in a backup car come Sunday,” said Busch. “You would think after Daytona we would fare a little better. But right now we need to suck it up and battle through this adversity.”
Going to a backup car will result in Kurt starting Sunday’s race from the rear of the field.
Busch was credited with the 25th fastest speed based on his first lap, which is usually the slower of the two. His first lap time and speed were: 26.618 seconds at 135.247 miles per hour.
NASCAR made many changes in the off-season in order to try and limit the start-and-park teams. Among those changes were cuts to the prize money for the lowest finishers and cutting down the field in the Nationwide Series from 43 to 40.
However, many of those teams are also underfunded teams who attempt to make enough per race so that they can make it to the next race.
A staple driver in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series’, Michael McDowell will not be making the trip to Phoenix this weekend, which is a shame because he is originally from Phoenix. McDowell has always looked forward to the bi-yearly trips to his hometown to compete in front of his family and friends.
Another driver whose team has withdrawn before teams made the trip to Phoenix, is Morgan Shepherd. Shepherd and his team have been a staple in the garage for over 27 years. Shepherd attempted 31 of 33 races and competed in 21 of 33 Nationwide races last year.
NASCAR is just like any other sport where there are rules during the course of competition as well as a Code of Conduct that the drivers must adhere to, whether on or off the track. Any infraction of any rule can and usually will incur some kind of penalty, monetary or otherwise.
There have been many drivers suspended over the years for their behavior, including suspensions for alcohol offenses and failed drug tests. Most of these offenses bring only a small penalty, but being caught in violation of NASCAR’s drug policy, brings an indefinite suspension.
Jeremy Clements became the first driver of the year to be suspended indefinitely. However, his suspension wasn’t for a violation of the drug policy but rather for violating NASCAR’s Code of Conduct. Continue reading →
