Friday, July 6, 2001 | 11:26 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand's covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4089.
Kurt Busch has driven in 23 NASCAR Winston Cup Series races dating from last September and admittedly has had his share of ups and downs.
Following his Winston Cup debut at Dover last year, veteran driver Bobby Hamilton called Busch "a weapon." During this year's season-opening Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt flipped off Busch on national television after the rookie made an on-track move to which Earnhardt objected.
Although he posted three top-10 finishes in his first nine starts this year, it wasn't until the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway in late April that Busch finally began to win the respect of his peers. After being penalized a lap for topping off his fuel tank before the start of the race, Busch worked his way through the field and raced -- cleanly -- with race leader Rusty Wallace before getting his lap back.
Following the race, both Wallace and runner-up Jeff Gordon expressed admiration for Busch's driving ability.
In 16 races this season, the 22-year-old Las Vegas native has finished in the top-20 in half the races and posted a career-best finish of third at Talladega in April. He enters Saturday's Pepsi 400 at Daytona 23rd in points and second in the Rookie of the Year standings.
"So far this season we have been pretty happy with our performances," Busch said. "We also know that we have a long way to go. The crew has done a great job this season, and we have been able to learn a lot together throughout the season.
"We have had a bunch of highs and lows and we are really focused on becoming more consistent from week to week. When we run well, we are able to capitalize on it and now that we are heading into the second half of the season, many of the tracks will be much more familiar so I anticipate that we will be able to deliver more consistent performances."
Busch, who won the NASCAR Southwest Series championship in 1999 and Rookie of the Year honors in both the Southwest Series (1998) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2000), said his biggest adjustment since moving to Winston Cup has been getting used to the level of competition.
"The competition in Winston Cup is unparalleled to anything I have experienced before," Busch said. "I'm out there week after week racing against some of the best drivers in the world. It has been quite an adjustment from where I was last year in the truck series, but with each week things are becoming more comfortable.
" The other Roush drivers have been incredibly helpful in my transition to Winston Cup. I'm just trying to stay focused and hit our goal of being in the top 20 in Winston Cup points and capture the Rookie of the Year title."
NASCAR is mandating a 17-inch window height to accommodate drivers who need to climb in and out of the car while wearing a head and neck support system. It is the first time NASCAR has instituted a specific window size. ...
Joe Nemechek, who broke his shoulder blade in a crash at Dover in May while testing his Busch Series car, will return to the driver's seat in the No. 33 Oakwood Homes Chevrolet in Saturday's Pepsi 400. ...
Kenny Wallace has parted company with Eel River Racing and will be replaced in the No. 27 Pontiac by Mike Bliss until a permanent replacement is found. ...
Kodiak announced this week that it will not renew its sponsorship next season of the No. 92 Dodge driven by Stacy Compton. Likewise, Amoco will not renew its sponsorship of Dave Blaney's No. 93 Dodge in 2002.
The ruling was modified following an eight-hour hearing that included representatives from CART, Honda, Ford and Toyota as well as some team owners and drivers.
The modification will suspend the use of the three-quarter-inch extension designed to reduce the potential influence of airflow upon the operation of the valve until Aug. 8, allowing CART and the engine manufacturers time to explore alternative solutions. If no suitable alternative is found, CART may re-implement use of the extension for the remainder of the season.
Hamilton, who remains in an Indianapolis hospital after undergoing numerous surgeries on his legs and feet, was not fully insured and is facing medical bills in excess of $500,000, according to a family friend. ...
The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation Benefit, held in conjunction with this year's Indianapolis 500, raised more than $100,000 for medical research.
Danny Brown and Bobby Bracken of Las Vegas are preparing for the two season-ending International Jet Sports Boating Association tour stops in Southern California.
The IJSBA California Nationals will be held July 21-22 in Long Beach and the 2001 IJSBA National Championships will be contested at the IJSBA Moto Surf in Ventura July 28-29.
In their first year on the eight-race IJSBA national tour, Brown is third and Bracken fourth in the Pro-Am Sport division. Brown rides a Sea-Doo watercraft while Bracken races on a Yamaha. Bracken also is sixth in the Expert Runabout 1200 Superstock division.
archive
