Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kyle Busch turns 18, steps up to big time

Friday, May 2, 2003 | 10:29 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Kyle Busch, who turned 18 today and now is eligible to compete in NASCAR, no longer has older brother Kurt as a teammate to help him prepare for his Busch Series debut later this month.

But Busch, a graduate of Durango High, may just have the next best person as a mentor. Since leaving Roush Racing earlier this year and joining Hendrick Motorsports, Busch likely will receive plenty of advice from teammate Jimmie Johnson, who won three Winston Cup races as a rookie last season and is considered one of the top young drivers in the sport.

"There isn't any direct conversation taking place to make sure I'm willing to (mentor him), it's just something that you help out when you can," Johnson said this week. "Hopefully, as time goes on, I'll be able to form a relationship with Kyle.

"But for the young guys -- especially like Kyle's situation -- he's extremely talented and is being given a great opportunity with little pressure to develop his style. He's so young, but he'll have great equipment and a great environment. It looks like the trend is getting younger and younger to try and spot these guys to get them in good equipment and start teaching them the right things early. From what I've seen so far, I think he'll do really well."

That's not to say that Kyle still won't turn to his brother from time to time despite the fact the two are driving for rival car owners.

"The thing with the different teams doesn't make any difference between us as being brothers," Kyle said. "We're just driving different makes (of cars) and we're driving for different teams but there's no reason we still can't share that brotherly edge on the racetrack and help each other if we need to."

Johnson, who has been groomed both on and off the track by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, said it is important for young drivers coming into NASCAR to have someone to look out for them.

"I think there are a lot of people that can step in at different levels to protect him from managers, crew members, other drivers on the team -- there are a lot of things out there to deal with," Johnson said. "I think it's an advantage in some ways to get an early start (so) you don't have to have the pressure on you all the time and have to perform right now and have to say and do all the right things immediately. You can go out there and learn the ropes.

"Hopefully, these young guys will be on the conservative side of things and start learning how hard they apply and where they can push. That's something (Hendrick Busch Series driver) Brian Vickers is doing really well and I'm sure Kyle will do also."

Busch will make his Busch Series debut on May 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., in the No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet. He is scheduled to compete in six Busch Series races this season in order to protect his rookie status in 2004, when he will run the full schedule.

The race actually will mark Busch's return to NASCAR after being forced out of a Roush Racing truck in November 2001 because of his age. Busch had driven in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2001 as a 16-year-old, but was prohibited from competing in the season finale at California Speedway. The track's agreement with race-weekend sponsor Philip Morris USA and its Marlboro brand called for all participants to be at least 18 years of age.

A month later, NASCAR enacted a rule that all drivers competing in any of its 11 touring series be at least 18 years of age and Busch had to drive in the lower-level American Speed Association Series last year.

So how did Busch plan to celebrate his landmark birthday?

"I think I might make a visit to Richmond (tonight) to mess around with some of the NASCAR officials -- just to let them know I'm 18 now," he joked. The Winston Cup and Busch series are running at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

Carmichael, who has won the Las Vegas race the past two years, holds a slim 10-point lead over Chad Reed in the 250cc standings after 15 of 16 races. Reed has won the past five races, including last weekend's event in Salt Lake City.

If Reed extends his winning streak to six races with a victory Saturday night, Carmichael must finish fifth or better to retain the No. 1 plate. Both riders have seven victories this season and Reed and Carmichael have finished 1-2 each of the past five races.

Tickets still are available for the event, which typically sells out each year, and can be purchased by calling 739-3267 or online at unlvtickets.com.

Dixon suffered a broken wrist in an accident in last month's Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi while de Ferran sustained a concussion and fractures in his neck and lower back in a crash at Phoenix International Raceway in March.

Bodine's No. 92 Chevrolet will be back on the track tonight thanks to a one-off sponsorship deal with thegpsstore.com and Garmin, a manufacture of Global Positioning Systems.