Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Vegas Sprint Cup race is the one Kurt Busch wants the most

Motivated by his brother’s victory last year, Kurt Busch hopes to keep title in the family

NASCAR

Sam Morris

Kurt Busch, right, congratulates his younger brother Kyle Busch after Kyle won the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race last year. Kurt has the pole at this year’s race and hopes to win one of his own.

Don’t let their emotional embrace at the end of last year’s Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup race fool you — Kurt and Kyle Bush maintain a natural sibling rivalry.

Kurt’s wife can probably attest to that.

“I was telling my wife this morning if I’m a little ornery this weekend, it’s because Kyle has won here and I haven’t, and I’m pushing hard to get it,” Kurt said. “She understands that.”

And Kurt expects everyone else to understand, too. It’s easy to see the situation from his point of view.

At 31 years old, Kurt is the elder Busch brother by seven years. So as proud as he was to watch little brother get a victory last year in their native Las Vegas, he couldn’t help but feel like his older-brother superiority was challenged.

Kurt has waited a year for the 2010 Shelby American, which will start at noon Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, for the opportunity to follow in his brother’s footsteps and grab a win at his hometown track.

“This would be a special win,” Kurt said. “It’s hard to talk about it and play what if, but it would be great to do it and bring it home for my team.”

Entering the race, Kurt is in a similar situation as Kyle was last year when he won. Like Kyle in 2009, Kurt will start in pole position after finishing first in Friday’s qualifying.

Kurt is also working with a new crew chief, Steve Addington. Sound familiar? Addington was in Kyle’s garage last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I’ve now got the right guy in my camp it seems like,” Kurt said. “Steve Addington definitely has his game on here at this track. I just hope that bleeds over to Sunday.”

Kurt said Addington still had a number of charts and plans left over from last year’s victory that have helped them prepare for this year.

Combine that with Kurt’s driving style being similar to his brother’s to begin with and their approach to Sunday’s race should closely resemble Kyle’s last year. Kurt just hopes it ends the same.

He’s gotten used to hearing Kyle describe the feeling.

“I told everyone that it would just be like another race, but it really meant a lot more than that once I got to victory lane,” Kyle said. “To have my mom and my brother come to victory lane just made it that much more special.”

Kurt remembers that moment just as well as Kyle. It’s driven him to desire a victory in Las Vegas even more than ever before.

To Kurt, it’s the most important race of the year.

“To me and to Kyle, it’s like a Daytona atmosphere,” Kurt said. “We want to go win this big daddy.”

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