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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALL-STAR: Hot Commodity - Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch brings momentum and an aggressive driving style to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race...
Jared Turner  |  Posted May 19, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Kyle Busch and crew at driver introductions before the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Photo: LAT Photographic)
ALL-STAR: Hot Commodity - Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
First All-Star start: 5/20/2006
Best finish: 7th (2009)
How he made the race: Won March 2009 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Editor’s note: Eighteen drivers are guaranteed to start in the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which will be televised live on SPEED, starting at 7 pm Eastern. Following is profile number 17 of 18 of those drivers locked into the field.

In a sport where momentum is a precious commodity, Kyle Busch certainly has plenty on his side entering Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A winner of two of the last three races, including last Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway, Busch is hotter than any driver on the Cup circuit with the lone possible exception of teammate Denny Hamlin.

Busch has finished no worse than ninth in his last six starts, with wins at Richmond and Dover.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has meanwhile climbed all the way to second in the series standings, 69 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Now Busch just hopes his recent string of strong runs can carry over to the All-Star Race, an event where he’s been snake-bitten by bad luck more often than not.

Prior to a seventh-place finish in last year’s edition of the prestigious exhibition, Busch had fared no better than 16th in three All-Star appearances that all ended in DNFs.

He’s spent considerable time out front in each of his four All-Star outings, however, and started from the pole in 2008.

While able to avoid any major calamities last year, Busch still left frustrated after opening the final 10-lap segment with the lead but fading when it mattered most.
Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman 3 wide for the lead in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Photo: LAT Photographic)

His slide came after being the meat in the middle of a memorable three-wide sandwich with Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman that resulted in Gordon sliding up into Busch and spinning through the frontstretch grass as the trio battled for the lead.

Busch, who was forced up into Newman when Gordon slid up into him, maintained the lead momentarily but couldn’t hold on once the racing resumed.

“Last year’s All-Star Race was really quiet for the majority, and then the last 10 laps, if I would have had a car that was capable of running up front and leading the laps, I would’ve gotten to the front and been gone,” Busch said. “Unfortunately for us, our car was way too tight in the last segment. We pumped up the air pressures and didn’t put all the fuel in the car trying to keep some nose weight in it to keep it a little bit tight. That’s what actually made a race out of it, was me having a tight race car.

“Yeah, the restarts were good. I could jump to the front and get out there, but I couldn’t hold those guys off. It was pretty wild with the three-wide in the middle there, at one point. To me, it really seemed like it was pretty exciting the last 10 laps, and I hope we can do the same this weekend.”

Known as one of the Cup series’ most aggressive drivers, the 100-lap, four-segment All-Star affair seems almost tailor-made to Busch’s style. Throw a $1 million winner’s purse into the mix, and the driver known as “Rowdy” could live up to his nickname again on Saturday night.

But Busch has been surprisingly methodical this season, completing all but one lap and recording no DNFs in 12 starts. Can we expect a tamer Busch in Saturday’s All-Star Race than the one eliminated by accidents in the 2006 and 2007 editions of the event?

Not necessarily.

That's because Busch is mindful of the fact that the All-Star Race isn’t like most races where drivers must consider points – and the big picture.

All that matters in the All-Star event is crossing the finish line first, and collecting the mega paycheck that goes along with it.

“I’ve gotten smarter,” Busch said. “There were plenty of times that I could have made moves this year at certain points of the race and I decided to back off and wait a lap and let it happen on its own. So, it’s been a lot better and I’ve thought about things a lot more. It seems to me that success is becoming a little easier when you are patient when you need to be, but also aggressive when you need to be.
“In a non-points race, you just take a different attitude than you would in a points race, and it makes it exciting for the fans.”

And exciting for competitors like Busch.

“The All-Star Race is a different atmosphere for me, since it’s a different way of racing for everybody,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s just that it’s a non-points race, and the pure fact you’re going after a race just for bragging rights and a million bucks. That’s what it’s all about."

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Week • The Stars Come Out. The Gloves Come Off. • Saturday, May 22nd at 7 pm ET
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