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TRUCKS: Kyle Busch Protégé Pulling Own Weight in NCWTS
Written by: Megan Englehart   
06/23/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
ICKLER, KYLE BUSCH PROTÉGÉ, PULLING OWN WEIGHT IN NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Brian Ickler, part-time Billy Ballew Motorsports rookie driver, has scored two top-five finishes and two pole positions in six Truck Series starts this season. (Photo: LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos

Busch: “I believe in him … hopefully next year he’ll be a full-timer.”

A little bit of Kyle Busch is rubbing off on his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teammate, Brian Ickler … the good parts, that is …

Ickler, part-time rookie driver of the No. 51 and No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyotas, has scored two top-five finishes and two pole positions in six Truck Series starts this season, with a career-best third two weeks ago at Michigan, and he takes that record to Memphis Motorsports Park Saturday (6 p.m. ET on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 5:30 p.m. ET) with the No. 51 leading the NCWTS owner points.

Despite the well-publicized pressure Busch places on himself in his quest for 200 career NASCAR victories and championships in each of the top three divisions, that mantle hasn’t been passed on to Ickler.

“I don’t really feel any pressure,” Ickler, 23, said. “Once you start trying to compare yourself to Kyle Busch … that’s pretty much impossible. I really think it’s an advantage because Kyle has run in the truck and the truck has run up front. It’s a huge boost for my confidence to know it can be done.”

But the rest of the garage can’t help but judge Ickler by a different standard, even if ever so slight.

“Brian Ickler's run so far this year has been impressive because, in my mind, he's done it under a bigger microscope,”
said Krista Voda, host of NCWTS Setup. “By substituting for Kyle Busch, he not only shares the truck but also the responsibility of driving an owner's championship contender. Any slip or slide on his part and the microscope he's under casts a glare, possibly eliminating him from the radar of others.”

Not only does Busch’s performance give Ickler a goal to shoot for, he says Busch’s role and success with the team grease the skids for him.

“Every change we make on the truck, you can text or ask Kyle what you think about it and he can tell you what he would do,” Ickler explained. “I think it’s a big advantage since things are already in place and he’s already run well in it.”

And Busch is doing everything in his power to ensure Ickler has the right opportunities and equipment to make a name for himself as well, beginning with Busch’s placement of Ickler in his Late Model car. The San Diego native is also running a sampling of ARCA and NASCAR Camping World East Series races this year and already has an East win to his credit in 2009.

“He’s got a plate full this year,” Busch said. “We took him out of the full Grand National (NASCAR Camping World East) schedule because we wanted him to work around and get some different races under his belt. We’re trying to get him seat time now. I believe in him and hopefully if he carries himself this year in that truck, top-10s, top-fives, can contend up front, then hopefully next year he’ll be a full-timer.”


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