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Wonder if Kryle is shaking just a little bit more in his shoes???
http://www.nascar.com/news/111205/kb...lit/index.html
His own worst enemy
Kurt Busch's insolence continues to wreck a potentially great career
http://www.nascar.com/news/111205/dc...emy/index.html
Great posts feetz!!! Thnx!!!
Busch to drive No. 51 for Phoenix Racing in 2012
By Dave Rodman and David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
December 22, 2011 4:55 PM, EST
Kurt Busch has found a new ride -- in the No. 51 car of Phoenix Racing.
The 2004 NASCAR champion will drive James Finch's car next year on the Sprint Cup tour. Steve Barkdoll, general manager for the Spartanburg, S.C.-based team, confirmed Thursday that Busch would be the team's driver. Busch, reached later by telephone, said he had a one-year deal to run the full schedule.
"Christmas came early for me, and it was nice that we were able to sit down [Wednesday] night, have a beer and then have a handshake deal at the end of it," Busch said. "James Finch is exactly what I'm looking for, as far as getting back into the race car to have fun."
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Winning is why I've been in racing for as long as I have, but NASCAR is a very competitive sport, and winning -- especially at the Sprint Cup level -- is hard.
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-- JAMES FINCH
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Phoenix Racing owner James Finch celebrates with Brad Keselowski in Victory Lane at Talladega in '09.
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He wants me to go down there, jump right on in and get my hands greasy wrenching on this car -- old school type days.
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-- KURT BUSCH
Landon Cassill had driven the No. 51 car for most of this past season, posting a best finish of 12th at Michigan. Finch's team has won one race at the Sprint Cup level, with Brad Keselowski at Talladega in the spring of 2009. Finch, who fields a Chevrolet and uses Hendrick Motorsports equipment, has owned cars in NASCAR's premier division since 1990.
"All we want to do is win," Finch said. "Winning is why I've been in racing for as long as I have, but NASCAR is a very competitive sport, and winning -- especially at the Sprint Cup level -- is hard. But now with Kurt Busch as our driver, we have a shot to win every week. He's a past champion and he's proven he can win everywhere. Our sponsors are looking forward to Kurt representing their brands.
"We have excellent equipment and a hard-working group of guys who want that trophy at the end of every race. Kurt's the guy who can deliver it to them."
Busch split from Penske Racing Dec. 5 after a tumultuous season that included controversies over an obscene gesture made in the car and profane remarks made to a television pit reporter, both of which occurred on the final weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Still, Busch won twice last season, and qualified for the Chase for the sixth time in eight years.
"Just like Finch is saying -- all we want to do is win, and we're going to look at the end of the day, each time, and say what added up to this, or what added up to that," Busch said. "We have Hendrick equipment, with motors and chassis. We've got to work through the details with the crew guys, but right now all those guys in Spartanburg, S.C., are running around like wild Indians."
Busch said he plans to test Finch's No. 51 Chevrolet, led by crew chief Nick Harrison, at next month's Preseason Thunder session at Daytona International Speedway. "I talked with [Harrison] on the phone [Thursday] and that's the plan," Busch said. "I've never met Nick -- I've seen him at the race track in passing -- but just talking with him on the phone, this is the guy I want."
Busch will first race the No. 51 in the non-points Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
"James Finch has always had pretty stout cars for the restrictor-plate races and I know we'll be very competitive at Daytona," Busch said. "We'll participate in the test down there in January to get a good handle on our Daytona 500 car, but also to win another Budweiser Shootout.
At the end of the season, Busch said he'd been working with a sports psychologist on his mercurial mood swings, which have created tense moments with his teammates, his owner, competitors and the media at various times. Busch said the experience is helping.
"There's steps that I've taken already, and each week, talking with the sports psychologist on a routine basis [and] working with the different programs that we're going through," Busch said. "This is all stuff that you can say you're going to make a difference, but I'm putting it into action.
"So having this opportunity with Finch before the holidays just gives you that fresh buzz."
Busch said none of the discussions he had with Finch prior to doing the deal concerned any behavioral parameters. After he split with Penske Racing, Busch said he wanted to bring more fun back into his racing, and he said Finch's independent team fit his short-term bill.
"He wants me to go down there, jump right on in and get my hands greasy wrenching on this car -- old school type days," Busch said. "This is so much fun, the way it reminds me of my old Southwest Tour team, when we had lofty expectations and we were able to deliver."
Allmendinger hopes to take 'next step' at Penske
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
December 21, 2011 7:15 PM, EST
Penske Racing never really considered A.J. Allmendinger.
The NASCAR race team had other drivers in mind to replace Kurt Busch in its No. 22 car. That is, until a few days ago when Allmendinger split from his Richard Petty Motorsports organization, and the Penske group moved quickly to add a driver it viewed as having a favorable career progression behind him and promising potential ahead.
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I never expected when we left Homestead, everything that's happened to get to this point would happen. It was a tough decision.
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-- A.J. ALLMENDINGER
That quick courtship culminated Wednesday, when Allmendinger was named the new driver of the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, replacing Busch, who left the Penske team by mutual agreement on Dec. 5. It's a huge step up for a driver who enjoyed his best Sprint Cup campaign in this past season's 15th-place points finish, but has never won a race at NASCAR's top level, and will now compete for an elite organization that measures success in race victories and championship bids.
"I know there's a lot of pressure there. I'm not blind to the pressure, with Shell/Pennzoil, and with the organization and what they're used to, having ideas about winning. I know there's a lot of pressure to go out there and perform," said Allmendinger, a 30-year-old native of Los Gatos, Calif.
"But for me, if I didn't feel like I could do that, I'd be wasting everybody's time and not be here. I feel like I'm at that next level to take that step and be a winner and be a championship contender. ... Lot of confidence, but I know the pressure is there. But I'm ready to take it on. This is going to be the best chance I've ever had in the Sprint Cup Series to go out and perform, and I'm ready to do that."
The former open-wheel racer, who won five times on the old Champ Car circuit, struggled through a rough NASCAR indoctrination with a fledgling Red Bull outfit, but seemed to find his stock-car footing with the Petty team. His 10 top-10s this past season were a career-best, and he closed the 2011 campaign with four consecutive finishes of 15th or better. He said he left the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with every intention of being back in the RPM fold the next year.
Watch: Allmendinger recaps his season, talks about Chase for 2012
But Busch's sudden departure from Penske two weeks later tumbled a series of dominoes that altered that plan. One team interested in the former champion was reportedly RPM. "When the rumors all started last week about Kurt, that kind of threw up a red in my mind as to what was happening," Allmendinger said. RPM also was unable to secure sponsorship for its No. 43 car for 2012, with primary backer Best Buy departing for Roush Fenway Racing. In a statement released Wednesday, RPM chief executive officer Brian Moffitt said Allmendinger had been released "to pursue other opportunities within the sport."
"It's been a difficult process," said Allmendinger, who joined the organization that would become RPM in late 2008. "I never expected when we left Homestead, everything that's happened to get to this point would happen. It was a tough decision. It wasn't something for me that was easily made. I love my race team, my guys over at Richard Petty Motorsports. I just felt like we'd built such good chemistry over the last four to five months of the season. To get to this point was a tough challenge. But at the same point, looking at an organization and where I'm going and the people that surround it also made the decision a little bit easier."
Meanwhile, over at Penske, president Tim Cindric said the organization was looking at a group of candidates that centered around David Ragan, Brian Vickers, and David Reutimann, all Sprint Cup race winners who don't have rides for next season. Allmendinger's release instantly shifted the team's focus.
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I guess the word 'potential' is what continues to come up, and I think we considered virtually everybody that was out there.
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-- TIM CINDRIC
"We had to look at -- I guess the word 'potential' is what continues to come up, and I think we considered virtually everybody that was out there," Cindric said. "... And A.J., he was someone we'd talked to over the years. Obviously, he's been in the garage area, and we know him. But he really wasn't someone that we considered until almost really the 11th hour, until there was noise that they may not be able to make things work [at RPM]. When we sat down and looked at the guys who were available and A.J., certainly the on-track performance, when you look at it, there's nobody who has a better progression through his career."
Allmendinger has steadily climbed in the points throughout his five seasons in Sprint Cup, improving from 43rd his rookie campaign to 15th last year. "We considered everybody," Cindric said. "There were a lot of calls and a lot of people who deserved a chance, to put it that way, but we really had to look at who was the right one for the situation."
And to Penske, Allmendinger was the right fit, someone the organization believed could mesh with new No. 22 crew chief Todd Gordon and teammate Brad Keselowski, and had enough upside to make the decision work. Although Penske's announcement of Allmendinger's hiring mentioned only 2012 -- leading to the assumption that the deal is for one year -- Cindric believes the pieces are in place for a longer relationship.
"For us, we want nothing more than to go forward on a log-term basis, and have the two guys we have drive for us for a long time," Cindric said. " ... [Allmendinger's] program is certainly set up for the long term. If we realize our potential, I think he'll be our driver for more than one year."
For Allmendinger, it's all been a blur. He spent Wednesday meeting his new team members and trying to find his way around Penske's massive complex in Mooresville, N.C. He needs to develop a stronger relationship with Keselowski, whom he concedes he doesn't know that well, although the two have always been cordial. He has to get his seats in the No. 22 cars and brainstorm with Gordon, his new crew chief. And soon enough it will be time for testing, and then Speedweeks, and Allmendinger will discover for real if he's ready for this step up in class.
"It's been the pinnacle," he said. "I've always wanted to drive for Mr. Penske. It's something that when the opportunity arose, I jumped right at it. ... The last five years, I feel like I've made good progression throughout each year, and this is hopefully going to allow me to take the next step in my career and really contend for race wins and try to make the Chase. That's the ultimate goal, [to] really contend for a championship. So I'm really looking forward to the opportunity."
Reutimann finds ride with Tommy Baldwin Racing
One-year deal set for what driver says is at least 26 races, with more possible
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
January 03, 2012 10:43 AM, EST
David Reutimann has finally found his second career Sprint Cup team. He will race for Tommy Baldwin Racing after agreeing to a one-year deal for 2012.
Reutimann, 41, and team owner Baldwin have similar backgrounds. Reutimann raced in the shadow of his legendary dad, dirt modified driver Buzzie Reutimann, and Baldwin did the same with his late father, asphalt modified driver Tom Baldwin.
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One of the things I like about Tommy and what's refreshing about him is that he is just a racer.
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-- DAVID REUTIMANN
"Tommy has built a really good organization from the ground up in a really short amount of time," Reutimann said in a statement. "One of the things I like about Tommy and what's refreshing about him is that he is just a racer. There are lots of things he could be doing but instead he is at the shop every day working hard to build the organization from the ground up."
"As you walk through the garage and you build relationships through the years, there are not as many of what I would consider to be a racer, and having the true racer's mentality, as there used to be. James Finch [owner of Phoenix Racing] is one of them who just works his butt off to go race, and so is Tommy. It's the way I was raised with my dad, so we are on the same page. I'm just really looking forward to the season and see what we can do."
"How he was brought up and what he's done in his career definitely raises my comfort level," Baldwin said of Reutimann. "He's won a couple races in these cars and that's only gonna help our program. That's what we're looking for, a little bit more consistency on that."
Baldwin's small, three-year-old start-up team set and achieved its primary 2011 goals with Dave Blaney and is looking to continue its steady building process. TBR ran a second car in five races in the second half of 2011.
Baldwin, who won the 2002 Daytona 500 as Ward Burton's crew chief at Bill Davis Racing, said he'll start the season as Reutimann's crew chief, while veteran chief mechanic Philippe Lopez would again work with Blaney.
Reutimann, who has two career Sprint Cup victories and has won races in all three of NASCAR's national tours, was available after being released following last season by Michael Waltrip Racing.
"In 2011 we hit our goals -- we wanted to get into the top 35 and compete in every race, and we did that -- and I can't stress how good a job Dave did with that," Baldwin said. "Our goals for 2012 are a little different. We want to spend our time getting more competitive and we're excited now, because we know we can get to the next level.
"In addition to having Blaney, Reutimann will come in and help us with that; raise the bar a little bit on our program. Just where [Reutimann's] been and the successes that he's had [made me want him for our team]. We feel like he can help Dave and Dave can help him and hopefully we can pick up on our competition."
"I was very impressed with what they did last year," Reutimann said by phone Monday of Blaney's 33rd-place finish in the owners' standings. "They continually showed improvement, week in and week out and everybody knows, in the garage area, what Tommy's got. He started a team from nothing, he's raced it up into the top 35 and he continues to build the deal, and it's impressive to see."
Reutimann said he and Baldwin had discussed their schedule, with start-and-parking not in their plans.
"As we talked [Monday] we're looking at 26 races -- not a full season but that's something we're obviously angling towards and trying to do and we're going there to race," Reutimann said. "They have a great group of guys over there who are really working their butts off and it's really cool. It's gonna be a different side of things, but I think it'll be a good fit for me.
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We feel like he can help Dave [Blaney] and Dave can help him and hopefully we can pick up on our competition.
”
-- TOMMY BALDWIN
"Tommy would be a success no matter what he chose to do, but he's a racer. Some team owners would race and make money, but a racer comes up with money so he can go race, and that's Tommy Baldwin. He wants to come up with the money so he can go and be competitive, and to me that's the definition of a racer."
Baldwin said on Monday that sponsorships for the full seasons and which car numbers his two drivers will use were still being determined, "we've got some things etched on paper and hopefully we can get those announced and move ahead." Accell Construction, which has been with Baldwin in limited appearances the past couple seasons, has already committed to the team.
"All of the guys that we were running with towards the end of the year [in 2011] have stepped it up as well, so we had no choice but to try to do the same thing," Baldwin said. "Having two veteran drivers here hopefully will help us."
Baldwin said his team would bring a new car to the season-opening test at Daytona Jan. 12-14, probably with Blaney driving "to see how it compares to the field." But the team also has the car with which Blaney got his career-best finish, and TBR's best ever, of third last fall at Talladega that it can use for the Daytona 500.
"The biggest key that we need is that we need to secure some more sponsorship for [this] year," Baldwin said. "We have a plan and we're gonna attack that plan, but man, we need to bring some partners on board so we can do a good job.
"Unfortunately, Golden Corral is not coming back with us [this] year -- they decided to spend their money on some TV stuff, I guess. But they were a great partner and they did some great things for us last year. We're gonna find somebody like that and hopefully we can do a good job like we did with Golden Corral."
Reutimann said he has also been talking to some Camping World Truck Series owners about some 2012 races in that series.
"Tommy's obviously had some success and he's a one-man show right now -- a team owner and crew chief -- and I'm looking forward to working with Tommy," Reutimann said. "I know he's a colorful guy and he tells you what he's thinking when he's thinking it. He's a smart guy, a good crew chief and he's honest and up front. I think it's gonna be a good fit."
Grubb joins JGR as Hamlin's crew chief on No. 11
By Team Release
December 09, 2011 1:24 PM, EST
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday that Darian Grubb has been named crew chief for its No. 11 Toyota Sprint Cup Series team.
"Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No. 11 FedEx team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of JGR. "Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny [Hamlin] toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing."
Grubb is coming off an impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing which included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the Cup Series title. He spent the past three seasons as crew chief for Stewart on the No. 14 car after the driver left JGR to start his own race operation. Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb spent six years with Hendrick Motorsports, rising through the organization's engineering ranks and gaining invaluable crew chief experience.
"I'm thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing," said Grubb. "The chance to work with Denny is something I'm excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs you can't help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here and I'm looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization."
Over the past three seasons as crew chief for Stewart, Grubb has helped lead the team to 11 victories, while amassing 33 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes over that time. Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb gained previous crew chief experience while with Hendrick Motorsports. He was crew chief to Casey Mears in 2007, helping to lead the driver to his first Sprint Cup Series career victory with a win that season in the prestigious Coca-Cola 600. The team also won the pole at Chicagoland Speedway that year, while earning five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He also served as interim crew chief for Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 car for the first four races of the 2006 season with the team winning two of those four -- including the Daytona 500.