"Playing it smart" offers Kurt Busch and crew a solid start to the season
Photo by Chip Ganassi Racing
LAS VEGAS—Kurt Busch could not have asked for a better homecoming on Sunday.
Carrying the retro Star Nursery colors—an early sponsor of the Las Vegas native’s racing pursuits—the former NASCAR Cup champion wheeled the No. 1 Chevy from a 28th-place starting spot to the lead for the final stage.
Despite 15-lap old tires, Busch held his own at the point for 23 laps and finished fifth—his second top-five result in 2019.
“It was really special,” Busch said. “I had goosebumps when we had the lead and we were trying to block (Kevin) Harvick. I know all the fans were rooting for us.”
With a new team and a new aero package on the car, Busch was grateful to participate in the organizational test at Las Vegas on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. He had a good feel for how the car would perform when the teams returned for the race. Qualifying was a struggle. The Ganassi Racing team knew, with Busch mired in traffic at the start of the race, they would have to adopt an unconventional strategy.
“It was in the team meeting,” Busch said of the decision not to pit with the leaders following Stage 2. “We discussed the different strategy calls—and those unfold based on the pace that the car is setting. We needed to try clean air and it really woke the car up.”
Although Busch started to fade after 18 laps of green-flag racing following the final restart, through his driving prowess and a solid pit stop on Lap 214, he was able to maintain solid footing over the last 53 laps before finishing in the top five again. For the second-straight week, Busch was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver.
He also learned a lot about the handling characteristics of the new aero package, particularly the balance of the car in dirty air. While he still believes his car could benefit from a little more engine, aero and handling, Busch believes that will come as communication improves with the team. Overall, Busch is pleased with the early results.
“We’ll keep chiseling away at it,” Busch said. “I feel like the Ganassi relationship is what I’m working on. Chevy does its job as well. All in all, the pit crew has been great. Fundamentally, we haven’t made mistakes and things have gone our way on some of the restarts, too.
“Happy about this week and last week. I almost want Daytona back now. But hey, we’ll move on to Phoenix. That will be fun with all the horsepower. I’m excited about it. I want to go fast. With the horsepower, I’m expecting record-setting speeds. Handling still comes into play. You still have to make your car work through the corners.”
Before Phoenix, Busch is taking a little time off in Utah with his wife Ashley. Busch, who won the spring race at ISM Raceway in 2005, finished 10th last March. He led 52 laps in the fall, but was mired in traffic following a pit road penalty and wrecked racing back to the front.
For now, Busch’s main goal is building the No. 1 Monster team at Ganassi Racing. However, he hasn’t ruled out a second run in the Indianapolis 500. Busch won 2014 rookie honors when he finished sixth in the Greatest Spectacle in Auto Racing.
“We’ve kicked it around, but I’ve let Chip (Ganassi) know that the tough side effects are that the months of April and May being away from the stock car team,” Busch said. “But we’ll see how things progress.”
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