Pre-Race: Charlotte
Hoping To Go from Position Two to ‘Won’ at Charlotte
Posted October 9, 2012
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 8, 2012) – For the second straight year in October 2011, Kyle Busch led the most laps in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, but both times he ended up being the bridesmaid instead of the bride.
Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is determined to prove the third time is the charm, and he hopes to so in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte.
"I like going there. It’s close to home for everybody, so it’s not too far out of bed.”
Of course, while eight Sprint Cup top-10s and 10 combined Nationwide and Truck Series wins at Charlotte are certainly something to be proud of for Busch, he’s still looking for his first Sprint Cup win at what he routinely calls his favorite track on the circuit.
Each of the past two seasons, Busch finally appeared headed for his breakthrough Sprint Cup win at Charlotte. In October 2010, Busch led a race-high 217 laps but had to settle for a second-place finish behind Jamie McMurray. One year ago this weekend, he again looked to be the class of the field but, after leading a race-high 111 laps, Busch was again forced to settle for a second-place finish, this time behind his 2013 JGR teammate Matt Kenseth.
So with two runner-up finishes the past two seasons, Busch and his M&M’s team are looking to turn those seconds into a long-awaited win in the NASCAR mecca of Charlotte.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
What are the challenges of racing at Charlotte?
“I think the biggest challenge about Charlotte is how much the track changes from practice. You practice all during the day and then you go into night racing. You’ve got to know what kind of adjustments to make to your car and how well you can race at night. Typically, you go back to your night notes. For us, we’ve run well there in the past and like going there. It’s a fun place to race and adds to the excitement of spending some time at home.”
You’ve said in the past that Charlotte is your favorite track. Is there any particular reason why?
“Charlotte is my favorite racetrack for a lot of reasons. Just growing up watching races on TV, I loved watching the All-Star Race under the lights and the 600 with all the sparks flying and all the guys going after hard-fought, hard-racing wins. The Nationwide Series has been good to me there. The Truck Series has been pretty good to me there, too. But a Cup Series win has eluded me there. We’re definitely getting closer than I was back when I first started racing at Charlotte. I think I have something like 10 top-10 finishes in my last 12 races going into this weekend, so I hope my luck is turning around a bit and I can finally get that Sprint Cup win there with our M&M’s Camry. We’ve been very close the last couple of years.”
You’ve won at 16 different racetracks but you badly want to win at Charlotte, someday. Would you consider winning the October race at Charlotte to also be a feather in your cap?
“Winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway, since it is my favorite track, would be really special since I’ve been able to win there in other series and have been close a lot in the Cup car. It seems like the month of May at Charlotte just hasn’t liked me too much. We got to win in the Truck Series race in the spring, so I’m hoping we can change that this weekend and get a fall Sprint Cup win. There are plenty of other tracks we need to win at, too, but there’s no doubt it would be big.”
Do you enjoy the night race at Charlotte?
“Charlotte is always fun because it’s cool for us. It’s my favorite track, but it’s cool for a lot of teams because it’s kind of – quote-unquote – close to home. I like going there. It makes things interesting with the night race. Practicing during the day and racing at night and the cooler temperatures and everything. You’ve got to put your best foot forward and work as hard as you can.”
What’s the biggest difference from the spring race to the fall race at Charlotte?
“It’s a little bit warmer in the spring and summer months – in the May months versus where we are now in October. It’s still one of those neat facilities we get to go to two or three times – if you count the All-Star race – in the year. I like going there. It’s close to home for everybody, so it’s not too far out of bed.”
Notes of Interest:
- The Bank of America 500 will mark Kyle Busch’s 288th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 18th Sprint Cup start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
- Busch has seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and has led a total of 793 laps in 17 career Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte. Busch’s average Charlotte finish is 15.9.
- Start Me Up: With Saturday night’s race being Busch’s 18th Sprint Cup start at Charlotte, he’ll have two more starts at the 1.5- mile oval than any other track. He has posted 16 starts at seven different racetracks. Tracks where Busch has made 16 Sprint Cup starts include Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and Richmond. Ironically, of the seven tracks where the Las Vegas native has started 16 Sprint Cup races, Busch has won at all of them except Martinsville, and has combined for 13 of his overall 24 Sprint Cup wins at those seven tracks.
|
Year |
Date |
Event |
Start |
Finish |
Status/Laps |
Laps Led |
Earnings |
|
2012 |
5/27 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
17 |
3 |
Running, 400/400 |
55 |
$236,898 |
|
2011 |
5/29 |
—Coca-Cola 600 |
21 |
32 |
Accident, 344/402 |
55 |
$133,391 |
|
10/15 |
Bank of America 500 |
25 |
2 |
Running, 334/334 |
111 |
$234,766 |
|
|
2010 |
5/30 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
9 |
3 |
Running, 400/400 |
36 |
$240,256 |
|
10/16 |
Bank of America 500 |
6 |
2 |
Running, 334/334 |
217 |
$260,631 |
|
|
2009 |
5/25 |
|
2 |
6 |
Running, 227/227 |
173 |
$200,198 |
|
10/17 |
NASCAR Banking 500 |
10 |
8 |
Running, 334/334 |
0 |
$134,623 |
|
|
2008 |
5/25 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
1 |
3 |
Running, 400/400 |
61 |
$240,700 |
|
10/11 |
†Bank of America 500 |
11 |
4 |
Running, 334/334 |
14 |
$141,875 |
|
|
2007 |
5/27 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
17 |
30 |
Running, 357/400 |
4 |
$103,375 |
|
10/13 |
—Bank of America 500 |
13 |
3 |
Running, 337/337 |
4 |
$153,300 |
|
|
2006 |
5/28 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
28 |
38 |
Accident, 313/400 |
0 |
$99,935 |
|
10/14 |
Bank of America 500 |
18 |
6 |
Running, 334/334 |
1 |
$112,050 |
|
|
2005 |
5/29 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
6 |
25 |
Running, 398/400 |
55 |
$101,825 |
|
10/15 |
—UAW-GM 500 |
13 |
39 |
Accident, 150/336 |
7 |
$71,450 |
|
|
2004 |
5/30 |
Coca-Cola 600 |
27 |
32 |
Running, 393/400 |
0 |
$69,025 |
|
10/10 |
UAW-GM 500 |
38 |
34 |
Accident, 264/334 |
0 |
$54,575 |
†Qualifying cancelled due to weather, starting position set via car owner points.
—Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.
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