Expect an announcement tomorrow from Phoenix Racing that former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch will drive the team’s No. 51 Security Benefit/Thank A Teacher Today Chevrolet in 2012. Team owner James Finch confirmed the signing to FOX Sports NASCAR reporter Lee Spencer today, and sources close to the team say an official announcement of Busch’s signing will be made tomorrow morning.
The deal is reportedly for one year, and Finch told Fox Sports he is not worried about reining-in his often controversial driver. “I’ve worked with iron workers, I worked with construction workers, so working with a driver is not going to be a problem,” he said. “All we want to do is win.”
Busch parted company with Penske Racing after a profanity laced tirade directed at ESPN pit reporter Jerry Punch and his camera crew at Homestead Miami Speedway in November. Penske Racing announced yesterday that AJ Allmendinger will replace Busch in the team’s No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge next season. Sources say David Ragan is likely to replace Allmendinger in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, with an announcement possible as soon as tomorrow.
Phoenix Racing will campaign Chevrolets built by Hendrick Motorsports again in 2012, after finishing 30th in championship points with driver Landon Cassill last season.
I would have stayed with Landon Cassill.
ReplyDeleteAfter what Busch had to say about the Hendrick drivers this season, is anyone going to take him seriously if he ends up in victory lane and has to thank Hendrick?
ReplyDeletethe over/under on the number of races before Jmaes fires him is 6. place your bets early
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS JOONYER!!!
ReplyDeleteyou are now the 7th best driver in a hendrick chassis.
what are the smoking . if I were hendrick i would pull all support
ReplyDeleteKurt Busch is still talented even if he has a lousy attitude. I would hate to see him go. Perhaps, being with Phoenix will straighten him out, because if Kurt fails at Phoenix, Kurt will never race again.
ReplyDeleteU will see Phoenix racing win races and make the chase with Busch did u think hendrick would let him slip threw that's y its a hendrick satellite team go kurt
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ReplyDelete@anonymous he only talked about one hendrick driver and that's Johnson and tell me besides Johnson n Gordon who at hendrick has better stats
ReplyDeleteMatt, we do not do the name-calling bit here. Feel free to re-post your comments if you like, minus the nastiness.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought he would sit out 2012 and just run a few nationwide races for Kyle. I guess he has alot of bills to pay. I bet he took an 80% pay cut, too.
ReplyDeleteOne of the top five show openings of the year. Angie dressin' up the dogs, priceless, and Skinner keeping her after school, too funny.
ReplyDeleteGood for Kurt. In spite of the hatred of the Busch Brothers, they are two of the best damn drivers this generation and I'm glad he isn't going to be just driving for Kyle. Now we have to see what happens when Dr. Jerry comes over to interview him at Daytona.......
Merry Christmas Godfather and Happy new Year
Doug from NJ
lol 7th best driver
ReplyDeleteIf the over/under is set at 6 when Kurt gets fired or "mutually part ways", I'm taking the under!
ReplyDeleteLet me get this straight. The guy wasn't happy with the on track performance of a car put out with all the strenght and money of the Penske organization beihind it, but he'll be able to work with Phoenix?
ReplyDeleteDanny I am not certain why Hendrick would pull support. They don't give the equipment away. They sell it. It's a business. You don't have to like your customer.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the day kurt is standing at his hauler aft a race wishing that there was a tv reporter waiting for him. It will be then that he really realizes it was not that bad waiting 10 minutes to talk on national tv. As many drivers before him learned if u r that agitated when u get out if car...go in hauler & calm down. Once the hype dies down & if he cant keep team in spotlite...he will understand.
ReplyDeletekurt really going cuss alot running in back
ReplyDeleteat least hes driven a chevy cant say much else,maybe we can sneak a fr9 ford eng in it lol kurt and kyle are great drivers and i remember when kurt said if yiu think im good wait til you see my bro,so givem a break stuff like this makes the sport fun
ReplyDeletecompared to his brother Kurt is an angel!!
ReplyDeleteHe said he wasn't happy, maybe this will work out for him you never, know good luck Kurt!!!
ReplyDeletekurt busch will be begging for a interview at next homestead race just to get his name heard after jr wins the championship. go 88
ReplyDeleteevery sport has those that the fans love to hate. in nascar its the busches. every sport has those that are overpaid spoiled brats who think they are more worthy than everyone else. in nascar its the busches. every sport has those that fly off the handle when they dont get their way and make a fool of themselves. in nascar its the busches. there are those up and coming drivers who are proud to be drivers and promote a positive image for their owners, sponsers and nascar, unlike the busches. frankly, i'd like to see them both leave. they both bore me. they are old news and only serve to get in the way of good racing. but thats just me.
ReplyDeleteBesides Kurt having an attitude he's a talented driver. I know the media has to do their job but if your racing hard and have an issue would it not be better to have a cool down period before an interview?
ReplyDeleteHey Dale! Well said! I'm with you 100%. As tough as Dale Sr. was, if he didn't want an interview right after the race he would let the reporter know that he would give an interview later. He told it like it was but never threw profanity at anyone especially Dr. Jerry Punch!
ReplyDeleteWhile I disagree with Kurts verbal abuse, in reality its not as big a deal as some other issue's, Sprint Cup Series will be better with him driving, I hope Finch reals him in and wins some races, and Kurt realizes what a break he got, if not see ya later buddy!
ReplyDeleteHey Dale,
ReplyDeleteGuess what, because NASCAR is a vanilla sport for older white guys, without the Busch brothers, they wouldn't be able to beat Saturday morning cartoons in the TV ratings. How much more sterile do you wan t the sport to be? You can't get the kids to watch because they drive Honda's and Nissan's, and you can't get the sponsors back in the sport because the demographic is way past the 18-35 choice age group.
NASCAR should be a sport for the ENTIRE country, not a regional sport of the South, but you keep pushing the non-South drivers away and it won't even beat the Tuttles on TV.
James Finch is the only one right now that will take a chance on Kurt. He does get decent equipment from Hendrick which Finch is the only road to a Hendrick car for Kurt. BK won his first cup race in Finch's car and Kurt could win also if the deal holds together.
ReplyDeleteBesides JJ and JG, Tony has better stats then Kurt and 2 more championships (all won driving a Bowtie).
And you can't blame the sport or the fans for the downfall of certain non-southern drivers when drivers like JJ, JG, TS, KH, KK, MK, the Biff, and a number of others from outside the south have had a great deal of success.
Kurt and Kyle both have moments where they display true sportsmanship, too bad those moments are overshadowed by their lack of sportsmanship the other 99.44% (No Ivory does not sponsor me!) of the time. Their lack of acceptance is their own doing or undoing, you can't blame anyone else but them.
@ Forever3
ReplyDeleteYou obviously weren't watching after the 1989 Holly Farms 400. Dale cussed at Jerry Punch and about Ricky Rudd.
That said, the race and the aftermath were one of the best ever in Nascar. Ricky Rudd taking the high road because he knows he wrecked Earnhardt and telling Jerry that he and Earnhardt "were talking about the weather" when they were yelling at each other after the race, Earnhardt telling him they ought to park the S.O.B. for the rest of the year. Kurt is a whiner, if he didn't whine so much, he'd be looked at like the Rudd or Earnhardt of this generation. I think driving for Finch will be great for him though, you can't ask for a more blunt and to-the-point set of personalities, I can imagine Busch starting to let loose on the crew and James Finch coming over the radio and saying "If you're gonna start that crap, we're gonna park it right now and I'll call Reutimann."
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ReplyDeleteKurt, pay attention this is your last chance to change American's view of you. You're a great driver but as a person you suck. What got you to the top level will NOT get keep you there. Most of us that love NASCAR are working class people. We don't like YOU and YOUR brother. So if you want to stay CHANGE BE HUMBLE AND GREATFUL THAT YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE.
ReplyDeleteNo major corporation wants negative press and the buck stops right there. Doesn't matter if they are good drivers or not, if they can't keep their "smart mouths" in line, they will be gone. Would imagine Kyle is having his last chance at JGR. Kurt will not last with Finch...only a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteWheres the Ragan/Petty announcement?
ReplyDeleteI think you are wrong on that one Dave.
has petty announced who was taking the #43 car next year?
ReplyDeleteIt was Dick Berggren interviewing Earnhardt when he made the comment about parking Rudd, not Jerry Punch.
ReplyDelete