Q. I want to ask you about your future teammate Brad Keselowski. On the TV broadcast of the Kansas race, they were saying that NASCAR had asked Brad to kind of tone it down a little bit. He was maybe getting a little too aggressive around the Chase drivers. Is that something that NASCAR has been asking of other drivers? Or should all 43 guys have the same amount of chance to go out there and be as aggressive as they feel they need to be?

KURT BUSCH: I love the fact that NASCAR is looking at Brad and telling him to back it down. That means he’s fast. That means he’s right in the mix with the frontrunners, and he’s got a great car right now. The car that he has at Hendrick.

And the lack of experience is the only thing that NASCAR is concerned about. They don’t want him taking away a championship effort of one of the chase drivers by slipping up and doing something that he shouldn’t, so they’re a bit concerned.

But I think he’s great that he’s fast and in the mix. And he’s a smart enough guy that he can figure out where he needs to step in or step out of the way of a Chase driver.

Q. How do you feel about him as a teammate for next year?

Continue reading “Kurt Busch: Q & A”

NASCAR Star Carl Edwards To Grace Cover of ESPN The Magazine ‘Body Issue’

NASCAR star Carl Edwards is one of six cover athletes who will appear on ESPN The Magazine’s cover for its inaugural “Body Issue”. The Body Issue, on newsstands Friday, Oct. 9, will feature nearly 80 athletes from a variety of sports in a celebration and exploration of the athletic form.

The issue honors athletes of diverse shapes, sizes, genders and races within the boundaries of taste and frontiers of creativity upon which ESPN The Magazine and ESPN have built their reputations.

PHOTO CREDIT: ESPN PR

It is a testament to the work the athletes do, the effort they exert and the price they sometimes pay in reliance on their most important asset – their bodies.

Starting With Daytona 500, Total Of 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Races Starting Earlier

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2009) – Continuing the sport’s “back to basics” approach, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and its television broadcast partners today announced earlier, uniform start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010.

NASCAR worked closely with FOX, Turner, ESPN/ABC and the tracks on this project for the fans. The race start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2010 in the Eastern and Central regions of the country will begin at 1 p.m. ET, West Coast events will begin at 3 p.m. ET, and night races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. (The one exception is NASCAR’s longest night race, the Coca-Cola 600, which will have the same 5:45 p.m. ET start time.) Following the invocation and national anthem, the green flag will drop at approximately 15-20 minutes past the hour after each listed race start time.

“NASCAR fans have been asking for earlier and more consistent start times, and we are making this change for our fans, beginning with the Daytona 500 next February,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “We are revisiting our sport’s tradition of earlier green flags, and the added consistency will make it easier for fans to know exactly when the races are being televised. Additionally, the new start times will help track operators get fans in and out of the track earlier in the evening. Many fans heading home from the race earlier will be able to eliminate the costs of an extra travel day.”

Continue reading “NASCAR sets earlier start times for 2010 schedule”

Same Agenda For Home-Staters

Jason Leffler, a native of Long Beach, is looking for a little redemption in his home state. Although he’s had a solid season – he’s been in fourth place in the standings since the Texas race in April – he’s fallen on hard times lately. His 10th-place finish at Kansas was his first top 10 since finishing fifth at Gateway in mid-July. He was 26th at Auto Club last year, his worst finish in six fall races there, but he finished 11th there earlier this year.

On the flip side, Bakersfield’s Kevin Harvick has just about done it all in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He’s a two-time series champion, is second on the series all-time win list (34) and has successfully transitioned to an owner driver in the series, winning his first races in his own equipment this year.

Continue reading “California Drivers look forward to home track”