Kurt Busch Working To Rebuild Career In 2012

The 2011 season was one of the most tumultuous years in Kurt Busch’s NASCAR career. The former Sprint Cup Series champion scored two victories and qualified for the Chase, yet had hostile incidents with his team throughout the course of the year and had confrontations with the media on multiple occasions.

The obviously talented driver had an obvious problem controlling his temper and his anger, both in and out of the car. Enough so, that an amateur video of a confrontation with veteran ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch landed the driver in hot water with both NASCAR and Penske Racing.

It was not long before Penske Racing announced it had “mutually agreed” to a split with the driver, leaving Busch looking for a ride – and a second chance.

That second chance has come in the form of James Finch’s Phoenix Racing.

Busch will pilot the No. 51 Chevrolet for the 2012 season thanks to a “handshake deal” between owner and driver. Busch is looking for a second chance, and Finch is simply looking for the chance to compete.

Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Chiefs Working Closely To Move Team Forward

The NASCAR off-season saw a number of changes take place throughout the sport, and Joe Gibbs Racing is no exception.

Long-time crew chief Greg Zipadelli departed for Stewart-Haas Racing, while Mike Ford was replaced as crew chief atop Denny Hamlin’s pit box.

With Zipadelli gone for SHR, JGR opted to promote Jason Ratcliff from the Nationwide side of the organization to work with Joey Logano in the Sprint Cup Series. Ratcliff certainly knows how to win races in the Nationwide Series. In the past three years, the No. 18 car under Ratcliff’s direction scored back-to-back owner championships, 30 wins, 68 top-five, and 85 top-10 finishes.

Replacing Ford on the No. 11 team is championship winning crew chief Darian Grubb. Joining the organization after his title run with Tony Stewart, Grubb brings confidence, experience and a championship ring to the table.

After adding two new faces to the Sprint Cup organization, the Gibbs crew chiefs have been working hard during the off-season to mold a solid direction forward for the team. While crew chief Dave Rogers admitted the trio of crew chiefs are still “on our honeymoon,” he indicated the communication has been “very open.”

“I think we’re challenging each other, and most importantly, giving direction to this shop,” Rogers said.

NASCAR Preview Brings Drivers To The Fans

The Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame were abuzz Saturday afternoon, as the 2012 NASCAR Preview brought the stars of NASCAR to the fans a month before the season officially kicks off in Daytona.

The day was full of autograph sessions with drivers from NASCAR’s top-three divisions, as well as NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees and media personalities The drivers ranged from 2011 Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, to young Nationwide Series stars such as Timmy Hill and Blake Koch.


Fans could be heard bragging about short conversations they had with the drivers, the smiles they got and the perfect autograph on that hero card or souvenir. One teenage girl boasted to her father how Danica Patrick liked her new Stewart-Haas Racing t-shirt featuring Patrick's No. 10 Sprint Cup car.