 |
 |
 |
| Home |
| Nextel Cup |
| Busch Series |
| Photo Gallery |
| Forum |
| Silly Season |
| Newsletter |
| Fire and Ice |
|
| Nextel Cup Series |
| News and Results | Point Standings | 2007 Schedule | 2007 Teams | 2006 Schedule and Results |
Kurt Busch Labels 2007 “Successful Transitional Season”
Miller Lite Dodge Driver Looks Back On “Highs & Lows” In Run To Seventh In NASCAR Points
“With wins, a pole and a seventh-place finish in the points, we definitely covered all the basics to say that 2007 was a great year for our Miller Lite Dodge Team,” said Busch, the 29-year-old Las Vegas native who completed his second season driving for legendary car owner Roger Penske. “When you look back on the year and take into consideration that we accomplished all that we did with three different crew chiefs, you certainly have to label it a successful transitional season for our team.
“Roy McCauley and Troy Raker definitely deserve so much credit for their contributions during the year, especially considering the adverse and unusual circumstances they were working under,” said Busch, who completed his seventh season as a fulltime competitor on the top circuit in stock car racing in 2007. “When we were able to add Pat Tryson as our team leader back in June, it gave us the solid and consistent leadership that our team needed to overcome the obstacles and make the big drive to get into the Chase.
“Pat definitely brought the spark that our team needed and it was evident for the rest of the season,” Busch said of Tryson, the 43-year-old Malvern, Pa., native and veteran crew chief who led racing great Mark Martin to “Chase-eligibility” for three consecutive seasons (2004-2006) and is now four-for-four in making the NASCAR “playoffs.” “Pat’s leadership abilities and his knowledge of race cars were evident almost immediately and our team continued to get stronger and stronger throughout the remainder of the season.
“That’s the big reason for referring to 2007 as a transitional season as we advanced to the point we are now, with a championship-caliber team under leadership from a championship-caliber crew chief,” said Busch, who now has 17 career NASCAR big-league wins under his belt. “We know that we have an unbelievable challenge in front of us in continuing our level of performance with the COT now the standard in all the races. The competition will be even stronger next year, but I am confident that our Pat Tryson-led Miller Lite Dodge Team will be able to come out ready for the challenge in 2008.”
Along his route to posting the record of two wins, a pole, six top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes, Busch was also able to accumulate a total of 130 bonus points, tying him with champion Jimmie Johnson for second and trailing only Jeff Gordon (150) in bonus points earned during the season.
“That indicates a couple of things,” said Busch. “It shows that our team had unbelievable strength and potential. It shows that we were a threat in so many races and had a super competitive level. But, on the other hand, it also demonstrates what I’d have to consider as lost opportunity.
“When you look at it that we were in the same league as the series’ champion in leading laps, that’s quite impressive,” said Busch, who led in 21 races for a total of 887 laps. “When you consider that we led the most laps in five races to the 48 car’s (champion Jimmie Johnson) two races, you have to scratch your head and ask why. Those guys definitely must have led all the right laps. Seriously, it shows that we were strong at the start of a lot of races and faded. It shows that we had a lot of great runs that were cut short by many problems, a lot of our own doing with mistakes made on pit road.”
Busch, Tryson and crew were able to visit Victory Lane twice during the 2007 season, taking wins in the Aug. 5 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono and the Aug. 21 3M Performance 400 at Michigan. Busch says that the wins were not only satisfying, but held historical significance.
“The two wins we scored this season were special and victories we’ll always treasure,” said Busch. “Pat came aboard as our leader in late June and the car we won at Pocono with was the first Dodge that he massaged and nurtured to the track. We dominated there in that race, leading a record number of laps for the Pocono track. It was our first win together as driver and crew chief and it had to be another record set for the amount of beer and champagne used in a victory celebration. We named the winning car the ‘PT Special’ in honor of Pat and the great job he had done.
“The win at Michigan is one we’ll always remember,” said Busch. “It rained so much and for so long there that we didn’t race until Tuesday. The car we had there was brand new and the final old-style car to come through the shop. Pat had worked his magic on it like he did with the Pocono winning car. What made the Michigan win so special was that Roger (Penske, team owner) was there and was able to celebrate the win with us. He couldn’t be at Bristol for the win last year and had to miss the earlier win at Pocono. It was so cool to have him there celebrating with us in Victory Lane. Roger had owned the Michigan track and was responsible for building it up to the super facility it is today. The race was the final one for the old-style cars there and it came in the backyard of all the auto manufacturers. It was very appropriate that we named that car ‘Roger’ in honor of ‘the Captain.’ I still can’t believe there were that many fans there for a Tuesday race.”
Busch offered some examples of success this season that added to his feeling of overall accomplishment.
“As if our charge back to make the Chase wasn’t impressive enough, the fact is that we climbed all the way back to 10th in the point standings after 26 races,” Busch offered. “We would have made the Chase even if it had still been just the top-10 and not the expanded top-12 format. That was extremely gratifying.
“When you look at how much ground we made up in the final race of the season at Homestead, that was pretty incredible,” Busch added. “We came in there in 10th, with only a little cushion over 11th. With our great run and finish there, we shot all the way up to seventh in the final point standings and it certainly was a tremendous way to close out the year.”
Busch and the other top-10 drivers will be honored during Friday’s annual NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Awards Banquet in New York City. The gala affair, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, features coverage by ESPN Classic (8:00 p.m. ET) and MRN Radio (7:00 p.m. ET). The broadcast will be shown again at 11:00 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2.
Notes of interest:
--After finishing the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tour seventh in points and recording a total of two wins, six top-five finishes, 14 top-10s and one pole, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch labels it a “successful transitional season.” “With wins, a pole and a seventh-place finish in the points, we definitely covered all the basics to say that 2007 was a great year for our Miller Lite Dodge Team,” said Kurt. “When you look back on the year and take into consideration that we accomplished all that we did with three different crew chiefs, you certainly have to label it a successful transitional season for our team. When we were able to add Pat Tryson as our team leader back in June, it gave us the solid and consistent leadership that our team needed to overcome the obstacles and make the big drive to get into the Chase. That’s the big reason for referring to 2007 as a transitional season as we advanced to the point we are now, with a championship-caliber team under leadership from a championship-caliber crew chief.”
--By finishing seventh in the points, Kurt will join the other top-10 drivers for the “Champions Week” festivities scheduled in New York City this week. That schedule includes these highlights:
--In addition, Kurt is scheduled to attend a private media reception at Tiffany’s, numerous private parties and a special visit to the New York Yankees headquarters in the Bronx.
--Kurt and champion Jimmie Johnson ended the 2007 season tied for second in total bonus points earned (130 each to leader Jeff Gordon’s 150). “That indicates a couple of things,” said Kurt. “It shows that our team had unbelievable strength and potential. It shows that we were a threat in so many races and had a very respectable competitive level. But, on the other hand, it also demonstrates what I’d have to consider as lost opportunity. When you look at it that we were in the same league as the series’ champion in leading laps, that’s quite impressive. When you consider that we led the most laps in five races to the 48 car’s (champion Jimmie Johnson) only two races, you have to scratch your head and ask why. Those guys definitely must have led all the right laps. Seriously, it shows that we were strong at the start of a lot of races and faded. It shows that we had a lot of great runs that were cut short by many problems, a lot of our own doing with mistakes made on pit road.”
--In NASCAR’s pre-season poll of national media members before the start of the 2007 season, Kurt was ranked 12th overall. The poll showed Tony Stewart ranked first, with Jimmie Johnson second, Jeff Gordon third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fifth. The remainder of the pre-season media rankings had Matt Kenseth sixth, Kasey Kahne seventh, Greg Biffle eighth, Denny Hamlin ninth, Carl Edwards 10th and Kyle Busch 11th. “Guess we surprised a lot of people,” Kurt said. “It’ll be interesting to see where we stack up in the poll entering next season.”
--Kurt considered his two 2007 NEXTEL Cup wins as special victories. “Pat came aboard as our leader in late June and the car we won at Pocono with was the first Dodge that he massaged and nurtured to the track,” Kurt said. “We dominated there in that race, leading a record number of laps for the Pocono track. It was our first win together as driver and crew chief and it had to be another record set for the amount of beer and champagne used in a victory celebration. We named the winning car the ‘PT Special’ in honor of Pat and the great job he had done. The win at Michigan is one we’ll always remember. The car we had there was brand new and the final old-style car to come through the shop. Pat had worked his magic on it like he did with the Pocono winning car. What made the Michigan win so special was that Roger (Penske, team owner) was there and was able to celebrate the win with us. He couldn’t be at Bristol for the win last year and had to miss the earlier win at Pocono. It was so cool to have him there celebrating with us in Victory Lane. Roger had owned the Michigan track and was responsible for building it up to the super facility it is today. The race was the final one for the old-style cars there and it came in the backyard of all the auto manufacturers. It was very appropriate that we named that car ‘Roger’ in honor of ‘the Captain.’
--Kurt posted a 15.343 average finish over the 36-race 2007 season and ranked ninth of the top-10 drivers. Jeff Gordon’s 7.3 ranked as best of all drivers. Champ Jimmie Johnson was second with a 10.8 average. Only 10th-place Kevin Harvick (15.5) posted a lower average finish than Kurt in the top-10. Kurt’s 13.457 average starting spot ranked third overall. Only Johnson’s 9.8 and Gordon’s 11.3 were better.
--“This has been a great year for me personally and I’ve found a real home here at Penske Racing working with Kurt and the Miller Lite Dodge Team,” Pat said when asked to look back on the 2007 season. “Joining the team when I did, with such a deficit to overcome with the 100-point penalty and all (received for actions deemed overly aggressive during the June 4 Dover race), it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced in my career. But when I took the job, I pledged to Roger Penske that we would be a team on a mission and that we would do everything possible to get his team into the Chase. We have a great team and the chemistry clicked immediately with Kurt and me. We had a successful season in 2007 and I think we’ll get stronger the more time we spend working together. We have a major challenge ahead in getting the COT program – what was the Car of Tomorrow and is now officially the Car of Today – up to par on a consistent basis with the top teams out there. We need to be more consistent all the way around and that definitely includes our performance on pit road. Rest assured, there’ll be no team out there working any harder than ours in preparing for the 2008 season.”
The incredible run by Pat, Kurt & team to make this year’s Chase is certainly a story worth recounting.
Kurt was back as far as 16th in the point standings in June and trailed Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 236 points for the 12th and final “Chase-eligible” spot entering the July 8 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. With Pat now at the helm of the No. 2 Dodge team, Kurt responded with a strong third-place finish in that race and then went on a competitive tear that produced two wins and seven top-10 finishes during the nine-race stretch to make the Chase. Kurt finished no worse than 11th during that period and had a 6.2 average finish. He came back from the 236-point deficit to hold a 206-point advantage over the 13th spot at the conclusion of Race No. 26 in September at Richmond. That was a 442-point swing in only nine races, meaning that Kurt, Pat and crew gained an amazing average of 49 points per race on their points foe during that period.
--Kurt was quick to point out that the 2007 season left him with a good feeling of overall accomplishment. “As if our charge back to make the Chase wasn’t impressive enough, the fact is that we climbed all the way back to 10th in the point standings after 26 races,” Kurt said. “We would have made the Chase even if it had still been just the top-10 and not the expanded top-12 format. That was extremely gratifying. When you look at how much ground we made up in the final race of the season at Homestead, that was pretty incredible. We came in there in 10th, with only a little cushion over 11th. With our great run and finish there, we shot all the way up to seventh in the final point standings and it certainly was a tremendous way to close out the year.”
--Congratulations to Kurt, Pat and the entire No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Team for picking up the season-long Mobil 1 Command Performance Award. Kurt will pick up the award during Thursday’s NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon which begins at 11 a.m. ET at Cipriani, located at 110 E. 42nd Street.
--”We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now.” Bruce Coslet (New York Jets Head Coach in 1993)
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 27, 2007) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch won two races in 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition and finished seventh in the final series point standings. That was enough for the 2004 champ and driver of the No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge to label the year as a “successful transitional season.”
Kurt Busch
Traditional "Victory Lap" Procession Through Streets of New York City.
A 1.5 Mile, 10-Stock Car Victory Lap procession beginning and ending in New York City's Times Square for the Top-10 drivers in the final 2007 Nextel Cup Series point standings: Start Line: 44th Street and Broadway in front of Good Morning America's Times Square Studios. Finish Line: 43rd Street and 7th Avenue in front of The Hard Rock Café.
Wednesday, Nov. 28 from 7:30 a.m. till 9:00 a.m. ET. ABC-TV will provide live coverage.
Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9:15 a.m. ET.
Thursday, Nov. 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET at Cipriani, 110 E. 42nd Street
Thursday, Nov. 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET at Marquee, 289 10th Avenue (near 26th Street)
Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET in Grand Ballroom of Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Coverage by ESPN Classic (8:00 p.m. ET) and MRN Radio (7:00 p.m. ET).
Rebroadcast at 11:00 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2.