CUP: Kurt Busch Isn’t Blinded By The Light

For a guy whose bright yellow and red firesuit makes him stand out in a crowd like a shark in shallow water, Kurt Busch seemed to have been lost at sea since the end of last season.

Much of the attention in the Penske Racing camp had gone to Brad Keselowski, Busch’s young teammate, because Miller Brewing, the long-time sponsor of Penske’s blue No. 2 cars, had switched from Busch to Keselowski.

When the Busch name appeared, it usually was preceded by the first name of Kurt’s brother, Kyle, as in stories being written about Kyle being a real contender for the 2011 Sprint Cup championship, assuming he improves his attitude control. Preseason magazine covers featured Kyle, not Kurt.

All that changed rather dramatically Saturday night when Kurt turned in a marvelous job of driving in the final moments of the Budweiser Shootout and won the first race of the new season in the yellow and red No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge. When Busch climbed out of the car to celebrate at the start-finish line, his vivid uniform could have been seen from most asteroids.

Now he plans to be seen in such circumstances again.

Although the Shootout is not a points race, the win was particularly noteworthy for Busch because it’s his first at a restrictor-plate track.

“I’ve tried very hard over the last 11 years to break through in a restrictor-plate race,” Busch said. “To pull into victory lane at Daytona, I knew that this was a special moment, and I sucked it all in. You never know when that chance will be again.”

Chances are he’ll have another chance. Busch has finished second three times in the Daytona 500 – in 2003, ’05 and ’08, when he pushed then Penske teammate Ryan Newman to the victory.

“I’ve always respected this race track,” Busch said. “I’ve always thought of the times that I’ve finished second here, not just in Cup cars, but in the Truck Series and IROC. I can’t get mad. I can’t get discouraged. I know that one day it will come back for me.”

Busch has piled up enough IOUs over the years to expect some help late in the 500 in the draft, a near-necessity for victory.

“I always think that Ryan will know that I helped him, and he’ll jump in behind me if things are getting busy out there,” Busch said. “You have to have as many alliances as you can.”

In 20 point races at Daytona, Busch has nine top fives and 11 top 10s.

Expect him to be in the mix again Sunday.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including “NASCAR: The Definitive History of America’s Sport” and “Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told”. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.