Kurt Busch's Nationwide Race Report from Kentucky

Want to know what happened to Kurt Busch's machine in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race?  Check out the press release below:

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Kurt Busch and No. 54 Monster Energy Team

28th in Kentucky Return;  Mechanical Issue Sidelines Promising Run

Date:                              September 22, 2012

Event:                            Kentucky 300 (Race 27 of 33)

Series:                            NASCAR Nationwide Series

Location:                        Kentucky Speedway in Sparta (1.5-mile oval)

Start/Finish:                   14th/28th (DNF Rear Gear, completed 128 of 200 laps)

Winner:                          Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)


The Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series team returned to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta Saturday with hopes of improving one spot on the second-place finish they accomplished in their first "Bluegrass State" event. A strong run by Monster Energy athlete Kurt Busch led the team to believe a victory was possible, until mechanical failure sidelined their goal. While running in the third position, just past the halfway mark, Busch experienced a loss of oil pressure and brought his black machine to pit road and subsequently the garage area. A broken rear gear would keep the team scrambling to make a repair and return to the racetrack. The internal damage was too great, however, and while final laps expired in the race, the team retired for the day, accepting a 28th-place result.    

The cool day began with a 14th-place qualifying effort by support driver Matt Crafton, while Busch completed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice in Loudon, N.H. for Sunday's event. Due to the driver change, the team would lose their qualifying position. Once Busch traveled to Kentucky and strapped into the No. 54, he was required to drop back to the rear of the field and took the green flag from the back of the pack.   

Two early event cautions waved and the No. 54 team remained on track while the driver and crew discussed the car's condition. "We definitely have a fierce headwind," Busch explained as windy conditions picked up over the 1.5-mile racetrack. Despite the weather, by lap 20 of the 200-lap event, Busch broke into the top 15 while recording faster lap times than the leaders. When asked about the car's handling, Busch responded, "we are snug everywhere, a 3 out of 5 tight."     

A pit road visit on lap 33 would allow time to make adjustments to the Monster Energy Toyota. The team made air pressure changes to the tires and took out a spring rubber. "Good stop," described their champion driver and the team restarted 14th. Within one lap Busch had progressed to ninth and by lap 39, he broke into the top five of the field.   

The team would compete amongst the leaders over the next 30 laps, moving into the third position easily when the second chance to visit pit road occurred just shy of the halfway point. "Loose in, tight off," was the feeling and the team knew more adjustments would be needed. The second pit stop of the day occurred on lap 88 when Mike Beam, team crew chief, instructed the KBM group to take on new Goodyear tires and make another spring rubber change.    

Busch continued the event, past the halfway point, and reacted positively to the last round of changes. "The rear change was good, the tires are just tighter than the last set, so the front isn't hooking yet," he described as he tried to reach the first and second-place competitors. While he waited for the car to sync with the track, Busch felt a different sensation and reported to the team that engine oil pressure had begun to drop. As smoke bellowed from the rear of the No. 54, Busch brought the hurt machine to pit road and the crew began to inspect the issue. Not able to dissect the problem, Busch was instructed by the crew chief to return to the garage area. The team immediately followed and began work on the injured car.    

After inspecting the bottom of the Toyota, it appeared a rear gear had seized, causing damage to the rear-end housing. Over the next 35 laps, the KBM team worked quickly to remove the broken equipment and attempted to repair and return the Camry to the race event. Once the team saw only 30 event laps remained and evaluated the workload required to get their car back on track, team leader Beam knew their day had ended and asked the team to clean up. 

"That hasn't happened to me in 30 years," stated crew chief Mike Beam post race, commenting on the type of parts failure. More evaluation will take place on the broken part once the team returns to their Mooresville, N.C. shop. In the meantime, a disappointed Busch traveled back to New England, without the positive result he was hoping for alongside the No. 54 team he earned a victory with earlier in the season.

Austin Dillon, who started the event from the pole position, recorded his second NASCAR Nationwide Series win of the season. Sam Hornish Jr. finished in the second spot, while Brendan Gaughan, Drew Herring and Elliott Sadler completed the top-five finishers. There were six caution periods for 26 laps of the race along with 11 lead changes across seven drivers. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 150 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept. 29 at the One Main Financial 200 from Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The television broadcast will start at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kyle Busch will make his 17th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-

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Kyle Busch Motorsports Race Reports from Chicago and Iowa

For the Kyle Busch Motorsports fan, here are the team race reports for the NASCAR Nationwide series at Chicagoland and the Truck Series at Iowa:

Kyle managed a 2nd place finish at Chicago while Drew Herring mustered a 7th in Iowa.

Read on for race details.

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via press release(s):

Kyle Busch Second in Chicagoland Return

No. 54 Monster Energy Program Records 10th Top-Five Finish of the Season

Date:                                 September 15, 2012
Event:                               Dollar General 300 (Race 26 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                        Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway in Joliet (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                 6th /2nd (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Winner:                            Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)



Kyle Busch piloted the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry to a second-place finish at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway in Joliet Saturday afternoon, collecting his fifth top-10 finish on the 1.5-mile oval across nine starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It was Busch's 16th time piloting his own Toyota in NASCAR's second series, resulting in the company's 15th top-10 and 10th top-five finish of their inaugural season. 

The Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team was anxious for a Chicago return, having raced there with Kyle earlier in the year, without a good result. In the spring race, Busch had a top-five starting position but struggled with car handling and then a late-race accident that didn't allow the team to finish. Coming back to Chicagoland this time, the KBM group brought a new chassis, one that was proven to perform well. 

The weekend started off right, when Busch and team ran successful laps over two practice sessions on Friday. The veteran driver felt comfortable with the car setup, telling his crew at one point, "car's good, we could park it now." They proceeded to make slight adjustments, trying different setups that provided Busch with the speed he needed to top the charts. Busch's Saturday morning qualifying effort was fast and the No. 54 team earned a sixth-place qualifying spot, their 13th top-ten starting position of the year. 

The green flag dropped under warm sunny conditions Saturday afternoon and Busch made quick work of the field, moving into the fourth position by lap two. An early event caution waved and the team chose to remain on the racetrack, saving pit strategy for a future stop. Busch felt the car was, "tight, all the way through" and he and crew chief Mike Beam discussed ways to loosen up the car's handling, which they addressed during a second event caution, visiting pit road on lap 41. 

The car adjustments worked well and during the next portion of the race, Busch drove his way from fourth to first place, taking the lead on lap 61 of the 200-lap event. Once in the lead, the team owner-driver battled for position with the No. 3 car of Austin Dillon, swapping between first and second place over 10 laps. 

A green-flag pit stop at lap 96, from the third position, offered the Toyota team another chance to make adjustments to the tire pressures for better car handling. Busch was recorded in the third spot at the event's halfway point, lap 100, while crew chief Mike Beam called out circuit times to his driver. Busch was running 31.95- second lap times compared to the leaders running 32.00-second lap times. The team was encouraged and Busch felt the car was finally coming to him. 

The fourth yellow-flag caution period waved at lap 124, which gave Busch the opportunity to discuss what he needed for adjustments with the team. "Just need front turn, entry to center, and I'm money!" commented Busch. He continued, "the car is good." A subsequent visit to pit road on lap 125 provided the opportunity to take four fresh tires and Sunoco fuel. Busch restarted in third on lap 129 and by lap 135 once again was scored in the first position. Busch would lead the race for 33 more laps until he made one final visit to pit road, under yellow-flag conditions. 

The team made a few more adjustments to free up the No. 54 machine for their owner-driver, who led the race until lap 180. In the closing laps of the race, however, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. overtook the No. 54 Camry and remained in the lead until the finish. Busch and team would finish in second place. 

"We had a really good car. It ran well throughout the race. It was fast. I thought that there wasn't anybody back there that we had to deal with -- and then the No. 6 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) came out of nowhere there at the end. I don't know where he came from, but he had a fast race car. I'm really excited about that run. The Monster Energy Camry did great. The guys did a really good job at preparing it for me - Mike Beam (crew chief) and everybody at KBM Chassis, they gave us a good piece today. Today we just came up a little bit short."

Stenhouse Jr. recorded his seventh victory in 99 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Busch finished in the second spot, while Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard completed the top-five finishers. There were five caution periods for 20 laps of the race along with 17 lead changes across nine drivers, including Busch who led four times for 50 laps. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 125 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept. 22 at the Kentucky 300 from Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The television broadcast will start at 3:30pm EST on ESPN2 and on the PRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 11th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-


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NASCAR Camping World

HERRING BRINGS TOYOTA/DOLLAR GENERAL TUNDRA HOME SEVENTH IN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

Young Driver Paces Field for 19 Laps in First Truck Series Start

Date:                           Sept. 15, 2012
Event:                         American Ethanol 200 (Race 15 of 22)
Series:                         NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:                    Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Start/Finish:               17th / 7th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Winner:                       Ryan Blaney of Brad Keselowski Racing (Dodge)



Drew Herring had an impressive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut, leading 19 laps and bringing the No. 18 Toyota/Dollar General Tundra home seventh in the American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The 25-year-old driver, making his first start in any series in 2012, started from the 17th spot and slowly worked his way forward, as he became more and more comfortable with the feel of his Toyota in the opening stages of the race. With several teams on different fuel strategies, Herring found himself just outside the top 10 in the closing stages of the race, but maneuvered his way as high as fifth before being relegated a top-10 finish after communicating to the crew that his Toyota was too tight in traffic on the final two restarts.

"Pretty solid run tonight," said Herring who had made his first laps in a truck when practice began Friday night. "Man, I can't thank all of these guys -- Eric Phillips (crew chief) and everybody on this No. 18 Dollar General Toyota tonight, especially all of the other affiliates of KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), M&M's and Flexco. Man, it was an up and down night.  I put us behind the 8-ball tonight in qualifying and it was just all about track position and we just couldn't fight it and make it back up.  We had a really fast truck on long runs and we just couldn't get anything tonight - it was all short runs Gotta' thank everybody at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) - Kyle (Busch, team owner), Rick Ren (general manager) and Eric Phillips and everybody for giving me this opportunity.  I really enjoyed it and hopefully I'll get to go back and do it again."

The North Carolina native finished both practice sessions inside the top 10 and displayed increased confidence with every lap he turned at the .875-mile oval. In Saturday evening's qualifying session, the young driver failed to turn in the lap he was looking for and was relegated to a 17th starting spot for the 200-lap race.

Early in the race, Herring settled in near the top 15 relaying to his crew that he was setting a cautious pace as he continued to familiarize himself with the feel of his Toyota and intricacies of racing in the Truck Series compared to the Nationwide Series, where his eight prior NASCAR starts were made. The No. 18 Toyota/Dollar General Tundra was scored in the 14th position when the first caution of the race occurred on lap 23 and had improved to the 12th position when the field was slowed again on lap 35.

While the top-13 trucks came down pit road when it opened, executing various pit strategies, crew chief Eric Phillips elected to keep his young driver on the track in and effort to stick to his pre-race strategy of breaking the race into thirds. Herring elected to take the inside lane for the lap-41 restart and by the time exited Turn 2 had opened up a two-truck length lead on the field. By lap 50, he had stretched his lead to nearly a second and remained on point until John Wes Townley spun on lap 54 bringing out the race's third caution.

Herring communicated to Phillips that his Tundra was just a "touch" tight from the center of the corner off before bringing it down pit road. The KBM crew completed a four-tire and fuel stop, making an air pressure adjustment in an attempt to tighten the truck for their young driver. Many teams had already taken tires on a previous pit stop and needed just fuel this time around, leaving the No. 18 scored in the 13th position for the restart on lap 60.

By the time the next caution slowed the field on lap 68, the Toyota/Dollar General Tundra had maneuvered its way back inside the top 10. Herring communicated that the adjustments had improved the handling of his truck, but was still trying to get accustomed to it being "really aero-sensitive in traffic."

When the field went back green, Herring got caught on the outside lane and slipped just outside the top 10. As the race reached the halfway mark, he had returned to the top 10 and communicated to his crew that his Toyota's handling improved as the green-flag run continued.

Herring had worked his way up to the seventh spot when leader Parker Kligerman came down pit road for his final scheduled pit stop on lap 140. Over the next 10 laps, other front-running teams also visited pit road, including the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry - which surrendered the third position to make final adjustments.

With two trucks still waiting to make their final stop, the Toyota/Dollar General Tundra returned to the track scored one lap down in the 17th position on lap 155 despite taking just right-side tires and one can of fuel. A debris caution occurred on lap 164, leaving just two trucks on the lead lap. Those trucks came down pit road for their final stop when pit road opened, enabling several drivers - including Herring - to take advantage of the wave-around rule and return to the lead lap.

The No. 18 Toyota was scored in the 11th position when the race restarted on lap 173 and four laps later returned to the top 10. The field was slowed for the seventh time when leader Parker Kligerman spun in oil that was laid down on the track from another competitors expired engine. Herring communicated to Phillips that his Tundra was a "little free on entry."

On the lap-188 restart, Herring took advantage of three trucks getting bottled up in front of him, improving from ninth to sixth by the time that the field made its way back to the start-finish line. To the dismay of KBM's pilot, who was stronger on long green-flag runs, two more cautions slowed the field over the final 10 laps. The Toyota/Dollar General Tundra took the final restart from the sixth position, but surrendered a spot before the field took the checkered flag.

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Blaney picked up his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, becoming the youngest driver in series history to register a victory - a record previously held by KBM owner Kyle Busch. Rookie Ty Dillon finished 0.168-seconds behind Blaney in the runner-up spot. Todd Bodine and Johnny Sauter finished third and fourth, respectively. Cale Gale rounded out the top-five finishers.

There were 9 caution periods for 54 laps and 7 lead changes among 6 drivers, including Herring who led once for 19 laps. Ten drivers failed to finish the race.

With 16 of 22 races complete, the No. 18 Tundra team remains ninth in Truck Series Owner's point standings, 76 points behind the series-leading No. 3 team.

Brian Scott returns to the seat of the Dollar General Tundra next Friday, Sept. 22, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta for the Kentucky 201. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, with SPEED's live coverage commencing with the NCWTS Setup Show at 7 p.m. ET.

-KBM-

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KBM Race Report: 54 Monster Energy Camry Third at Sept Richmond Night Race

Check out Kyle Busch Motorsports race report from the Nationwide Richmond night race.

via press release

Kurt Busch and KBM Team Third in Richmond Return.  No. 54 Monster Energy Program Records Ninth Top-Five Finish of the Season

Date:                                 September 8, 2012
Event:                               Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (Race 25 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                         Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                 17th / 3rd (Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Winner:                            Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Five months ago, Kurt Busch and his younger brother's Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) NASCAR Nationwide Series team enjoyed the thrill of victory for the first time together at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Last night, at the same short-track oval, Busch and the No. 54 Monster Energy crew attempted to repeat the thrill of visiting victory lane. Busch and team had worked their way to the front and appeared on track for a win, until a late-race caution waved bringing the field back together again. A strong effort on the last restart kept the Toyota team amongst the frontrunners, completing the night with a third-place finish.

The one-day show started with a morning practice session during which the team tried different setups in order to find the best grip for Busch to manage the turns. Busch posted lap times amongst the top-10 competitors, then ultimately Crew Chief Mike Beam transitioned the car into a 'package' that was similar to what they ran in the April race, the one this team won. Practice was followed by a 17th-place qualifying effort for the 250-lap night race.

After taking the green flag, the team was off to a strong start, reaching the top-10 by lap 19. At the first race caution on lap 36, Beam brought his veteran driver down pit road and made adjustments to the car. Initial feedback relayed by Busch was that the car's handling was "loose" and there was a brake vibration occurring. Once back on track, Busch drove his black Monster Energy machine up to fifth-place by lap 62, maintaining that position for 35 laps. When asked if the pit-stop changes helped the car, Busch encouraged the crew to, "keep working to help us in Turns 1 and 2, that is where we were strong in the April race."

Close to the event's halfway point and in fourth place, the team visited pit road for a second time under a yellow-flag caution period and reversed most of the changes made from the first stop. At the lap 117 restart, Busch wheeled his Toyota from fifth place to fourth, within one lap, and to third place on the next lap, positioning himself behind race leaders Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler. Despite battling a continued loose-handling car, Busch and the No. 54 were posting faster lap times than the No. 33 of Harvick.

A third caution period occurred at lap 143 and the KBM team visited pit road for the third time of the evening to replace tires and fuel. That green-flag restart was productive for Busch, as he drove the Monster Energy car back to third place, when a hard two-car accident on track brought the caution flag out once again. NASCAR would slow the drivers to avoid a large debris field. Busch and team chose not to pit, maintaining a second-place position for the restart at lap 163.

Two more yellow-flag caution periods and one more visit to pit road offered the team time to make further changes to their Camry. While the brake vibration was still present, Beam and crew were hopeful a final round of adjustments would give their veteran driver what he needed to charge the front of the field.

Younger brother and team owner, Kyle Busch watched his brother's progression from Turn 1, staying in touch with Busch on the radio, encouraging him through the final portion of the race. "Back it up, roll nice down to the bottom, smooth," said the car owner to his sibling driver. "Be patient, keep the front tires on it, you're fine and stretching it out," the younger Busch continued.

Full of desire to take his brother's team to victory lane once again, Busch took the race lead at lap 201 and maintained the front position for 25 laps. It was a difficult task, fending off the hard-charging cars of Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but one that Busch was well prepared for. The NASCAR champion dug in and prepared to lead his team to the finish line, until one last event caution occurred at lap 227.

Although Busch was leading the race at the time of the final caution, due to his position at the scoring line when the yellow-flag occurred, NASCAR scored the Monster Energy machine in second place behind Harvick for the restart. With less than 25 laps remaining in the race, the No. 54 team chose not to visit pit road in order to maintain track position. Busch fought hard on lap 233, at the final green-flag restart, staying close to the race leader and fending off Stenhouse Jr., until time ran out for him to make his last charge, ultimately bringing the black machine home in third place.

"It was a solid night," commented Busch post race. He continued, "We were close, but not perfect. It's a lot of fun racing with Monster Energy as a sponsor.  They want to see us win and we pushed hard tonight and we just couldn't get the car settled down into the corner.  Had a brake vibration -- fighting it all night.  Made it a little bit too tight, so when I was holding the lead with (Kevin) Harvick right behind us, I think I might have been holding Harvick up a little bit.  He had a strong car last week.  He came back and got it this week.  Those guys are strong and we just didn't want that one to slip through our fingers, but Kevin Harvick was the better car tonight.  Thanks to Monster Energy, Toyota, Triad engines - these guys work really hard.  This is the hardest working group of guys on pit road and I'm glad they're on my team."

Harvick recorded his 38th victory in 288 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Stenhouse, Jr. finished in the second spot, while Busch, Denny Hamlin and Michael Annett completed the top-five finishers. There were seven caution periods for 45 laps of the race along with eight lead changes across six drivers, including Busch who led one time for 25 laps. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 131 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept.15 at the Dollar General 300 from Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway. The television broadcast will start at 3:00pm EST on ESPN2 and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 11th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-

Kyle Busch Motorsports Nationwide Series Race Report from Atlanta

via press release

Hot Atlanta Night Yields Seventh-Place Finish for KBM

No. 54 Team Records First Pole Position of Season

Date:                                September 1, 2012
Event:                               NRA American Warrior 300 (Race 24 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                           Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                      1st / 7th (Running, completed 195 of 195 laps)
Winner:                             Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

Kyle Busch and the No. 54 Monster Energy team battled "Hot-Lanta" Saturday night hoping to claim victory on the 1.54-mile oval, famous for challenging drivers and crew chiefs. While they didn't achieve the win they were pursuing, the young Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team did accomplish their first pole position of the season with a fast lap of 176.280 mph. The Toyota group led two laps at the start of the event, and then battled a loose-handling car throughout the night, ultimately finishing the race in the seventh position. It was the new team's 14th top-10 finish of the year.

The day began early, with one practice session for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Busch and crew conducted seven runs over 40 laps, practicing various tire and shock setups to give the veteran driver the feel he was searching for. While early lap times showed the No. 54 car within the top-10 most of the session, by the end of the practice, the team and driver felt they hit on a setup that would allow them flexibility in the race.

An afternoon qualifying session gave the KBM team a chance to showcase their abilities. With only 24 starts to their record, the Nationwide Series group with owner-driver Busch recorded their initial career pole position with a 31.45-second lap. While the lead starting position would be a first for the team, the record marked nine straight years of pole position starts for Busch, across his series career.

The green flag dropped and the No. 54 team enjoyed two laps with the lead, until lap three when Ricky Stenhouse overcame Busch for the first position. Although the car had been strong during the qualifying effort earlier in the day, race trim during cooler night temperatures felt too loose for the series veteran, and adjustments were discussed in preparation for the team's first pit stop. That opportunity came on lap 49, when the Monster Energy crew serviced their No. 54 machine from the third position. Tires were exchanged and fuel was replenished while adjustments were made to better the loose-car condition.

The crew's first attempt at making adjustments to better the car didn't produce the results Busch and his team were looking for. Four subsequent pit stops were made throughout the course of the race, with changes such as tire pressure adjustments, track bar and wedge changes to encourage more grip on the raceway.  At one point Busch affirmed the team's efforts with feedback from their third pit road visit, "good job" he described. Busch's continued search for a tighter handling race car, however, plagued the team the rest of the race.

Upon the final restart at lap 192, the KBM team was positioned for a top-five finish. Within the final three laps, Busch encountered lapped-car traffic and battled to maintain position, ultimately crossing the finish line in seventh place.

General Manager for the KBM race team, Rick Ren, commented afterwards, "We saw tonight some of the same traits that we saw last night in the Truck race. We thought we had adjusted for it today from what we saw Friday and we didn't quite adjust enough and we kind of had to chase it during the race. We finally hit on something he (Kyle Busch) liked, but it was too late in the race. We kind of danced around trying to tighten it up for him in different parts of the corner and we finally hit on something right there at the end, but we were just out of time. When you're running three-wide off into the corner on restarts where everybody is trying to make sure that you don't run into the other guy -- the guy out front is just going to drive away. I think all in all it's not the night we hoped for, but it wasn't all that bad. We sat on the pole and finished seventh and that's not always what you want to do. It was just funny how this race played out tonight."

Stenhouse Jr. recorded his sixth-career win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Brad Keselowski finished in the second spot, while Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier completed the top-five finishers. There were eight caution periods for 43 laps of the race along with nine lead changes across six drivers. The No. 54 Monster Energy team jumped to ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 133 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept. 7 at the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 from Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The television broadcast will start at 7:00pm EST on ESPN and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 10th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry, returning to the site where he made KBM's first NNS victory in April.

-KBM-

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Kyle Busch Motorsports Nationwide Series Race Report

via press release

On a cool summer Saturday night, Kyle Busch jumped behind the wheel of his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota in search of a victory, on a short track where he has enjoyed much success. The Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) owner-driver was looking forward to his second chance of the season, to continue the winning streak he has enjoyed at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. From a 10^th-place qualifying effort, the 27-year-old driver wheeled his black machine around the 'World's Fastest Half-Mile,' reaching as high as third, to accomplish the eighth top-five finish for his young team. It was Busch's 13^th top-ten result in 17 races at Bristol Motor Speedway, however, not the finish he was hoping for with his own team.

After rain showers drenched the .533-mile oval shortly before driver introductions were to start, track workers quickly dried the newly paved surface of Tennessee's famous short track, leaving 'green' asphalt for the race event. Busch began the Food City 250 in the 10^th-position and was working his way through the field, when the first of nine yellow-flag caution periods waved. The No. 54 team would pit four times throughout the course of the race, although not visiting pit road for their initial stop until lap 47 of the 250-circuit race.

The KBM team battled within the top-10 through the night, staying clear of any on-track car damage with competitors. Most of the team's focus remained with the car's handling, in particular the tires and how well the air pressures worked. "I'm sliding more than I have grip," described Busch early in the race. The team made good, clean pit stops all race long, only adjusting the car chassis once, with a track bar adjustment. The young owner-driver later commented, "the car wants to be tight and loose, I'm up out of the race track, can't make it stick where I need it."

Although he battled the feel of the car for most of the race, Busch remained near the front of the field, working among other series regulars such as Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne. In the last 50 laps of the race event, Kahne and Busch enjoyed a good battle, swapping positions over the course of 40 laps, when Busch finally prevailed to maintain his top-five status.

The final two yellow-flag caution periods would bunch up the field and give the KBM leader the opportunity to advance upon green-flag restarts. Busch worked his way up to third place before crossing the start-finish line at the checkered flag.

"It was a real good night for the Monster Energy Camry. All these guys -- they worked hard, they did a good job and we missed a little bit of something tonight - kind of like last year. Our car was not as good as it was in the spring here, but we made it work.  It seemed like the more we'd go, we would really lose rear traction. That seemed to be our struggle point tonight. Overall, the guys did a good job and I can't say enough about how we ran -- we came home third. We'll take that -- we probably shouldn't have been that good, but I wish we were better."

Logano recorded his sixth win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year and 15^th of his career. Stenhouse Jr. finished in the second spot, while Busch, Austin Dillon and Sadler completed the top-five finishers. There were nine caution periods for 59 laps of the race along with seven lead changes across four drivers. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains 10^th in the Owner's Point standings, 139 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept.1 at the NRA American Warrior 300 from Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. The television broadcast will start at 6:30pm EST on ESPN and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kyle Busch will make his 15^th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-

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Brian Scott - No. 18 Dollar General Tundra UNOH 200 Post Race Report

So how did Kyle Busch Motorsports do in the Truck Series race?  I was hoping for some word on the track surface myself.  But as it is, here's a behind the scenes look at the night, from the perspective of Brian Scott's team...

via press release

SCOTT BRINGS DOLLAR GENERAL TUNDRA HOME 17TH IN UNOH 200
Date:                           Aug. 22, 2012
Event:                         UNOH 200 (Race 13 of 22)
Series:                         NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:                    Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Start/Finish:               22nd/17th (Running, completed 204 of 204 laps)
Winner:                      Timothy Peters of Red Horse Racing (Toyota)

After qualifying 22nd for Wednesday night's UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Brian Scott had maneuvered his way into the top 10 by the halfway point of the 200-lap race until he lost several positions when his lane got bottled up on a lap-169 restart. By the time the next caution occurred on lap 189, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen all the way back to the 19th position. Scott was scored in the 18th position for the green-white-checkered finish, but was able to gain one more position over the race's final two laps to register a 17th-place finish in his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) this season.

"We dug ourselves in a little hole in qualifying, but we battled back and thanks to a great stop by the guys had worked our way into the top 10," Scott said. "Then, we gave it all back when my lane got bottled up on one of the last restarts and I lost a bunch of spots. It was a tough night, but  I have to thank KBM for the opportunity and all the sponsors who made it possible -- Dollar General, Shore Lodge, Toyota, M&M's, Flexco and Advanced Payment Services"

Scott got out of the gates quickly - improving six spots by the time the field had completed 10 circuits around the .533-mile oval. As the race continued under green-flag conditions, he had settled just inside the top 20 when he communicated to crew chief Eric Phillips that his Dollar General Tundra was "really loose."

The Idaho native was scored in the 17th position on lap 81, when a single-car accident brought out the first caution of the race. When pit road opened, the KBM over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire stop, added wedge to the left rear of the truck, filled it with fuel and returned their driver to the track scored in the 12th position.

The race restarted on lap 87, and two laps later Scott had maneuvered the No. 18 Toyota into the top 10. He communicated to Phillips that the adjustment had provided his truck with more stability, but possibly too much as he was now experiencing a tight-handling Dollar General Tundra.

The Nationwide Series regular settled into the top 10, where he ran until Todd Bodine collected the wall in Turn 3 on lap 160 and brought out the race's fourth caution. Already having enough fuel to make it to the end of the race, and with track position at a premium, Scott was ordered to remain on the track.

Shortly after the lap-169 restart, Scott found himself in the wrong lane, as things got bottled up and he began losing positions.  Three laps later he was scored in the 13th position, and by the time the next caution occurred on lap 187, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen back to the 19th spot.

With only three lead-lap cars behind them, the team elected to come down pit road for a four-tire stop - with an air pressure adjustment - and returned to the track scored in the 19th position. After going back green on lap193, another caution slowed the field two laps later and set up a green-white-checkered finish. Scott was scored in the 18th position on the restart, but was able to improve one spot by the time the field took the checkered flag.

Timothy Peters led all 204 laps en route to his second Truck Series win of 2012. Peter's Red Horse Racing teammate Parker Kligerman finished 0.465 seconds behind him in the runner-up spot. Ross Chastain and Joey Coulter finished third and fourth, respectively, and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-five finishers.

There were six caution periods for 43 laps.  Nine drivers failed to finish the race.

With 13 of 22 races complete, the No. 18 Tundra team remains 11th in Truck Series Owner's point standings.

The Dollar General Racing team will be back in action Friday Aug. 31, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. for the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200. The race begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, with SPEED's live coverage commencing with the NCWTS Setup Show at 7:30 p.m. ET.

-KBM-

Kyle Busch's KBM Race Report From Chicagoland

Despite being looked at as a favorite contender in the NASCAR Nationwide race at Chicagoland, Kyle Busch, in his own equipment, didn't have the perfect end-result that he was looking for.  I'll let the KBM press release speak for itself!

via press release:

Disappointing Finish for No. 54 at Chicagoland

KBM Owner-Driver Suffers Early with Ill-Handling Car

 and Then a Late-Race Crash

Date:                          July 22, 2012

Event:                        STP 300 (Race 18 of 33)

Series:                        NASCAR Nationwide Series

Location:                   Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

Start/Finish:              4^th / 27^th (Accident, completed 193 of 201 laps)

Winner:                     Elliott Sadler of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

After experiencing a few weeks of disappointing finishes, the Kyle Busch Motorsports team was looking forward to a fresh start at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway on Sunday, where the NASCAR Nationwide Series was the premier show of the race weekend. Early indications showed a fast No. 54 race car that topped the field at times during practice and yielded a fourth-place starting spot. Car conditions changed quickly, however, and the crew was unable to find their sweet spot. That coupled with a late-race accident, relinquished the young team to a 27^th-place finish, eight laps down, their fourth DNF of the season.

It wasn't long after the black Monster Energy machine took the green flag when signs showed despair, as team owner-driver Kyle Busch communicated, "we are wrecking loose on exit," indicating his difficulty to maneuver track turns. Although Busch had gained one spot to third, under green-flag conditions the team pitted the ill-handling car to provide spring-rubber and tire changes to fix the car's handling. As Busch left his pit box, however, NASCAR officials clocked him speeding, therefore a penalty was accessed.

Before Busch returned to pit road to fulfill his drive-through penalty, a caution period waved on the 1.5-mile oval. The No. 54 team was in ninth place and Busch could tell the recently made pit stop changes were not the feel he wanted, thereby asking the team to reverse them. The team pitted under yellow, fulfilling their penalty obligation by coming to pit road, and making further changes to help the handling of Busch's car.

As the field went back to green on lap 59 of the 200-lap event, the Monster Energy team was in 13^th position. For some reason, the car's handling just wasn't coming around the way Busch preferred. He could race aggressively for four or five laps and then felt like the car wouldn't advance. Busch was quiet on the radio and the team elected to make another green-flag pit stop around the race's halfway mark. These car changes put the No. 54 team two laps down to the field, but within seven laps after the balance of the field had pitted, Busch was once again running in the top-15 and on the lead lap.

In the second half of the race, the Nationwide Series field experienced two more caution periods, one of which provided time again for the No. 54 KBM team to visit pit road. Busch's remarks explained slight improvement in the car, "we are a two loose now instead of a 10." Within 20 laps, Busch maneuvered his car from 12^th to eighth and then to third, when on lap 167 the fourth caution period occurred.

The team visited pit road, but due to a slow stop, Busch lost one position in the running order when he returned to the field. With 28 laps remaining in the event, Busch restarted from fourth place and battled amongst frontrunners within the top-five, until his car's handling again slipped away.

With fewer than ten laps remaining in the Sunday event, Busch battled his car and the field, in a final effort to salvage a top-ten finish for the day. Unfortunately, the team would endure one more challenge, when on lap 193 the No. 12 car of Sam Hornish, Jr. hit the rear bumper of the KBM machine, sending it into the No. 33 of Brendan Gaughan, both cars impacting the outside wall of the backstretch and heavily damaging their vehicles.

Busch drove the wrecked No. 54 machine to pit road where the team intended to replace the tires and send Busch back on track, however NASCAR officials wouldn't allow it to return to the race, due to the heavy amount of vehicle damage. For the second time in three weeks, a disappointed Busch exited the garage area early while the final event laps unfolded on track.

Post race, KBM general manager Rick Ren commented, "It was a really frustrating day. We thought we were pretty good in practice yesterday and trying to anticipate a hot, sunny race track today. We made some adjustments aimed at that direction and kind of went the wrong way. We just never could recover over what we had done. We're still scratching our head a little bit as to what happened because some of the things Kyle (Busch) was complaining about with the chassis today, it's very odd. Even Kyle said, 'I've never quite felt this before. We'll diagnose what we did today and try to correct that and go on and go forward. Mike Beam (crew chief) and I we just had a meeting here about Indianapolis next week and changing our focus a little bit around from where we're at. We have to go to Indianapolis and just put this behind us and go on. We have, if not the best driver that there is -- I don't know who else is up there and when we run this badly, it's not him."

The Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 NNS team dropped one position to 10^th in the Series Owner's Points Standings, 118 points out of first place, through 18 races completed.

Elliott Sadler won his eighth career Nationwide Series event and third series win of 2012 in the Richard Childress owned Chevrolet machine, over second-place finisher Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace and Michael Annett completed the top-five finishers.

There were five caution periods for 25 laps of the race along with thirteen lead changes across eight drivers.

The next event on the NNS schedule is the Indy 250, Aug. 4 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the race television broadcast starting at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN.

-KBM-

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Jason Leffler will Participate in Rockingham Tire Test with The No 18 NNS Team

via Kyle Busch Motorsports press release:

Jason Leffler and the No. 18 Dollar General Racing team will be one of three teams participating in a Goodyear tire test at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway March 6 and 7. 

The test is being held in advance of NASCAR's return to the famed one-mile oval on Sunday, April 15 for the Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club Roadside Assistance 200.

Other drivers that are participating include Timothy Peters (Red Horse Racing No. 17) and James Buescher (Turner Motorsports No. 31).

If you're interested, the grandstands will be open to fans, free of charge both days.

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Kyle Busch Motorsports Retains Flexco

For the Kyle Busch fan out there, I'm sure you'll be interested to know that his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has retained Flexco as an associate sponsor on their No. 18 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.

For fans, it's good to see that folks are seeing past last year's debacle with Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday Jr..

But then again, KBM has Jason Leffler being the primary driver for the truck in 2012.  Leffler is a spitfire in his own way, so we'll see how the team fares!

Check out the press release below:

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 8, 2012) - Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announces today that Flexco, the worldwide leader in the manufacturing of belt conveyer products, will return as a corporate partner for the 2012 season. The Illinois-based company will continue as a season-long associate sponsor on KBM's No. 18 Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, which will be driven primarily by veteran wheelman Jason Leffler.

Since becoming a KBM corporate partner in 2010, Flexco has achieved stronger customer partnerships by teaming with one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. In addition to logo placement on the No. 18 Tundra, the company's sales representatives have strengthened relationships with customers by providing behind-the-scenes access to Truck Series races. The global company also invited KBM team owner-driver Kyle Busch to personally meet with customers at one of the largest mining shows in North America, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011.