Fan's Eye View ~ Does Kurt Busch Deserve This Chance With Stewart-Haas Racing?
8/29/2013
Jim Fitzgerald
It all began with a firing from Penske racing after the 2011 season, followed by a very active off-season, before the announcement came that Busch would drive for Finch in 2012. Busch did well enough, even though there were a few incidents, to get the attention of Visser. They made the announcement in September 2012 at Dover that Kurt had signed an agreement to move to the No. 78 in 2013. Now, through his drive to get the most out of his opportunities, and some very impressive results in what can be considered an underperforming team and car, he has been given another opening, this time with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch earned this one. No one in this partnership is “settling” for anything.
In terms of relationships with an owner, Busch most likely could not be in a better place. Tony Stewart, part owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, has certainly had his share of temper moments, and fining or firing Busch because of the same antics would be like the rookie stripe calling the caution flag “yellow.” Stewart as an owner could not really be justified in anger with Kurt Busch for, say, disrespecting a member of the media, as Stewart reportedly did once by slapping a recorder out of Mike Mulhern’s hand. Nor could he get angry at Kurt for losing his temper during or after a race and perhaps throwing an item at another competitor, such as a helmet, at Matt Kenseth, at Bristol. Nor could he lose his patience with Kurt for blasting his crew chief and team for a poor result, as Stewart did to Greg Zipadelli a few years ago when they both were still with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Now, consider the rest of the team at Stewart-Haas, and you have quite the roster. Kevin Harvick, coming over from Richard Childress Racing, is no stranger to “heat of the moment” activity, either. His altercations with Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Greg Biffle are YouTube favorites. Throw into that mixture one Ms. Danica Patrick, who is not above speaking her mind as well when she feels she has been wronged, and the recipe for Stewart-Haas Racing is complete. Of course, left on the back burner to simmer was Ryan Newman, but that is a different column.
Now, through it all and at this end, he finds himself with yet another opportunity, one which could continue the story that is Kurt Busch, a former Champion trying desperately to find renewed success, or one which could write new chapters that go in different directions, such as a return to prominence in a sport he desperately wants to be a part of, perhaps even needs. Busch has not won a race since Dover in 2011, and the hunger to win that burns inside of him has to be rivaling a heartburn about the temperature of his brother’s tires after a victory burnout. Once can only hope that Busch does find that renewed success with this opportunity, and that he makes the most of this most recent “one more chance.” As a former Champion, a proven winner, and someone who knows when they have made a mistake, and can learn from it, Kurt Busch deserves this.
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