MAF Honors NASCAR Teams’ Response to Haiti Quake: In the aftermath of the catastrophic Jan. 12, 7.0 earthquake that destroyed the capital of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, two renowned NASCAR auto racing teams shuttled relief workers and supplies into Haiti and transported evacuees, rotating workers and quake victims to the United States. This week at their respective shops in North Carolina, MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) President John Boyd presented Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing with special service awards for their work in Haiti.
In the crucial days following one of the world’s greatest disasters, the teams generously provided aircraft from their fleets. The Hendrick and Gibbs crews worked with MFI (Missionary Flights International) and MAF to shuttle planes between Fort Pierce, Fla., and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, enabling the rotation of high-impact volunteer medical teams and humanitarian workers. The planes also evacuated adopted orphans to their American homes. In addition, the aviation crews offered care, personal concern and warm fellowship to the MAF missionary pilots and ground workers as they toiled amid heat, chaos, suffering and death.
“With these awards, we at MAF want to express our sincere gratitude to Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing for their support of the MAF team in Haiti,” Boyd said. “We honor two fine motorsports teams for their selfless actions, and for the special blessing they were to us during a very trying time.” Boyd also invited the two teams’ aviation staffs to participate in one of the MAF advanced mountain training workshops at the ministry’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho.
MAF has served the missionary community and the people of Haiti since 1986. Eight MAF missionary families and seven Haitian staff members provide air service with three bush aircraft that fly to 16 remote airstrips from Port-au-Prince. Within the first three months of its disaster relief efforts, MAF had partnered with dozens of relief agencies, including the United Nations. In addition to having coordinated the flights of 3,500 international passengers and 1.5 million pounds of cargo between Florida and Port-au-Prince, MAF logged 1,037 flights within Haiti, transported 1,801 relief workers, missionaries, patients and medical staff in and out of inland towns and villages urgently needing help, and delivered 315,498 pounds of urgent relief and medical cargo. MAF continues its disaster response work in Haiti, having now shifted from the crisis-relief phase to a rebuilding stage that is expected to last several years.(MAF PR)(7-29-2010)

New spotter for Jeff Gordon: #24-Jeff Gordon will have a new spotter starting this weekend at Pocono Raceway, a move the team believes will help the four-time NASCAR champion snap the longest losing streak of his career. Hendrick Motorsports hired Jeff Dickerson Wednesday, moving quickly to grab the spotter after he unexpectedly parted ways last week with #18-Kyle Busch. Dickerson had been with Busch since his early days at HMS, and the driver often credited Dickerson for guiding him on the track to several victories. Crew chief Steve Letarte said after listening to tapes of Dickerson, he believed the spotter could be the key to helping Gordon close out races. Gordon is winless since Texas in April 2009, a span of 49 races. Dickerson replaces Shannon McGlamery, who began spotting for Gordon at the start of the 2007 season. McGlamery still will be a mechanic at Hendrick Motorsports, building the cars for Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson. "Shannon is a very good spotter, but I think Jeff Dickerson is one of the best," Letarte said. "The spotter is the third musketeer on the radio, and when he became available, I listened to a lot of tapes, I did a lot of research, and although the timing was short, I recognized his style will help us build upon our continued communication improvements."(ESPN/AP)(7-28-2010)

Kyle Busch gets new spotter: #18-Kyle Busch has changed spotters, with Jeff Dickerson no longer serving as his eyes in the sky. Eddie D'Hondt is spotting for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver this weekend on an interim basis. Dickerson had been Busch's spotter since early in his first Cup season in 2005 at Hendrick Motorsports and they had won 18 Cup races together. Dickerson eventually became Busch's agent and business manager but that job was transferred to another member of the Motorsports Management International staff prior to the 2010 season. "Jeff was going to leave at the end of the year and go do something else anyway, so we figured we might as well get it going now and build something with a spotter for next year and hopefully before the Chase starts," Busch said after finishing second in the Camping World Truck Series race Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park.(Scene Daily)(7-25-2010)

Kahne to Drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Pocono: Kasey Kahne, who is undefeated in two career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, will pilot the #18 Toyota of Scranton (Pa.) Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in the inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 Truck Series event July 31 at Pocono Raceway. Kahne, who drives the #9 Budweiser Ford full-time for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won Truck Series races in November 2004 at Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. “It’s a big deal for us to have someone like Kasey in the #18 Toyota Tundra,” said KBM driver-owner Kyle Busch. “His Truck Series record is about as good as it can get, given that he’s never lost a race. He’s obviously got a good record at Pocono in the Sprint Cup Series as well, so we know he’ll give us a great chance to go to victory lane.” The Pocono Mountains 125 is the first-ever Truck Series event at Pocono Raceway, which is located 38 miles south of Toyota of Scranton. Busch is hoping to win as an owner and a driver all in the same day, for while Kahne will drive the #18 Toyota of Scranton Toyota Tundra for KBM at Pocono, Busch will pilot the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway in Newton.(KBM)(7-16-2010)

JGR and NASA: Joe Gibbs Racing [#11-Hamlin, #18-Busch & #20-Logano] recently used the 3-mile runway NASA utilizes for its space shuttle program to run its car up and down to gather information about aerodynamics. The team basically driver Matt DiBenedetto, a development driver at JGR, run the car to 205 mph on the landing strip, coast to about 150 mph and then run it back up to 205 mph, doing this three times before turning around and coming back and doing the same thing. Such straight-line testing is common in NASCAR. Teams go to various places to do this but going to NASA's runaway is unique.(Virginian Pilot)(7-15-2010)

Rusty apologizes for remark: Rusty Wallace apologizes for comment at Kyle Busch during Nationwide race ESPN broadcaster Rusty Wallace apologized Monday for an expletive he directed toward Kyle Busch during Friday night's Nationwide broadcast from Chicagoland Speedway. The comment could be heard after Busch finished his Victory Lane interview. Said Wallace in a statement from ESPN: “At the end of Friday night’s telecast, I made an unfortunate remark regarding Kyle Busch. There’s no excuse and I certainly know better. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone including Kyle for my mistake.” Wallace made the comment after Busch referenced the fans who booed him after he won the race. Wallace then can be heard uttering a one-word comment. An ESPN spokesman said the network would not suspend Wallace for the comment and stated: "ESPN has spoken to Rusty and he understands his remark was uncalled for.''(Virginian Pilot)(7-13-2010)

Gibbs and family selected as 2nd quarter Spirit Award Winner: Members of the National Motorsports Press Association selected J.D. Gibbs and his family as the second quarter winner of the NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award. The award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are selected, and an overall winner is determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association membership.
Gibbs and his family were selected for hosting Taylor's Finish Line Festival in May. The festival was held to celebrate the end cancer treatments for Gibbs' 5-year-old son, Taylor. Proceeds benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western, N.C., and the Levine Children's Hospital of Charlotte. More than $600,000 was raised at the event, attended by more than 5,000 people.
Also receiving votes were: Drs. Joseph and Rose Mattioli for contributions to support trauma care at Lehigh Valley Health Network; employees of Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines for delivering and distributing cleaning supplies to Nashville, Tenn., residents affected by the flooding there; Tony Stewart for his annual Prelude to the Dream charity dirt late model race; and Kyle Petty for his annual charity motorcycle ride across the country. Bobby Hutchens, competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing, won the award in the first quarter.(JGR)(7-8-2010)

Interstate returns to sponsor the #18: The familiar green Interstate Batteries paint scheme returns to the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch for the next two Sprint Cup events as the Dallasbased company’s livery will adorn the car this weekend at New Hampshire and for next weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway (JGR), see images of the scheme on my #18 Team Schemes page.(6-25-2010)

Kyle Busch wins at Berlin: Kyle Busch was out of clean clothes by the time he hopped on his plane Wednesday night in Grand Rapids and headed to California. However, Busch did have a shiny new trophy to take with him, along with $20,000 after winning the Rowdy’s Revenge 251 at Berlin Raceway. Busch held off a pair of second-generation racing teenagers, Chase Elliott and Ross Kenseth, for his first victory at the Berlin half-mile. Busch took the lead for good on lap 150, then survived a caution-filled finish in which the yellow waved four times during the final 18 laps. The race originally was scheduled for Tuesday, but action was rained out. Busch returned for the CRA Super Series sanctioned race in his #51 template body Late Model. Elliott, 14, started eighth and dominated the first half of the race in his first Berlin appearance. Elliott, the son of 1988 Cup champion Bill Elliott, was out in front on lap 125 when the mandatory caution dropped. That gave drivers an opportunity to take their cars to the pits for their crews to work on while the 50-lap Modified feature was run. A.J. Allmendinger won the Modified main, passing Mike Brooks with 20 laps to go and holding off Brian Bergakker for the win.(Michigan Live)(6-17-2010)

Interstate Batteries Extends Relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing: Interstate Batteries announced that it has reached an agreement on a long-term extension of its sponsorship package with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), which paves the way for one of NASCAR’s longest-standing partnerships to surpass the 20-year milestone. Interstate Batteries first established its sponsorship of JGR prior to the 1992 season, enabling the start-up team to open up its doors for competition in time for that year’s season-opening Daytona 500. The sponsorship will continue to include six races as primary sponsor of the #18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch, as well as one NASCAR Nationwide Series event each season. In addition to the seven total primary sponsorships, Interstate will continue to have promotional rights with all of JGR’s drivers, specifically, Busch’s teammates, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, under their Team Interstate platform. “We have been blessed by our relationship with Norm Miller and Interstate Batteries,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of the team that bears his name. “They took a chance on us 19 years ago as our founding sponsor, and the partnership has been outstanding ever since. They are a great example of the type of relationships we seek to build with our partners, and we’re thrilled to have them continue with us.” Interstate Batteries is currently in the 19th season of its partnership with JGR, and the company has joined the family-owned team in victory lane at 12 different racetracks in the last 18 seasons, including such prestigious venues as Daytona International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.(TSC/JGR)(6-3-2010)

Kyle Busch to set new record at Pocono: #18-Kyle Busch will make his 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Sunday in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target at Pocono Raceway. In doing so, at 25 years, one month and four days, Busch will become the youngest driver in series history to reach start No. 200. The previous youngest was Brian Vickers, at 25 years, 11 months and three days (Dover International Speedway, Sept. 27, 2009).(NASCAR)(6-2-2010)

Kyle Busch says he and Hamlin have moved on UPDATE maybe not? #18-Kyle Busch says he is not taking back radio chatter in which he threatened to kill JGR teammate #11-Denny Hamlin after some hard driving in the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch insisted Thursday that he and Hamlin have moved on from last week's incident. Hamlin was leading late in the race when he blocked Busch's run. The defensive driving caused Busch to hit the wall, and he later got a flat tire that led to a race-ending wreck. Busch was so angry afterward, he warned his team he was going to kill Hamlin. Busch went directly to Hamlin's hauler after his accident, and team owner Joe Gibbs mediated a post-race meeting with his drivers. Busch says his threat was out of anger, but not literal, and he's moved past the incident.(Associated Press)(5-27-2010)
Hamlin comments: Denny Hamlin didn’t just throw Kyle Busch under the bus Thursday, he ran over him with it. “For me, I’m over the Denny Hamlin issue,” Busch said Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he made his first public comments on the issue. “It’s done, we’re moving forward and we look forward to the rest of the year and the [Coca-Cola] 600 this weekend.” Hamlin, however, was considerably more blunt when discussing his feelings towards his teammate. “I definitely wouldn’t change anything that I would do and nobody in my position would,” said Hamlin. “I challenge anyone to be in that position and to change the way that I drove. The thing is that he [Busch] was never there, there was never a hole for his car to fit in, so he has a gas pedal and a brake just like I do. He could choose to check up and pass me in the next corner or put his car in the fence like what happened.” And from there, he was off and running. Asked if he’d work with Busch, Hamlin indicated his displeasure with his hot-tempered teammate. “I’m not going to put too much effort in it, to be honest with you,” Hamlin said. “Kyle brings this stuff up himself and he gets mad at the media for asking him questions about his blow-ups and stuff, but he does it to himself. I don’t want to be part of it. Any drama that he wants to create or anything is on him. Anything he says on the radio is on him. [That’s] all I’m going to say and I’m going to be done with it. Each year I think Kyle’s going to grow out of it and he just doesn’t. Until he puts it all together, that’s when he’ll become a champion. Right now he just doesn’t have himself all together.” And then, for good measure, this little bon mot: “I didn’t say that I was going to take over this team or be the leader of this team, but somebody’s got to be the leader—it ain’t going to be Kyle.”(Ford Racing)(5-30-2010)

Hamlin talks about incident with Kyle Busch: Joe Gibbs Racing teammates #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-Kyle Busch were battling for the lead late in the Sprint All-Star Race, Hamlin used defensive driving to protect his lead, Busch didn't have room on the outside and slammed into the all, pushing in his right front fender that would later cut down a tire and end the night for Busch [and #9-Kahne], Busch was so angry he threatened to kill Hamlin over his team radio and camped out in the #11 hauler, waiting for Hamlin....so
. Denny Hamlin, #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, answers questions in this Toyota PR/quotes
What happened between yourself and Kyle Busch on the race track? “First he (Kyle Busch) got a big run off the corner and I was clear getting into the corner. Basically I just throttled up extremely early and really it was a bad corner. He was going to go by me. He kind of went to the bottom and then went up high it looked like. Of course, I’m looking out my front windshield and he says I’m clear so I’m going to use all the race track I can. The problem is that Kyle had a run to the outside and with me moving up and getting real tight, it then took some air away from the front of his car and he slid up into the wall. It’s tough for me. We talked about it and basically Kyle was just frustrated, he felt like he had a really good car. Me, I just came from the back with no practice and got back to the front where we needed to be and I felt like if I gave up the lead right there then I was going to give up the win. I don’t think Kyle would do anything different if he was in my situation. It’s just when you’re the leader, my feeling is that you’ve got the whole race track. If a guy is to the outside then that’s when you need to hold your line.”
What was the conversation between yourself, Kyle Busch, Joe and J.D. Gibbs? “It’s a good conversation to have. Me and Tony (Stewart) has had this same conversation and it was under a little different circumstance, but this is a good problem to have for our team. For two guys to be wanting to go for the win like they are, that’s all we can ask for. Myself, I’m so confident that one of the two of us are going to win that 600 next weekend, it was a good meeting. Kyle (Busch) was fiery at the beginning, but calmed right down at the end. I think it’s just kind of his personality and me, I’m a little more reserved and kind of quiet about it. I think it’s just two teammates that happen to be teammates going for a race win right there.”
What are your thoughts on Kyle Busch’s comments about you on the team radio? “That’s Kyle in the moment and he’s said worse things about me for sure at other times. I told him my job as the leader is to do everything I can to win that race. This race in specific is a much different beast than what a points race is and I think he understands that. From my standpoint, we’re going to drive each other different, no doubt about it. We’ve seen it in years past, guys suck each other around, guys running each other up the race track, but I felt like if Kyle had position on the outside, then I definitely should have given him the lane. I just basically took the air off and like he said, he was just dumb and didn’t check up. It’s just one of those things. The air is so important that if you’ve got the lead then it’s extremely hard for anyone to get around you and we just flat over-adjusted our race car and we got it way off right there. I felt like if we couldn’t get the win, then I probably should have just moved over and let him go because it looked like he had a race winning car. That is the only thing I fault myself is not understanding my race car that time.”
How will you and Kyle Busch move forward from this? “We don’t need to let it affect these team guys. They work with each other inside the race shop and the important thing for me is that everyone gets along. Right now, everything is going good between the 11 and the 18 (Kyle Busch) on the race track, we’re both battling for race wins each and every week. This is like the fifth of sixth time that we’ve been beside each other with less than 10 (laps) to go and this is not going to be the last time. What’s good is that we have an understanding of how we race each other. One thing that we do realize too is this individual race here is a different beast so the racing of each other is always going to be a little different.”(Toyota)(5-23-2010)

Kyle Busch to run a M&M;'s Pretzel scheme UPDATE: Kyle Busch is scheduled to run a #18 M&M; Pretzel Special the All Star Challenge and Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. See am image of the scheme on my #18 Team Schemes page...mmmm, m&m;'s AND pretzels.
At the 2009 NACS show, Mars Snackfood US unveiled its M&M;’s Pretzel Chocolate Candies, which combine sweet and salty in every bite-size piece. M&M;’s Pretzel Chocolate Candies are kosher certified and feature a crunchy, salted pretzel center covered in M&M;’s brand milk chocolate and coated in a colorful candy shell. The product will be available in May 2010.(4-17-2010)
UPDATE: The new salty and sweet Pretzel M&M;’s Chocolate Candies blue colors will adorn Busch’s #18 Toyota for the next four events, including Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star race, and the SPrint Cup Series races at Charlotte, Pocono and Michigan. The scheme is to help promote the launch of the newest sweet creation from Mars Chocolate North America.(True Speed Communication), see an image of the scheme on my #18 Team Schemes page.(5-20-2010)

Kyle Busch wins at Dover: #18-Kyle Busch won the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's Milk & Milkshakes Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway for his 2nd win of 2010. 2nd Dover win and 18th win of his career. Busch also won the Nationwide race Saturday and finished 16th in the Camping World Truck Series race [after leading the most laps], all at Dover. Busch led 494 of 900 laps at Dover. #31-Burton finished 2nd, followed by #17-Kenseth, #11-Hamlin, #00-Reutimann, #16-Biffle, #29-Harvick, #99-Edwards, #14-Stewart and #20-Logano. Pole sitter #56-Truex Jr. finished 12th. #48-Johnson finished 16th down a lap after getting caught speeding exiting pit road and had to do a pass thru penalty. #9-Kahne, who started 2nd finsihed 20th, down 2 laps after having shifter problems. #88-Earnhardt Jr. had another tough day and finshed 30th, down 10 laps. Harvick still leads the points with 1768. down to 69 over Kyle Busch, who moved up to 2nd with his win and Johnson's miscue.
There were 20 lead changes among 8 drivers and only 5 cautions for 24 yellow flag laps. The attendence was reported at 88,000, down from 100,000 last year and 133,000 in 2008.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Dover Race Results/Awards page
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(5-16-2010)

Kyle Busch wins 5 races...in one day: It was Kyle Busch's best day in racing -- five wins from six starts in the #18 M&M;'s machine. Well, make that the M&M;'s electric go-kart at Craig's Cruisers indoor kart track Tuesday in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming. Busch took on race fans, sponsors and media members in a series of eight-lap sprints at Craig's during a visit to promote the upcoming Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Michigan International Speedway on June 13 in Brooklyn, MI. The kart racing was as tough as any at Bristol, Martinsville or Richmond, where Busch, who is third in Cup points, won May 1. Starting from the back, Busch drove his way through wrecks, spinning karts and yellow flags. "I haven't won more than one race in a day," Busch said later, laughing. "It was neat to help MIS sell tickets to the June race and run against the fans. It was a good day at the wheel. There's nothing like coming from the back to win one." Busch and MIS president Roger Curtis banged bumpers most of the day, with Curtis appearing to have Busch's measure in the first eight-lapper before hitting the barrier -- or the brakes -- within sight of the checkered flag. "Don't know what happened to Roger's kart," Busch said. "I think he stalled it on the final turn." About 500 people -- locals and some from as far away as Ohio and Ontario -- turned out to watch and/or compete against Busch, including four friends from Dexter who drive and crew on a super late model team at tracks such as Berlin Raceway in Marne and Toledo Speedway.(Detroit Free Press)(5-12-2010)

Doublemint makes debut on #18: This weekend's race will mark the first time Doublemint Gum has served as primary sponsor for #18-Kyle Busch, as the chewing gum brand's mint paint scheme will adorn Busch's #18 Toyota at Darlington and again at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.(JGR/True Speed Communications), see images of the scheme on my #18 team paint schemes page.(5-6-2010)

Kyle Busch wins at Richmond: #18-Kyle Busch led the most laps [226] and made a late race pass of #24-Gordon on a restart and won the Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway for his 1st race of 2010, his first win in 21 races and 17th of his career. It was the first Sprint Cup Series win for crew chief Dave Rogers. Busch is the first pole sitter to win a race in 2010. #24-Gordon hel on to 2nd, followed by #29-Harvick, #31-Burton, #99-Edwards, #42-Montoya, #56-Truex Jr., #39-Newman, #47-Ambrose and #48-Johnson. Harvick takes the points lead by 10 points over Johnson. There were 13 lead changes among 8 drivers and 6 cautions for 37 yellow flag laps.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Richmond Race Results/Awards page
See drivers points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(5-1-2010)

Conractors say Kyle Busch owes them: A subcontractor who helped build NASCAR driver Kyle Busch's new multi-million-dollar headquarters has filed a lien against the project, and four others also say they're owed money. Collectively, the contractors say they are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by the building's owner and general contractor. As small business owners, they said, they can't afford to go for months without being paid. Paul Davis of Creative Carpets LLC said he filed a mechanic's lien against the general contractor Friday. Davis said he is owed $60,000 for installing roughly 18,000 square feet of carpet and flooring. "As a business, I can't function," he said, adding his suppliers won't give him more materials until he pays them. "I'm spending more of my time chasing my money than making it. And in this economy, I can't do that." Davis said he filed the lien because he'd grown worried that he might not get paid the full amount he is owed. He said Busch's attorney told him "one group was going to walk away unhappy." The building is owned by L.B. Builders Construction Group, which also is overseeing construction. It is being built for KB Investments, a Kyle Busch-related entity. The subcontractors said they've been told by L.B. Builders that they haven't been paid because Kyle Busch owes nearly $3 million. On Friday, a blue tarp was taped over a sign outside the building that says KBM. Attorneys representing Busch and L.B. Builders confirmed a "construction dispute" over the building's cost, and said the groups are working to resolve it. A meeting to discuss the issue is set for mid-May, they said.(See full story at the Charlotte Observer)(5-1-2010)

Kyle Busch going for Nationwide record: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs/Conn's Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series, has won four consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, and the "Drive for Five" will take place during Saturday's O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. In the four victories, Busch led a combined 657 of 800 laps available to him, meaning he has been at the point for 82% of the Nationwide Series circuits conducted at Texas since 2008. Only two other drivers – Jack Ingram and Dale Earnhardt – have won five consecutive Nationwide Series races at one track. Ingram, the 1982 and 1985 Nationwide Series champion, won at South Boston Speedway in July 1985 and then won four more races at the .357-mile oval in southern Virginia in April, May, June and July of 1986. Earnhardt won the February Nationwide Series event at Daytona every year from 1990 to 1994.(JGR)(4-17-2010)

Gibbs could not commit to fourth Cup team: Joe Gibbs wouldn’t get into the reasons, but he said Friday night that it just wasn’t feasible for JGR to currently commit to a fourth Sprint Cup team when he was asked about Kasey Kahne signing with Hendrick Motorsports. Gibbs thinks that Kahne knows where he’s racing in 2011 even though Hendrick announced Wednesday that his plans for 2011 are uncertain before he takes over the #5 car in 2012. “I am going to have to say he’s not in limbo,” Gibbs said prior to being inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. “I would say there’s been a decision made of what’s going to happen there.” The decision doesn’t include JGR, which had made a strong run at Kahne but couldn’t get the package done before Kahne made the decision to sign with Hendrick. “It’s extremely hard to put together something where you’re trying to put together right sponsor, right driver,” Gibbs said. “That’s part of life in what you do here. You try to craft things as best you can for your race team. We’ve probably been the most cautious of adding a fourth team among the big teams.”(SceneDaily)(4-19-2010)

Kyle Busch not happy with Boris: #18-Kyle Busch walked away from a banged-up car shaking his head, clearly miffed about a scrape in the final practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch tangled with #26-Boris Said coming onto the back straightaway and was forced to park his Toyota after getting in 37 practice laps. While the damage around the right rear tire was mainly cosmetic, that didn't improve Busch's mood. "You've got guys who don't belong out there," he said. "He's off the pace at every track we've been to. But he keeps getting in on owner points." Said drives for Latitude 43 Motorsports, a new venture started by a Vermont businessman who bought the #26 team from Roush Fenway Racing, inheriting its points from a year ago. Since that team finished 22nd in the Cup standings, Said is guaranteed entry into the first five races of 2010. "I'm out there minding my own business, running my car at the bottom of the track," Busch said. "He's at the top, then all of a sudden he wants to run in the middle on the straightaway. Usually if you're running at the top, you stay up there." Said, who's gotten into the last three races based on his owner points, managed only two laps in his final tuneup for the race. He was next-to-last on the speed chart, beating out rookie Kevin Conway.(Associated Press/ESPN)(3-7-2010)

Busch wins at Speedfest: Kyle Busch is making Lanier National Speedway his home away from home. The NASCAR Sprint Cup star won for the second straight year at Speedfest on Sunday, running away with the checkered flag in the Super Late Model Division. In other races, Greg Simpson won the Pro Late Model Division, while Brad Springer won the Modified race, which had been pushed from its originally scheduled spot on Saturday. The cold, wet weather, which forced race officials to postpone all of Saturday's events, made for a busy day at the track Sunday.(Gainsville Times)(2-1-2010)

Seven Cup drivers on America's 100 Most Powerful Athletes list: What is power? In athletics it is usually thought of as bulging muscles and dominating performance. But in sports today, power has a different meaning, as well: the earning potential of athletes, owners, agents, communities, and brands, ranging from breakfast cereal to beer. To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on and off the field, Bloomberg BusinessWeek teamed with CSE, an integrated sports and entertainment company that connects brands with fans, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columnist Rick Horrow, to create the 2010 version of the Power 100. Unlike previous Power 100s, this year's ranking would focus only on the athletes-not the owners, the agents, the commissioners, or the coaches. On-field metrics included athletes who scored the best on the field (or the rink, the greens, or the court) over a two-year period. The more popular the sport, the more weight those achievements garnered.
Drivers on the list: Jimmie Johnson, 21st; Jeff Gordon, 28th; Mark Martin, 41st; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 45th; Tony Stewart, 48th; Carl Edwards, 67th; and Kyle Busch, 70th. Danica Patrick also made the list at 88th.(Business Week)(1-28-2010)

KBM Opens Chassis Shop: Kyle Busch Motorsports announces the opening of a full service Chassis shop in Mooresville, NC. The chassis operation at KBM is located in close proximity to the heart of NASCAR and can provide chassis related services to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. More info at KyleBusch.com.(1-22-2010)

JGR signs Kyle Busch to extension: Joe Gibbs Racing announced it has signed driver #18-Kyle Busch to a "multi-year" contract that will keep Busch with the team for the next several seasons. "It's something we've been working on for a while," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We probably could've announced this earlier. We were just getting some of the details ironed out and finalized. Watching him grow off the track as well as on the track has been exciting for us. We look forward to many years together racing up front." Busch said there "wasn't much convincing needed" to come back to the team after the 2010 season, when his first contract was set to expire. The team wouldn't say how many years the contract is, though Gibbs said they could announce that in the future.(CMS Media Tour Notes), Details were not revealed. JGR president J.D. Gibbs said only that it was for less than seven years.(1-19-2010)

TV Special to go behind the scenes at JGR: Beginning Jan. 24, NASCAR fans will be given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to one of the sport’s most successful teams as it prepares for the season-opening Daytona 500. SPEED and IMG Sports Media are working together on a series of four one-hour specials featuring Joe Gibbs Racing and giving fans a unique perspective of what it takes to be ready to perform in The Daytona 500. JGR’s Countdown to the Daytona 500 will take viewers to previously restricted areas, including wind tunnel testing, the engine department and team plane.(SPEEDtv)(1-12-2010)

Gibbs working on contact extension for Busch UPDATE: J.D. Gibbs say he's close to re-signing #18-Kyle Busch and hopes to have the contract completed before the 2010 season.(FoxSports)(11-24-2009)
UPDATE: a high-ranking source has confirmed Kyle Busch is off the market. The source would not confirm when the extension was signed, but has knowledge of one that ties him to both Gibbs and M&M;'s through 2011. Sources at Joe Gibbs Racing could not be reached for comment by press time, but it appears that they have addressed the top priority on their Christmas wish list by stabilizing Busch's contract and by rebuilding the #18 Toyota this offseason. Busch can now focus on establishing a positive relationship with crew chief Dave Rogers and launching himself back into Chase contention -- although a one-year extension isn't exactly the type of deal that screams long-term association.(Sports Illustrated)(12-24-2009)

Rusty Wallace forms alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing: Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing announced the formation of a technical alliance between the two teams, under which JGR will provide RWR with technical support for the development of NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry race cars. In the last two Nationwide Series seasons, RWR has fielded a pair of Chevy Impalas and in 2009 was the only team with multiple drivers among the top-ten in the year-end driver standings. For the 2010 season, the team will campaign factory-backed Toyota Camrys, with engines provided by Triad Racing Development. Stated RWR team owner, Rusty Wallace, “We’re excited about working with J.D. (Gibbs) and his guys; they’ve built a very solid Nationwide Series program over the past several seasons. Between all of the support that we’re receiving from Toyota and this new partnership, I feel that 2010 will be a strong year for our team.” Regarding the partnership, JGR President J.D. Gibbs noted, “We’re looking forward to working with Rusty and his team at RWR. We’re excited to have them join the Toyota camp next year in the Nationwide Series and we look forward to providing assistance to their program as well.”(RWR PR)(12-14-2009)

Kyle Busch Wins 42nd Annual Snowball Derby: Kyle Busch has won the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Busch started third in the 300-lap race and took the lead late from 2005 Snowball Derby winner Eddie Mercer to collect the $22,500 winner’s check. Mercer held on to finish second with NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Steven Wallace placing third. Two-time Snowball Derby winner Bobby Gill came from last place at the start to place fourth at the finish. John Bolen overcame an early wreck to finish fifth. This is the fourth major Super Late Model event that Busch has won this season. He also won Speedfest at Lanier Speedway (GA), the Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway (IN) and the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway (IN) in his free time from his NASCAR obligations. This event concludes the racing season at Five Flags Speedway for 2009. The track will open its 2010 season with the TBARA Winged Sprint Cars on March 19th. For more information on the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby, contact Five Flags Speedway by calling (850) 944-8400 and be sure to visit www.snowballderby.com and www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.(51 Sports)(12-6-2009)

Kyle Busch may run full Nationwide season in 2010? #18-Kyle Busch hasn't announced he'll defend his Nationwide Series championship next year, but Busch indicated over lunch earlier this week in Miami Beach there might be a scenario under which he would try for a second title. As it stands now, Busch intends to run all the Nationwide races that are companion events to Sprint Cup events in 2010. His schedule also may include a few stand-alone Nationwide events during off-weeks for Cup. "I think 24 to 27 (races) is what we're planning," Busch said. "The races haven't been quite all worked out yet." Whatever the final number, Busch has to run the bulk of the Nationwide schedule in his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to keep sponsors interested in the program. "We're going to do a combination next year where Kyle's going to run, (and) we're going to split that car up some," JGR president J.D. Gibbs said. "We love being on the Nationwide side, because it allows you to bring in young guys. Whether its crew guys, pit crews, drivers—we've got (driver) Matt DiBenedetto next year for sure and one other young guy, and it gives them an opportunity." Busch also admitted that how well he starts the season may factor into whether he lobbies Gibbs to run the full Nationwide schedule. Eleven of the first 12 Nationwide races are companion events. The fifth race of the season, at Nashville, is scheduled for April 3, an open week for the Cup series. Asked whether there might be circumstances under which he would defend his title, Busch nodded. Gibbs shook his head emphatically, indicating, "No."
"I'll talk him into it," Busch said.(Sporting News)(11-28-2009)

New crew chief for Kyle Busch? UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing is looking at several things to improve the performance of #18-Kyle Busch's team in 2010, including the possibility of replacing crew chief Steve Addington. "There's not a lot we can say on it," team president J.D. Gibbs said before Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. "We just want to evaluate on what makes us the best, how do we capitalize on the resources we have, personnel, technology? How do we utilize that? You look at everything. It's frustrating because we know ... we've had some good runs. We just should be better than that week in and week out." Busch failed to make the Chase for the first time since his rookie season in 2005. He has only one win over the last 21 races and nine finishes of 20th or worse after winning three of the first 10 races. He has only 11 top 10s on the season after registering 21 a year ago and 20 in 2007. "Rarely do you go from running OK to now all of a sudden you're out of the box," said Gibbs, reminding no decision has been made on Addington's future. "Tony [Stewart] when he missed the Chase [in 2006], he was coming on strong consistently at the end of the season." Asked if the performance of Busch and Addington over the final four races would determine whether they stay together, Gibbs said, "It probably has more to it than the next four weeks."(ESPN)(10-25-2009)
UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing announces that Dave Rogers will be assuming the duties as crew chief for the Sprint Cup Series #18 Toyota starting with the November 8 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Steve Addington, who has served as crew chief for the #18 team the previous five seasons will be reassigned to a position within JGR following this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway. Rogers is currently in his fourth season as crew chief on the #20 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for JGR. He led the team to JGR's first Nationwide Series Owner's Championship in 2008 amassing nine victories, six poles, 16 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 finishes despite utilizing four different drivers over the course of the season. The team has captured another five wins thus far this season under Rogers' leadership. He first joined JGR in 1998 and spent six seasons from 1999 to 2004 working under Greg Zipadelli with the #20 team, including the team's 2002 Championship season.(JGR PR)(10-27-2009)

US F1 eager to let Kyle Busch take the wheel in 2011: US F1 sporting director Peter Windsor is so enamored with Kyle Busch, he keeps very informed on what the Sprint Cup driver is doing "on a daily basis almost." Windsor would like to eliminate "almost" in 2011. "If he wanted to drive for us in 2011, we'd certainly be keen on that," Windsor says. "I think there'll be a lot of speculation about that as time goes on. If I was Kyle, I'd be saying to myself, yeah, those guys all talk the talk, let's see what they do, let's see what the car's like. Let's see what the race shop is like. Fair enough. We're going to do a good job. I know when Kyle gets to see it, I'm pretty sure it'll get his pulse rate going." Busch already has shown some interest. Windsor says he met with the driver's business team after being approached about the team. Though he hasn't met Busch yet, Windsor is convinced the 58-time winner in NASCAR (16 victories in Cup, 28 in Nationwide, 14 in Camping World Trucks) has the talent to complete the difficult switch from stock cars to open wheel. "I've watched him a lot and have massive respect for him," Windsor says. "I know people who know him very well. I believe Kyle can win a world championship in Formula One. I think he's got exactly the right talent, the right approach. I'd love to see him in a Formula One car. If he wants to jump in our car next year for doing some demonstrations here in the States, he's very welcome to do that." Busch's contract with Joe Gibbs Racing won't expire until after next season, and there've been no indications he is planning to leave. But Busch, 24, did express interest in F1 when asked shortly after US F1's launch in February. "It's definitely something I wouldn't shoot down," the Las Vegas native said. "If I could win a championship (in NASCAR) in the next two or three years then I wouldn't mind going doing (F1) for a few years and coming back. I think I'd still be young enough that if I could win a championship by 25, go run Formula 1 for a few years and be back (in NASCAR) by 28." Windsor wants to make US F1 a destination for young American upstarts such as Busch by employing only American drivers. But when the team makes its March debut in Bahrain, Windsor says its two drivers probably will be foreign born.(USA Today)(10-22-2009)

Mars releases 2010 Paint Schemes for #18; adds Doublemint: Mars, Incorporated announced its 2010 NASCAR paint scheme schedule for the #18 Toyota piloted by Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which includes the addition of Wrigley's Doublemint gum as another primary sponsor. Mars is also expanding its relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and COMBOS, shifting gears to sponsor Kyle Busch and the #18 Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with three paint schemes, replacing the single paint scheme in the 2009 Sprint Cup Series. Mars brands will serve as the primary sponsor of JGR's #18 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for 30 points races in 2010, including 23 M&M;'S races, three Pedigree races, two Snickers races and the two inaugural races for Wrigley's Doublemint gum. M&M;'S will also be the primary sponsor of the #18 during the Bud Shootout and Sprint All-Star Race.(Mars PR), see images of the cars on the 2010 #18 Team Schemes page. Interstate Batteries will return and sponsor the car for six (6) races: Auto Club Speedway in February, Texas in April, New Hampshire in June, Daytona in July, Michigan in August and Dover in September (same races as 2009).(9-24-2009)

Kyle Busch has triple 'won' at six tracks: New Hampshire became the sixth track at which #18-Kyle Busch has won a Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series race, and to appreciate that accomplishment consider this: Only 20 drivers in history have won even one race in each of NASCAR's three national series. Busch won the Truck Series race Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(Concord Monitor), for the list of drivers who have won in all three series, see my All Time Wins page.(9-21-2009)

JGR hopes to re-sign Busch soon; no 4th team in 2010: Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs said "there's no timetable" on re-signing #18-Kyle Busch, but as far as he's concerned, "the sooner the better." Busch's contract expires after next year [2010]. Gibbs added the organization will not race four full-time cars in 2010. When it came to potential sponsorships, Gibbs said there was nothing JGR "felt was appropriate" to properly run a four-car operation. With the way driver contracts fall, 2011 will have a better pool of candidates, namely #9-Kasey Kahne and #29-Kevin Harvick. Gibbs admits that Kahne "is awesome" but indicated a package deal with Budweiser, given the family's religious convictions, "would be hard."(FoxSports)(9-13-2009)

Joe Gibbs Racing wins 75th Sprint Cup Series race: With the victory by #11-Denny Hamlin on his hometrack of Richmond International Raceway, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has now totaled 75 victories in NASCAR’s elite racing series. Joe Gibbs Racing, founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs in 1992, claimed its first victory on NASCAR’s biggest stage when Dale Jarrett captured the checkered flag at the 1993 Daytona 500. Since then JGR has gone on to win 74 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (previously Winston Cup Series). “We’re proud to have earned our 75th victory today,” said JGR President J.D. Gibbs. “We have been blessed with dedicated and talented employees as well as outstanding partners and sponsors. When you look back at our 75 victories you realize how fortunate we have been to have such talented drivers and crew chiefs, but the reality is it takes a lot of people working together to be successful in this sport,” added Gibbs. “A big part of the credit belongs to the guys in the shop working long hours preparing our cars for the track and our crews that travel each week to put it all together. JGR’s 75 wins have also helped the multi-car race team capture three NASCAR Cup Series Championships (2000, 2002, and 2005). The team record for wins in a season is 10, which has been done twice, both in 2008 (Kyle Busch 8, Denny Hamlin 1, and Tony Stewart 1) and in 2000 (Stewart 6, Bobby Labonte 4). JGR has seven victories thus far in 2009. In addition to the Cup Series, JGR has now captured 37 NASCAR Nationwide Series victories earning its first Owner’s Championship in that series in 2008.
The list of JGR’s Cup victories by driver:
Tony Stewart (#20).................. 33 Bobby Labonte (#18)............... 21 Kyle Busch (#18).................... 12 Denny Hamlin (#11).................. 6 Dale Jarrett (#18)...................... 2 Joey Logano (#20).................... 1 Total JGR NASCAR Cup Wins.. 75.(JGR)(9-13-2009)

Driver wins before age 25: With #18-Kyle Busch winning his 16th career Sprint Cup race, he is now holds the recrod for the most wins under the age of 25 with 16 wins. Busch has 22 more points races to add to that toal before he turns 25 May 2, 2010. The list of dirvers under the age of 25 who have won races:
1. Kyle Busch, 16
2. Jeff Gordon, 15
3. Kurt Busch, 7
(tie) Richard Petty, 7
5. Junior Johnson, 5
Tied with one each: Joey Logano, Bob Burdick. Bobby Hillin Jr.; Parnelli Jones; John Kieper; Terry Labonte, Ryan Newman, Bill Rexford; Fireball Roberts; Donald Thomas; Brian Vickers.(8-23-2009)

Congrats to Joe Gibbs Racing's Jeff Price and wife Lisa on the birth of their son Preston Garrett Price, August 7th , 7 lb, 15 oz, 18 1/2 inches long.(8-7-2009)

No full time Nationwide Series for Kyle Busch in 2010: Kyle Busch joined members of the media on Tuesday night, Aug. 4, 2009 for dinner in Dover. During an interivew he was asked about Nationwide plans for next season. "The plan was last year when we were winning all the Nationwide races and running really well. The plan was initially to go full season and then I felt like our Cup stuff sort of stalled. We cut it back. I didn't go to Milwaukee. I didn't go to Nashville, and I didn't go to a couple others...We thought about it and how our cars are really good and Joe and J.D. (Gibbs) said man wouldn't it be cool to have a Nationwide championship solely JGR owner and driver points, and so I said I want to do it. I want to win a Nationwide championship. Anybody would so our cars have been strong enough and that's why we have done it. We won six races this year. It's been good and maybe it's taken a little bit away from the Cup effort. I don't think it has but were already talking about next year and cutting it back and getting our Cup efforts back up to where they need to be. Hopefully we can get it down to about 22 or 24 Nationwide Series races, just companion stuff not flying all over the place."(Dover Speedway PR)(8-5-2009)