Friday, Sept. 30, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Kurt Busch Open Interview
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
www.media.chrysler.com
KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T)
HOW WAS YOUR CAR IN THAT FIRST PRACTICE? “The car feels good. The tire is a little bit more staggered this time making everybody a little bit on the loose side which is always good here at Dover. Dover is notoriously tough on right-front tires and you have the chance of being on the tight side a lot.”
IS THERE THE CHANCE THAT FUEL MILEAGE WON’T BE A FACTOR ON SUNDAY? “The likelihood is that it won’t be, but you never know what’s going to happen at the end of these races with fuel these days.”
IS THIS A WILD CARD RACE LIKE TALLADEGA? “This is more of a consistent race. Talladega is just such an unknown, that’s why it stands out.”
DO YOU EXPECT THAT PIR HAS CHANGED MUCH FROM THE LAST TIRE TEST? “We’ll see what happens when we get there on Tuesday. It will be tough with the oil coming up out of the track. And still the tire combination, is it going to be right or not? We’ll see. Wednesday should be a really good day out in Phoenix to get a gauge to see if the track is ready.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO KANSAS, WHAT ONE WORD WOULD DESCRIBE KANSAS SPEEDWAY? “It’s a tough track, but a fun race track. Kansas is a good atmosphere for a mile-and-a-half for everybody.”
WHAT CHALLENGES DOES KANSAS REPRESENT FOR YOU AS A DRIVER? “Turn Four. Turn Four is really tough. It has a tight corner exit. It gets really slick there on the race track.”
HOW DO YOU ASSESS YOUR CONFIDENCE AS A TEAM AND DRIVER SO FAR INTO THIS CHASE? “We’re two thumbs up. We’re right in the mix. It’s a long 10 weeks. You just have to stay upbeat about it no matter where you finish each week. “
IS THERE A GREAT DEAL OF PENSKE PRIDE KNOWING THAT YOU’RE TWO CARS ARE IN THE CHASE? “It’s great to put two Dodges into the Chase. We get a lot of pride and self-satisfaction in getting two cars into the Chase for Dodge.”