Leading the way, taking the bull by the horns, Kyle Busch led his Kyle Busch Motorsports team to the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner’s Championship in 2013.
“We worked hard all season long and everyone on this Kyle Busch Motorsports team deserves all the credit,” Busch said afterwards. “They work so hard every week, all year long — we’ve had a lot of the same employees, but we’ve had a lot of new employees. The 51 team with Erik Jones winning last week — he gave us the saving grace to come into this week and have a chance and I can’t say enough about him. Chad Hackenbracht for being on board with us this year and doing the results that he did and of course there’s one other one I’m missing — (Scott) Bloomquist, he was there too at the dirt race. It’s just a testament to this team and what they’re made of and everyone from Toyota Care, Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) — everyone makes this possible for us. We hope to do it again next year.”
Busch drove the No. 51 Toyota Tundra most of the year, winning five races along the way as he contended for wins each time he was behind the wheel. Busch has proven without a doubt that he can win at any level of NASCAR and has shown his car control multiple times. Some have even been critical of Busch stating that he is racing at the lower levels of NASCAR too much, picking on the little guys. But Busch is a diehead racer that loves to be behind the wheel and racing. That’s why he does it.
However, while you may not agree with Busch’s decision on running in the lower tiers, you can agree with this – he is the man of opportunity.
While many people tend to stick to running with an established team, Busch went out on the limb a couple years ago and created his own team – Kyle Busch Motorsports. In doing so, hiring employees, he gave those people a start in the sport where they may have not been able to without another team. Behind the scenes, you have crew chief Rudy Fugle getting a chance to be atop the pit box, calling races. You have crew members going over the wall that otherwise may have been left as back-up or without an opportunity. You have employees in the shop that are getting the chance to work on trucks and learn about the industry, possible future crew chiefs and car chiefs down the road.
When Busch wins, it’s not just shows the type of driver Busch is, but the equipment that those boys and girls are building. It validates their hard work and dedication.
Though, let’s not forget, Busch wasn’t the only driver to run that truck this year and win in it.
Established dirt racer Scott Bloomquist took his shot behind the controls at Eldora with NASCAR’s inaugural trip to the dirt track. A bad decision on an adjustment caused Bloomquist to struggle, but the opportunity was there for him.
ARCA standout Chad Hackenbracht got his chance behind the wheel a couple times and impressed many onlookers, scoring a solid second place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Then there was Erik Jones. Busch hired Erik Jones because Jones beat Busch to win the Snowball Derby last year. The result was success as each time he was in the truck, he ran well. Phoenix International Raceway was his best run as he dominated the race, scoring the victory to become the youngest series winner ever.
Busch is looking to run Jones in more races next year, along with fellow young standout Darrell Wallace Jr. Wallace Jr. had a solid season behind the wheel of his No. 54 Toyota Tundra, finishing top 10 in points and scoring his first career win at Martinsville Speedway.
“It’s pretty neat to see the young talent and that’s kind of the whole point in having a Kyle Busch Motorsports, having a Late Model program, having a Truck Series program,” Busch said at the Canadian Motorsports Expo earlier this year. “We’re trying to help bring that younger talent to NASCAR.
“Everybody has plenty of opportunity to make it happen. One thing that it comes down to is trying to have the right sponsorship to put you to that next level. Once you have talent, that’s what you need.”
A lot of people will continue to criticize Busch on a multitude of levels. But before you do, think about the opportunities that he is giving to others along the way.
