Toyota Racing – Kurt Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
ATLANTA (March 19, 2022) – 23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch was made available to media prior to the Atlanta Motor Speedway race this Saturday:
KURT BUSCH, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
What are you seeing with this organization versus what you have seen in the past?
“As a driver, I’ve been with different teams, but I’ve also been blessed to be with quality teams and this one is no different. We’re bringing the best quality we can to the track through the Next Gen’s development where parts are tougher to find, and repairs are a different strategy as far as what is approved and what is not. But overall, the quality of cars all of it is there. We’re a sister team to JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) so I look at it as there is six Toyotas that go to the track to win and that’s the feeling, that’s the setting and that’s the tone that we have with the 23 car and the 45 car right now.”
What did you learn from the West Coast races and what have you implemented thus far?
“I think it’s a geographical reset as far as not being out west anymore, and now here we are at Atlanta with as new as this track is with the pavement and the banking being reconfigured and the rules package – this is the mindset of a plate race. Right now, watching this practice is probably as important of a thing that I need to be doing, and then the Xfinity Series will be out there later and then we will be out there gathering data and information and then COTA next week – first time with the Next Gen on a road course. We’re going to Richmond. That’s a true short track. There’s so much that is going on that there’s really not a definitive reset. It has to be a calculated effort each week.”
What are the bumps like and the transitions in the track surface?
“I think they had a construction problem with a pipe breaking in the back straightaway area and it eroded the fresh asphalt all the way down the back, so the segment where they cut it in from the banking in turn two to the flat – that was the roughest spot. From what I was told, they grounded the racetrack there as well as turn three’s entry – mainly on the straightaway’s side – they were supposed to ground it to just to help smooth things out with the construction problem.”
Are you comfortable of where the track is at right now?
“I’m comfortable with where things sit. There is a lot of discussion as far as the white line and how to officiate it – the groove being narrowed up in the corners because the banking is steeper, and then the front straightaway has more asphalt as far as distance from the low groove to the wall and we needed it to match the back straightaway’s distance as best as possible, so I think everybody worked together collaboratively – as far as the SMI side, NASCAR’s side and the drivers to end up with what I’m watching on track and it looks like a pretty good piece.”
What is your reaction to NASCAR going to LeMans?
“The LeMans announcement – yeah, I haven’t got into that yet. It looks like there is going to be a car or a class that a NASCAR car will participate in, and that’s huge. That’s exciting. That’s what I believe the DNA of this Next Gen car can do. After the success of the Coliseum, there was already talks of what soccer stadium are we headed to across the pond. What road course can we go to where the cars are shipped in a container, and they show up similar to a F1 style event. That’s what this Next Gen car is already showing – what we can all do together.”
Would you like to drive at LeMans if given the opportunity?
“For sure, that is on my bucket list – to drive in the 24 Hours of LeMans, to race in Australia in the Bathurst 1000, to race in Monaco – probably in a historic event. I won’t be able to get in a fast F1 car for that. Yes, of course. Anywhere, and if NASCAR is already making a push to have this happen with this Next Gen car, that is more exciting for me than the current Whelen Euro Series that I see over there.”
Does having practice today versus yesterday change the plan at all?
“No, it doesn’t change. We just don’t have to worry about qualifying trim. I think we are locked in ninth. Now we just focus on practice side of it and work with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and 23XI group to maximize the practice session and gather the data that we need.”
What are your thoughts on Ross Chastain flourishing?
“I think the timing worked out great for (Ross) Chastain. He signed a multi-year contract and to have worked last year with the Ganassi group. That was really the first time he had that stability and comfort to know he was a full-time guy with a top-quality team. Now with the Next Gen car, all of the newness, he’s basically with the same group of people and he’s that blue collar kid that he’s like ‘now what.’ It’s really fitting his style with the team he’s with and just the newness of the Next Gen car.”
What would it mean to get the first win on the new surface at Atlanta?
“That would be a dream come true in a sense with this situation. Anytime you can win – I would call this – an inaugural style event, it’s labeled for a long time. The old track and the character here, I’ll miss it. I’ll miss it after racing on it for so many years, but this is a brand-new AMS, and this is a brand-new type of feel and sequence on what it’s going to take to win. In the driver’s mind, and in a team’s mind this is hyped up as an inaugural event.”
Do you have an advantage because you have tested here?
“We will take any advantage that we can get. Right now, with the Next Gen car, we’re learning so fast. From our test session, it was 45 degrees, it was cool and there was only three cars, but in the three car draft things were getting pretty busy on the speed and the car’s instability with the tire and the asphalt and the downforce, it was right on edge. That was just with three cars. We will learn a ton here in the next little bit and that will help dial in what we need to for Sunday’s race. I’m glad we have the extra practice day, where it got rained out and now it’s today. The impound portion of this – I’m glad we can make adjustments after practice.”
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