Kyle Busch off to a great start

Kyle Busch, the man they call “Shrub,” is off to a whirlwind season, already scoring two victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two wins in the NASCAR Camping World Series, a win in the Nationwide Series and a win in the qualifying race for the 2009 Daytona 500.

What more could anyone ask for? Well, if you are Busch, then you just want to go out and get more wins. Last year, Busch had 21 wins across all three of NASCAR’s top touring series. This year he has already hit the 25-percent mark and is running for a championship in both the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup series.

So, what motivates Busch? Apparently not souvenir sales, as was made evident following his dominating victory this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“If there’s a car in front of me, I’m going to chase him. You know, I want to pass that guy,” Busch said. “If I’m the leader, there’s another car in front of me, he’s going a lap down. The more guys you get a lap down, the more you don’t have to deal with at the end of the day. There’s always some motivation to go forward. There’s always somebody ahead of you that you can pass that’s going to mean something. Even if you are the leader.

“The only time that that doesn’t mean anything is when you come down to the last two races or even the last race of the year, if you’re the championship contender, and you don’t need to finish but 32nd, then don’t worry about anything. But until you’re in that position — you’re feeding off everybody in front of you.”

Heading into Martinsville Speedway this weekend, Busch is hopeful that he can continue to get the job done. He admits that Martinsville is not his best track but according to others in the garage, he is still a favorite, along with Jeff Gordon.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “I’m proud of that. Hopefully I can carry that into Martinsville. I suck there, so it’s gonna be hard to do, but we’ll see what we can figure out. The best finish I think I’ve had there is a fourth in Cup and a third in Trucks or something like that, or a fourth in Trucks, too. I’ve got two chances next weekend. Hopefully we can get one of ’em. If not, then we just have to start another streak.”

Jerry Jordan can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 225, or at jerry@theexaminer.com.

Get on the stick ... or go home

With five races behind us in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, we are at the point where it’s time to make it on your own or hit the long road back to North Carolina.

What am I talking about, you ask? Well, it’s time for the end of the Top 35 carry-over positions based on how drivers finished the season in 2008. And from what I can tell by looking at the overall points standings, there are some popular drivers that might get sent home if they can’t figure out how to make sure their cars are fast.

First up is Aric Almirola. Almirola is sitting in 36th place and needs to move up in the points if he wants a guaranteed starting spot. Next is David Gilliland, who is in 37th place and is followed in the points by Paul Menard, Travis Kvapil, Regan Smith, Joe Nemechek, Bill Elliott, Scott Riggs, Dave Blaney, Jeremy Mayfield, Terry Labonte, Todd Bodine, Max Papis, Brad Kesolowski, Sterling Marlin and Mike Bliss in 51st position.

Okay, all of these drivers have to worry about being sent home but in reality some of them will be in the race because they can get the job done in qualifying. NASCAR takes the Top 35 automatically and the fastest of the remaining “Go or Go Homers” are then placed into the field based on their qualifying efforts.

The official entry list from NASCAR has 48 drivers vying for 43 positions and everyone past 35 spot is fighting among themselves for a spot in the race. It’s quite possible that some unfamiliar names could be racing on Sunday while guys like Menard and Mayfield will be watching the race from their couches.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now, I have some news about NASCAR racing that everyone can get a chance to go out and see. If you thought the only way you could see a real, live NASCAR race was to go off to somewhere like Texas Motor Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway, you were wrong. Although you won’t be watching the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Show, you can get up close and personal with the future stars of NASCAR by going out to Houston Motorsports Park. The track is now a NASCAR-sanctioned facility and will have bi-weekly racing. Weekly divisions at the track include NASCAR Fiesta Late Models, NASCAR Cricket Modifieds, Pro Trucks, Pro Stocks, Limited Modifieds, Eco-Stocks, Legends and Bandoleros.

The season kicks off this Saturday, March 28, with the Fiesta Speedfest 2009 sponsored by Cricket Wireless.

If you go, look for me, as I will probably be somewhere on the infield checking out all of the action. And the best part about local NASCAR racing — the price. General admission tickets are $5 with advance purchase at Fiesta stores and $15 at the track. Drinks and hot dogs are only a buck and so is beer, but because I have a severe allergy to that stuff, I will be sticking with Diet Coke. The action starts at 5 p.m. For more information, call Houston Motorsports Park at 281-458-1972.

In other news, I am getting ready for next weekend’s race at TMS in Fort Worth. The weekend will kick off with a celebration inducting Bobby Labonte into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 1. The event will take place inside the Speedway Club ballroom at the track for his commitment to auto racing in Texas. Also being inducted will be Speedway Motorsports Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith. Smith built SMI into a major motorsports operation that was the first of its kind to trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

In other news about TMS, I just got an update that there will be two Earnhardts on the track during the NASCAR Nationwide Series event — at least if they both qualify.

According to a release sent out Tuesday, Dale Jr.’s older brother Kerry Earnhardt is scheduled to drive for Rick Ware Racing. Kerry’s son and Junior’s nephew, Jeffrey, will make his Nationwide Series debut at Dover later this season.

I am also hearing that Mark Martin wants to extend his deal with Rick Hendrick to race another full season in 2010. The deal is probably done but we are all waiting on the final word, which could come any day.

That’s about it for this week. I want to thank Brad Klein at NASCAR’s PR department for hooking me up with the cool numerology story that is running this week. I hope you enjoy it, as I try to continue to expand The Examiner’s NASCAR coverage.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have the opportunity to come up to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the Samsung 500 but if you can’t make it, I understand. Remember, there is also some great NASCAR action just over an hour away at Houston Motorsports Park.