SEASON PREVIEW:
KURT BUSCH
Written by: Ashley M.
OVERALL PAST SUMMERY
Kurt Busch finished 10th in the standings but before his suspension with Rouch, he was 8th with 2 races left. His average finish was 15.3 in 2005 with a average start of 13.6. Through probably one of the best things in this is he completed 92.1% of the laps in 2005. He also led the pts for 2 weeks near the beginning of the season. Kurt also won the Nextel Cup title in 2004 and since 2002, he has finished in the top 11 pts position every year.
Even with this sucess, he is leaving Rouch for Penske next year. Penske has a good program with 2 of their 3 cars finishing in the top 10 in pts in 2005.
RESTRICTOR PLATES
In 2005, Kurt had a excellent Daytona 500 with a finishing position of 2nd and he was contending for the win in late laps. He backed up his Daytona 500 finish with a 7th place finish @ Talladega. But he sunk the ship with a 37th place finish in the Pepsi 400 due to a accident. In the chase, he got a 8th place finish @ Talladega.
If Kurt can manage to stay out of trouble, I say watch out because he'll be a force to be wrecking with out there.
SHORT TRACKS
In 2005, he first Short track race of the season @ Bristol he finished 35th which is odd for him due to his sucess there in the past. But he improved a bit at Martinsville with a 19th place finish and he had a 17th place finish at Richmond. Through he improved the short track program with a 10th place finish at Bristol a win @ Richmond right before the start of the chase. In the chase, he got a 6th place finish @ Martinsville.
If Kurt can stay out of trouble and have luck, then I say we'll have Kurt running good on the short tracks like it should be.
FLAT TRACKS
In 2005, Kurt got his first win of the season at Phoenix but got a 22nd place finish @ Pocono. But he got back on the good fortune with a 2nd place finish @ New Hampsure and he got fixed his Pocono problem with a win in July. Through at Indy, he finished 18th. In the chase, he got a 35th place finish @ New Hampsure.
He will need to keep his finishes high to have a good season but if he does what he did at Phonix in the spring and what he did at Pocono in the fall, he will have a good flat track year.
ROAD COURESES
In 2005, Kurt got a 3rd place finish @ Sears Point through at the Glen, he finished 39th due to a accident.
If Kurt can stay out of trouble, then I see a good road course year ahead for Kurt.
COOKIE CUTTERS
In 2005, Kurt finished 3rd in both the Auto Club 500 @ California & the UAW-Diamler Crysler 400 @ Las Vegas. But at Atlanta he got crashed out early and finished 32nd. He backed up his first two finishes with a 7th place finish @ Texas. He got a 37th place finish @ Darlington and he got a 43rd place finish @ Charlotte but that was due to a accident but he got back in the top 10 with a 9th place finish @ Dover and a 7th place finish at Michigan. He kept up his good runs with a 8th place finish @ Chicago, a 7th place finish @ Michigan and, a 12th place finish @ California. In the chase, he got a 23rd place finish @ Dover, a 14th place finish at Kansas, a 2nd place finish @ Charlotte and a 36th place finish @ Atlanta and a 10th place finish @ Texas.
In his mixed results for Cookie Cutters, I'd say the best advice is for him to get some luck and stay near the front and make sure he's got a good car. Starting in the middle of the pack (Atlanta Spring) is a bad idea.
OVERALL
All Kurt needs is some good cars and some luck and he'll be a contender for the 2006 Nextel Cup Championship. Penske does have good cars so all he needs is luck now and you have a contender.
Information from: NASCAR Online
(C) Ashley M, 11/29/2005
(R) The NASCAR Palace, 11/29/2005
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