Victory Would Make for 'Sweet' Birthday Weekend KYLE BUSCH

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (April 27, 2016) – What to get a guy for his birthday who seemingly has everything?

That guy happens to be Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Skittles/Marvel Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), owner of 36 first-place trophies in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition and 161 winner’s trophies in all among NASCAR’s top three series. For Busch, the answer is quite simple – more trophies and, perhaps a slice of birthday cake made with Skittles?

Busch blows out the candles to celebrate his 31st birthday Monday and would like nothing more than to start the celebration in victory lane at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway as the winner of Sunday’s Geico 500 Sprint Cup event. The race will also mark Busch’s 400th career Sprint Cup start, and there are six drivers who scored victories in their 400th career start, with Jimmie Johnson the most recent one to do it when he won the 2013 Daytona 500. Interestingly enough, Busch brought home the victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in 2013 while making his 300th Sprint Cup start.

Even though Busch’s birthday isn’t until the day after race day this year, he does hold the distinction of being only the second driver in Sprint Cup history to celebrate a victory on his birthday with a win at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on May 2, 2009, a feat first accomplished by Cale Yarborough – twice. Yarborough won on his March 27 birthday at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway in 1977 and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1983. Since then, Busch’s JGR teammate Matt Kenseth equaled the feat as he won in 2013 on his March 10 birthday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As for this weekend, Busch has conquered the mammoth, 2.66-mile Talladega oval just once in 21 career starts at the track, his lone win coming in April 2008. He has accumulated nine other top-15 finishes at the track but also exited four outings early due to accidents.

Busch knows the winner of Sunday’s 500-mile race will not only need to have a strong car, but must be in the right place at the right time during the final laps on NASCAR’s longest track. So, if anyone is considering what to get Busch as a belated birthday gift, any help earning a second career Talladega trophy would be greatly appreciated. And having the Skittles colors to celebrate with in victory lane would make for one “sweet” birthday weekend.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Skittles/Marvel Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (April 27, 2016) – What to get a guy for his birthday who seemingly has everything? That guy happens to be Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Skittles/Marvel Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), owner of 36 first-place trophies in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition and 161 winner’s trophies in all among NASCAR’s top three series. For Busch, the answer is quite simple – more trophies and, perhaps a slice of birthday cake made with Skittles? Busch blows out the candles to celebrate his 31st birthday Monday and would like nothing more than to start the celebration in victory lane at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway as the winner of Sunday’s Geico 500 Sprint Cup event. The race will also mark Busch’s 400th career Sprint Cup start, and there are six drivers who scored victories in their 400th career start, with Jimmie Johnson the most recent one to do it when he won the 2013 Daytona 500. Interestingly enough, Busch brought home the victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in 2013 while making his 300th Sprint Cup start. Even though Busch’s birthday isn’t until the day after race day this year, he does hold the distinction of being only the second driver in Sprint Cup history to celebrate a victory on his birthday with a win at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on May 2, 2009, a feat first accomplished by Cale Yarborough – twice. Yarborough won on his March 27 birthday at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway in 1977 and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1983. Since then, Busch’s JGR teammate Matt Kenseth equaled the feat as he won in 2013 on his March 10 birthday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As for this weekend, Busch has conquered the mammoth, 2.66-mile Talladega oval just once in 21 career starts at the track, his lone win coming in April 2008. He has accumulated nine other top-15 finishes at the track but also exited four outings early due to accidents. Busch knows the winner of Sunday’s 500-mile race will not only need to have a strong car, but must be in the right place at the right time during the final laps on NASCAR’s longest track. So, if anyone is considering what to get Busch as a belated birthday gift, any help earning a second career Talladega trophy would be greatly appreciated. And having the Skittles colors to celebrate with in victory lane would make for one “sweet” birthday weekend. KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Skittles/Marvel Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:  Are superspeedways more mentally draining than other racetracks? “At Talladega, the physical demand isn’t that big of deal. You can run around there all day long and not break a sweat, really. Once you get down into the nitty gritty of the race and try to play the chess game at the end of the race, you’ve got to really pick and choose your spots and think all the time if you go here and team up with this guy. It really wears on you a little bit, mentally. I would say Talladega is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical, while most other non-restrictor-plate races are 80 percent physical and 20 percent mental. We’re hoping to be in position with our Skittles Camry Sunday to give it another shot at the win.” Is it any more special to get a win on your birthday or, in this case, your birthday weekend like this one at Talladega? “I think anyone who knows me or has followed me knows that it doesn’t matter if it’s my birthday or whatever it is. I love to win and love to be able to add to the trophy case. That’s what we do, what it’s all about, and the focus each week. I think you do learn over the years that you can’t win them all, but that sure doesn’t stop us from trying. Winning is huge for our sponsors, too. It’s what drives all of us to get better each week. We have Skittles on the car this week, one of my favorites. You really have to be in the right place at the right time at Talladega so, hopefully for all of us, we are there when it counts on Sunday.” Is it an advantage being a former winner at Talladega? “It doesn’t matter at all. It’s such a crapshoot there in the last 20, 30 or 40 laps that you never really know who is going to win, what’s going to happen and where the wreck is going to come from.” What is the key to pulling off a victory at Talladega? “The key there is to somehow stay out of trouble. You stay where the pack is, generally, and we get up single file on the wall at times until it’s time to go, and you can pretty much run wide open every single lap. Everyone can run up on top of each other. When you get single file at the bottom, sometimes it’s hard to get a lane on the outside with enough good cars to get something going. It can be frustrating at times because of that. It also seems to still put on a good race each time we go there. If you can be a contender and stay in line on the bottom, you can make it a pretty easy and safe race. Normally, guys are not content doing that, so that’s when it starts to get crazy.”  Skittles/Marvel Racing Round 10 of 36 – Geico 500– Talladega Car No.: 18 – Skittles/Marvel Toyota Camry   Teammates:  Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry; Carl Edwards – No. 19 ARRIS Business Toyota Camry; Matt Kenseth – No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry.     At-Track PR Contact: Bill Janitz, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 803 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com).    Primary Team Members:   Driver: Kyle Busch Hometown: Las Vegas   Crew Chief: Adam Stevens Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio   Car Chief: Nate Bellows Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont   Team Engineer: Ben Beshore Hometown: Hometown York, Pennsylvania   Engine Specialist: Mike Johnson Hometown: Bozeman, Montana   Spotter: Tony Hirschman Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania Over-The-Wall Crew Members:   Gas Man: Tom Lampe Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska   Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan   Jackman: TJ Ford Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina   Front Tire Carrier: Brad Donaghy Hometown: Orange County, Virginia   Rear Tire Carrier: Kenny Barber Hometown: Hoosick Falls, New York   Rear Tire Changer: Jake Seminara Hometown: Steubenville, Ohio   Pit Support: Marcus Bonicelli Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado   Pit Support: Jeff Koons Hometown: Greenfield, Indiana Road Crew Members:   Truck Drivers: Brendan Greene and Jamie Price Hometowns: Midland, North Carolina, and Choteau, Montana, respectively   Tire Specialist: Gregory Katzke Hometown: Wausau, Wisconsin   Interior Mechanic: Wesley Lape Hometown: Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania   Team Engineer: Gene Watchtel Hometown: Clearwater, Florida   Ride and Handling Engineer: Chris Chase Hometown: Nichols, New York   Rear End Mechanic: Chris Jones Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia   Mechanic: Todd Foster Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama   Front End Mechanic: Brandon Griffeth Hometown: Pittsfield, Illinois