KYLE BUSCH
‘Double’ the Fun at Darlington
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 3, 2011) – If you ask Kyle Busch what he does for fun, the answer is simple – racing is his ultimate fun.
What could be more fun than racing for Busch? That would be winning, which doubles his fun. Busch, who turned 26 on Monday, is fresh off his latest win after scoring his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
The driver of the No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will look to double his win total at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the next stop of the Sprint Cup tour during Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500.
This weekend’s race will mark the first of three races in 2011 that Doublemint will serve as primary sponsor for Busch, as the iconic chewing gum brand’s mint paint scheme will also adorn Busch’s No. 18 Toyota at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August, and the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., in September.
The talented, newly turned 26-year-old conquered the “Track Too Tough to Tame” in May 2008, garnering his first victory at the 1.33-mile egg-shaped oval. And, as he hits town this weekend, Busch also brings with him the distinction of being the youngest Sprint Cup winner in the storied history of Darlington.
While last weekend’s dominant win at Richmond was impressive, even more impressive is the fact that Busch, crew chief Dave Rogers and the entire Doublemint team have shown amazing consistency in seven of the nine races contested thus far this season. And, despite engine issues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and an accident not of their own doing at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Busch and the No. 18 team have been in the hunt for the win each and every week. With his win last Saturday night, Busch moved up to third in the Sprint Cup standings, just 30 points behind leader Carl Edwards. The team is focused on not just getting back into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but mounting a season-ending championship run. It has certainly proved thus far to be worthy of being considered a legitimate title contender.
Should Busch have the good fortune of doubling his Sprint Cup win total at Darlington on Saturday night, it’s been said, for the record, that it most certainly will double his fun and double his pleasure, as well as that of the entire Doublemint team.