Kurt Busch Makes Big First Step in Road to Redemption: The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Review

Kurt Busch is entering the next stage of his career. Busch began as a Roush Fenway ‘Gong Show’ winner. Busch was put in the #99 Roush Truck and won four races and the 2000 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year Award finishing second in points to teammate Greg Biffle. This would be Kurt’s only full year in Trucks. He has made just one start since his Rookie year, a fifth place finish in a 2001 race at Milwaukee.

Busch would jump straight to the Sprint Cup Series, taking over for Chad Little who was released after 27 races in the 2000 campaign. Busch would enter 2001 as a Rookie contender in an un-sponsored team. At this time Busch was a young up and comer and soon found sponsorship from Sharpie and collected three top five’s in his rookie campaign losing out to Kevin Harvick for Rookie of the year. Busch only had one encounter with Dale Earnhardt on track and it was in Earnhardt’s final race. Busch and Earnhardt made contact and Earnhardt stuck his hand out the window and flipped off the young Roush Rookie.

Busch would win four races each of the next two years with Roush before finally scoring his first, and only, Cup Championship in 2004 on the strength of three wins and ten top fives. It was the first time the Cup Championship was sponsored by Nextel. This would be the last year of Busch as a scrappy young driver. What came next was a low point for the ‘04 Champion. In 2005, Busch won three races but had a run in with the police and was benched by Roush for the final two races of the year. So entered the Spoiled Brat Busch phase of his career.

Busch left Roush Fenway and would be signed by Roger Penske to replace the 1984 Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace. Wallace was also signed after winning a Championship, but much like Wallace, Busch would fail to win Roger Penske a Championship. It took just four races before Busch took the Blue Deuce back to victory lane, but he would not win again the rest of the year. Busch would win just two races in 2007, 2009, and 2010 with one win in 2008.

When Shell/Pennzoil left Richard Childress in order to allow Budweiser to take over for the very driver that beat Busch for Rookie of the Year, Roger Penske jumped in and signed the Gas Giant. Mobil One left to sponsor Tony Stewart and Roger Penske decided to build a new team from the ashes of the #12 and #77 teams. In a surprise move, Busch was moved from the Blue Deuce to the new team. Brad Keselowski, who had struggled in his first full year with Penske would take over for Busch in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge.

What came next as Busch joined the new #22 Penske team was a second term of Spoiled Brat Busch thus ending any attempt at redemption. It was never clear as to why Busch was moved, either Miller Lite asked that Busch be moved or new sponsor Shell/Pennzoil wanted Kurt. Only those involved know for sure, and they aren’t talking (yet). Kurt again clocked in two wins but at the end of the year it finally came to light that Busch was what everyone thought he was; a hot head who was out of control. Busch went nuts and went off on pit reporter Jerry Punch and was released from Penske Racing.

This year we get a second attempt at a redemption from a very talented driver. Busch is driving for underfunded Phoenix Racing and is making the most starts in the Nationwide series of his career. Busch is driving for brother Kyle’s KBM team, and it is fitting that the team’s first win would come not with owner Kyle, but with older brother Kurt. So what comes next for Kurt? Will we see another chapter of the Spoiled, Hot headed Busch or is the 33 year old former champ ready to finally get his act together? Only Kurt knows for sure, but I’ll tell you one thing he is starting to show his leadership skills now that he is driving for an underfunded team - clearly as sign of “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone”. If you get my drift.

Results and more after the jump!

It was a great run for our championship contenders Ricky Stenhouse and Elliott Sadler. It was also a great run for Steve Wallace.

The Championship standings have heated up. Only two points separate Elliott Sadler from defending Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Here’s how it looks after 7 races:

The hunt for the top 30, or 32 since there are two teams not locked in that are in the top 30, is getting interesting. Here’s how it shakes up:

Join us very soon for a preview of the race from Talladega! Enjoy!