DENVER, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2012) – Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch will make his Furniture Row Racing debut in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The agreement with the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing calls for Busch to drive the team’s No. 78 Chevrolet in the final six Sprint Cup races of 2012 and during the 2013 campaign.
“This weekend begins a new chapter in my racing career and also a new chapter for Furniture Row Racing,” said Busch, who captured the NASCAR title in 2004, the first year of the Chase. “The excitement level about driving the No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet is at a high pitch and I can’t wait to get started.
“This is a team that is committed and it’s also a team with plenty of potential. The guys are ready, I’m ready and we all look forward to having a positive debut.”
While being competitive is always the highest of priorities for the 24-time Cup winner, Busch said the first thing he is looking to accomplish is developing a rhythm with his new team.
“Our goal is not only to get ready for 2013, but also be competitive in the final six races,” stated Busch. “But first things first. We will need to work out the kinks as we attempt to get more speed out of the car. I look forward to working with crew chief Todd Berrier, he is a veteran in the Cup garage who has enjoyed success.”
Speaking of success, Busch has had his share at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval, winning the Coca-Cola 600 in 2010. He has also scored a second, third and two fourth-place finishes at Charlotte.
“Being a mile-and-a-half track this will be a good test for us,” explained Busch, a Chase qualifier in six of the last nine seasons. “We’ve said it many times that since intermediate tracks dominate our schedule, it is imperative to do well on them if you want to be a Chase contender.”
Busch enters the Charlotte race with a career record of of 24 wins, 89 top fives and 171 top 10s. He won the 2004 championship in only his fourth full-time season.
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Busch’s Sprint Cup Record at Charlotte Motor Speedway
St Fn 2000 (fall) 42 13
2001 42 12 43 22
2002 24 31 11 12
2003 12 15 17 41
2004 32 11 21 4
2005 35 43 7 2
2006 20 39 42 32
2007 2 32 8 26
2008 8 16 19 3
2009 17 34 15 10
2010 2 1 15 30
2011 26 4 20 13
2012 42 27
No. 78 Over-the-Wall Crew Front-tire changer Shane Pipala, Frankfort Square, IL Front-tire carrier Art Simmons, Newark, Mo. Rear-tire changer Coleman Dollarhide, Hickory, N.C. Rear-tire carrier Dwayne Moore, Griffin, Ga. Jackman Gabe Martin, Lake Wylie, S.C. Gasman Justin White, Lynnville, Tenn. 2nd Gasman Ryan Bergenty, Plainville, Conn. 7th Man/Windshield Todd Carmichael, Redding, Calif. _____________________________________________
No. 78 Road Crew Crew Chief Todd Berrier, Kernersville, N.C. Competition Director Mark McArdle, La Crosse, Wis. Car Chief Robert Huffman, Hickory, N.C. Engineers Cole Pearn, London, Ontario Matt Faulkner, Memphis, Tenn. Technical Director Phil Jimenez, Germantown, Tenn. Spotters Rick Carelli, Arvada, Colo. Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C. Engine Specialist Scott Meesters, Hanford, Calif. Engine Builder Earnhardt-Childress Racing Shock Specialist Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio Tire Specialist Chad Krauch, Loveland, Colo. Technical Support Michael McCullough, Imperial, Calif. Mechanics Ryan Bergenty, Plainville, Conn. Todd Carmichael, Redding, Calif. Joe Kerrigan, Canon City, Colo. Transportation Henry Benfield (also gas runner), Statesville, N.C. Jim Gilbert, Belleville, IL Dave Hicks, Montcalm, WVa. Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL John Slingerland, Sacramento, Calif.
