| | | | | | NOT BAD | Kurt Busch pleased with second 24-hour race attempt | |
| | By Bob Pockrass / SceneDaily.com DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Kurt Busch had much more fun in his second Rolex 24 At Daytona than his first.
Driving with his fellow Roush Racing drivers in 2005, the team encountered several problems and finished 27th. In the race that ended Sunday, Busch was part of the third-place team.
"I thought last time, we didn't quite have a car capable to run the pace that we needed and I had to find things to take out of it, which was we did run 23-and-a-half hours and I did get the call at 3 in the morning and put together a triple-stint," Busch said Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. "That was the experience that helped me get through today and yesterday with just knowing what to expect."
It helped him know what to expect when he drove in the rain overnight in the Penske-Taylor car as well.
"I had a blast," Busch said. "I was smiling from ear to ear, especially [when] I got to drive at night in the rain. It's the first time I've ever done that. I just lived a sheltered NASCAR life."
Busch was teammates with Penske's Indy Racing League driver Helio Castroneves (of "Dancing With the Stars" fame) and American Le Mans Series driver Ryan Briscoe.
"These guys are fast and my job was to run and protect the car and hand it back off to these fast guys," said Busch, whose team finished six laps down.
After the race, Busch boarded a plane for Las Vegas to test his Sprint Cup car Monday.
"I'm privileged to run for Roger Penske in the Cup series," Busch said. "He let me come and play today and yesterday and now he says, 'Go to work tomorrow.'
"You know me, I'll jump up, jump behind the wheel and go."
| | Posted January 28, 2008 , 5:52 pm EST
Last Updated January 28, 2008 , 6:02 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
