Media Day Notes: Stewart-Haas Racing has a backup plan for Kurt Busch
Stewart-Haas Racing is prepared to be without Kurt Busch in the Daytona 500.
That doesn't mean that Busch will miss the race. And right now, there are no indications he will. But with a decision still looming from the Delaware attorney general's office regarding charges from his ex-girlfriend's accusation of assault, the team has a backup plan in place just in case.
"We're waiting to see, and I'm very hopeful we won't have to worry about it," SHR co-owner Tony Stewart said Thursday via ESPN. "I feel bad he's in that situation right now, and they're both in that situation. But we have to be smart, and we have to have a plan if it doesn't work out for whatever reason."
Patricial Driscoll has accused Busch of slamming her head into the wall of his motorhome on Sep. 26. Busch denies the accusations and says he cupped her face in his hands and told her to leave repeatedly.
Presumably, charges would have to be announced between now and the Daytona 500 for Busch to miss the race. In November, NASCAR CEO Brian France referenced the lack of a decision regarding charges when asked about any NASCAR punishment for Busch. A week before France spoke, Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Gene Haas said he wasn't pulling Busch from the car.
Busch said Thursday that he saw the lengthy process as good news.
"Normal situations like this take 30 minutes, so we’re going close to day 100, so we all have to be patient," Busch said. " We all have to understand that there’s a process that we have to respect, and the fact that no announcement has come out, each day that goes by continues to be good news, and with the team and their support, they’ve been fantastic, Gene Haas especially, it’s amazing to have the comfort level that I have as well as to have told them the truth and understanding of everything. It’s easy to be here and be pumped up about the season that’s 10 days away."
A decision is also being awaited in the hearing regarding a request for a no-contact order by Driscoll. In testimony during the hearing, the two parties leveled allegations against each other. Busch said Driscoll told him that she was a trained assassin while she said he struggles with alcholism and depression and can't separate fact from fiction.
In closing arguments, Busch's lawyer accused Driscoll of perjury and her lawyer said Busch has a domestic violence problem.
• Brad Keselowski said Thursday that he feels like he's a top three driver in the Sprint Cup Series.
“I feel like I am a top-three driver in the Sprint Cup Series," Keselowski said. "I feel really good about my position week to week based on whether it is the track or rules changes I feel like I can be either the best driver or all the way back to a tenth place driver.”
If you're a Keselowski hater, your blood pressure probably started to rise when you read that quote. But after the 2012 title and six wins in 2014, there's not much of a case against what Keselowski is saying. He's certainly within the top 10 range he also mentions.
And if Keselowski is a top three driver, who does he think is in the three with him? Well, here's the answer. No. 1 may be a bit of a surprise to you.
“I personally think just from watching, and I am not afraid to say it, that Carl Edwards is the best driver in Sprint Cup," Keselowski said. "That is my personal opinion. It doesn’t make it law or fact but I think to go with that you could probably place an argument for Kevin [Harvick] as the second best. It is a bit subjective.”
Why Edwards?
“I have seen what Carl has done in cars that didn’t have the speed," Keselowski said. "He has a very diverse skill set. He has been able to win at tracks like Sonoma and has won at every type of track and I feel like he does the best job of any driver I have seen out there at taking a car that is not fast and finding speed out of it. I think when the times have come that he has had dominant cars he has showed dominant performances which is what you have to do. He has kind of shown to me, the skill set at every level to be a top driver.”
• Speaking of the new Joe Gibbs Racing driver, he said Thursday that Matt Kenseth has been instrumental in his transition to JGR. In Kenseth's first season at JGR in 2013 after he left Roush Fenway Racing (like Edwards), he had seven wins and finished second in the points standings. While Edwards' stated 2015 goal is the Sprint Cup Series title, a repeat of what Kenseth did in his first year would undoubtedly be a success.
"Matt has been huge in my transition," Edwards said. "Matt kind of does things under the radar. He put together some meetings early on and some things I needed to be very aware of and really helped me a lot. He'll be a guy I lean on a lot. He's a quiet guy, but he's a very good leader and he has all the experience and success, so hopefully I can keep learning from him."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
