My grandfather couldn't stand the Busch brothers.
I start with that because I can only wonder if he has started doing 360s in his grave or maybe in the three years since he left this Earth the Busch brothers have grown on him.
I never minded the Busch brothers. I actually really liked them because they would stir the pot. But my grandfather. Almost every race it would be given that just one time he would say, "I can't stand those Busch brothers."
My grandfather always pulled for the Andrettis. Mario, Michael, even Jeff and John and Marco and anyone who was driving for Andretti Green or Andretti Autosport. He never expressed that he was a Andretti fan but you could tell. He was a quite fan just as he was a quite man in everyday life.
I wonder what he is think now that one of the two drivers he couldn't stand is driving for the team he silently pulled for.
By the way, the day my grandfather died, Kyle Busch won at Richmond (April 30, 2011). It still gives me a laugh to this day.
Kurt Busch will attempt the Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport. The difference in engine manufacture wasn't an issue... well it's probably still is an issue but not enough to stop this from happening a la the MBNA-Conseco and Chevrolet-Toyota debacle that killed Tony Stewart's chance of driving for AJ Foyt in 2004.
Busch is getting a great opportunity with Andretti Autosport. There aren't many other teams you'd rather drive for at Indianapolis. The team finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 18th and 21st last year and all five cars started in the top nine. But the team has moved to Honda and will be using their new twin-turbo engine. Can Andretti Autosport recreate their success in 2013 and be able to pick up Honda after they won only one of six oval races last year?
The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be trying to become the first driver to attempt to complete 1,100 miles in one day since Robby Gordon did it in 2004. Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles. He did so in 2001 when he finished sixth at Indianapolis and finished third at Charlotte.
Busch still has to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Now if only thirty-three cars make a qualifying attempt, then that will relieve a lot of pressure and based off recent history, bumping will be few and far in-between at 16th and Georgetown (of course, I have my own opinions on how to improve that).
The whole proposal of "the double" make the hairs stand on your neck. One, because it harks back to the days of when motorsports was motorsports. There wasn't a sense that each series was their own sport (which is one of my pet peeves) and there wasn't a sense that drivers were pieces property of the series (which is another one of my pet peeves). Two, it harks back to a day when drivers were drivers. Hopping from ride to ride was acceptable and fear of injury or death wasn't enough to stop them. And three, it makes us crave more. If Busch can do it, why can't other? Why can't other NASCAR drivers give it a shot or why can't an IndyCar driver give it a shot?
There is nothing bad about this. Should he qualify, Busch will become the first driver born in Nevada to ever start an American open-wheel series race. It's never happened. Not in the days of AAA or USAC or CART or the IRL. It's hard to believe. Just that fact in of itself is intriguing. You will have IndyCar champions, a Formula One champion, a Le Mans winner and a NASCAR champion all attempting to make one race. When was the last time that happened?
This is how motorsports should be. No restrictions because of sponsors or manufactures, wife or husbands, girlfriends or boyfriends. It should be a driver just doing it because they can and because life is too short to sacrifice once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
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