In introducing Kyle Larson as the new driver of his No. 42 Chevrolet beginning next year, Chip Ganassi didn’t seem a bit worried about Larson’s lack of NASCAR experience.
By choosing Larson, a 21-year-old racer who has only 23 Nationwide Series career starts and six in the Camping World Truck Series, Ganassi is betting that the youngster’s immense talent will overcome his lack of seat time in vehicles similar to the ones he’ll drive on the Sprint Cup circuit. Larson has a win and a second-place finish in truck races this season and six top-five finishes in the Nationwide Series, but he’s a regular winner on short-track circuits.
Ganassi said that more important to him than stats is the way Larson seems to be able to find his way to the front when it counts.
“He gives you the impression he’s dilly-dallying in the middle of the pack, not paying attention,” Ganassi said. “Always at the end, he’s where it seems to matter to be. That says something to me.”
Fellow racer Ryan Newman said that while Larson is short on NASCAR starts, his experience in sprint cars and other forms of motorsports have him prepared to take over the car driven by Juan Pablo Montoya.
“I think Kyle has definitely proven across the board he can drive absolutely anything anywhere anytime,” Newman said, adding that the real tests will come off the track.
“I think the biggest challenge he’s going to have ahead of him is not what happens outside of this (media) room, it’s what happens inside of this room, the media part of it, the publicity part of it.”
Defending champ running low on time: For reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, a defense of his title is no sure thing. He enters the AdvoCare 500 weekend outside the top 10 in the points standings and winless so far, so to make the championship-deciding Chase for the Spring Cup he'll need to either get inside the top 10 by the end of next Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway or win a race and hope to grab one of the two wild-card berths.
He said Friday that he’s confident he and his No. 2 Ford team at Penske Racing are capable of bouncing back to the form that saw them outduel five-time champions Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet team down the stretch run of the 2012 Chase.
“In this sport it’s inevitable that the way it works is a bit of a roller coaster, and we’re at the bottom of it right now,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it. I feel like the key to the sports world and, really, the key to life, isn’t about falling down, it’s about getting back up.”
He said winning Sunday at AMS or the following Saturday at Richmond would be a big step in the right direction.
“That’s my goal,” he said. “It still wouldn’t lock us in (the Chase).”
Busch has to say goodbye: For Kurt Busch, the hardest part of leaving the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team that helped him resurrect his Cup career was telling the crew members of his decision to go drive a fourth car for Stewart-Haas Racing, beginning next year.
“The toughest part about switching teams is the notification with the current group that you are with,” he said. “There is big disappointment in that. It’s tough because we have so many weeks left in our campaign this year to run hard. It’s just the nature of this sport.”
But he said making plans early is the only way to enter the following season without playing catch-up.
“If you are not settled by Sept. 1, you are behind in a lot of categories,” he said.
Busch and the No. 78 team are still in the running for one of the 12 Chase berths as he’s 12th in the standings, just six points out of 10th place.
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