Kurt Busch, Penske team testing in preparation for 2009 Cup season
Kurt Busch and his Penske Racing team are already working to get prepared for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, testing today at the new half-mile track located just outside the backstretch of Rockingham Raceway Park in North Carolina.
NASCAR’s 2004 Cup champion isn't taking the final race of this season, Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, lightly after coming off a runnerup finish last Sunday, but the team is looking for improved results next season.
“We’ve been saying that we’re already focusing on getting our total program ready for ’09, and this is an example of our commitment to doing that,” crew chief Pat Tryson said. “We get back to the short tracks only five races into the season next year, so it’s never too early to be working on that end of the deal. This also gives us the opportunity to work with new components and try stuff out.”
The team also believes a win this Sunday would boost the offseason effort as well, especially since it would allow the team to enter 2009 as the most recent race winner.
“I’ve never looked at it with that much data in front of me before, but it only works to reinforce my belief of just how important it is to end your season on a high note,” Busch said. “As much as we race, and because there’s so little time off during the season, the weeks tend to roll on from one track’s schedule right into the next race along the tour.
“The winner celebrates on Sunday night, but the clock rolls back almost immediately because you’re already busy preparing for the next race that’s only a couple of days away. So when you look at that period in between the closing of one season till the opening of the next, that’s a long time to think about it."
There are 91 days between Sunday's race and the Feb. 15 Daytona 500 season-opener.
“Your last race out is the one that’s freshest on your mind, and you certainly hope it’s memorable for all the right reasons,” Busch said. “Closing out your season with a competitive weekend at Homestead is just that important.
“If you come out of there with great results, it gives all the team members, the sponsors, the media – everyone out there – a super calling card to remember you by. It works to instill optimism and grow the level of confidence through all those cold and dreary winter days."
