Kyle Busch earned his place as one of the “bad boys of NASCAR” last season, as he was suspended for a weekend near season’s end in Texas for an altercation with Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Camping World Truck Series race. Busch says he’s grown up as a result of that event, but fans will likely be adopting a “wait-and-see” attitude with “Rowdy.”
The 2005 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year went into the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup as one of the top seeds on the strength of four wins and 18 top 10s. Once again, however, he faltered in the Chase, with five finishes outside the top 20 as well as missing a race while on suspension; he went on to finish 12th in points as a result.
There are few changes on the #18 M&Ms/Interstate Batteries Toyota team for 2012, save for a new spotter: Eddie D’Hondt, Busch’s 2011 spotter, moves to Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports, while Anthony Hirschman, former spotter for A.J. Allmendinger, moves to the #18 team; Hirschman is the son of NASCAR Modified champ Tony Hirschman. Dave Rogers remains atop the pit box as crew chief for the #18.
2011 stats:
- Four wins (Bristol – March race, Richmond – April race, Kentucky, Michigan – August race)
- 14 tops fives
- 18 top 10s
- One pole
- Average starting position – 15.3
- Average finish – 13.0
Find out more about Busch at joegibbsracing.com and www.kylebusch.com.
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