It’s NASCAR’s off season and the rumors are flying faster than the field at Talladega. The latest involves the recently unemployed Kurt Busch and Richard Petty Motorsports. According to the rumor, which below the surface could be more speculation than actual fact, RPM will release current driver AJ Allmendinger and give the famous number 43 seat to Busch.
Busch was released from Penske Motorsports earlier this month after his latest tirade involving ESPN pit reporter Jerry Punch. NASCAR fined him and Busch apologized of course. But the damage had been done and on the heels of several other incidents involving Busch’s angry outbursts, Penske and sponsor Pennzoil had had enough and Busch and the team made the ‘mutual’ decision to part ways.
This week Richard Petty Motorsports Chief Operating Officer Robbie Loomis told a satellite radio show that the team has an interest in Busch.
“I can tell you there is a lot of interest on our part in having Kurt Busch in the fold. It makes sense to have Kurt with our team, if we can make it work,” Loomis said.
"Our main focus is to continue building on what we finished the season with last year," he added. "But right now, I feel like I'm running down two different sets of train tracks. From a personal standpoint, nothing has excited me more than when I heard Kurt had become available. I'm excited about the opportunity to add a driver like Kurt Busch to Richard Petty Motorsports. I would mortgage my house to make Kurt a part of this team. We value what he has done on the race track. He has won a (Sprint Cup) championship and worked for a first-class operation like Penske Racing. Guys like that don't come along every day."
So could it actually happen? Might Allmendinger be sent packing and Busch given the ride? The entire deal hinges on sponsor involvement. Best Buy was a major sponsor on the number 43 last season but signed only a one year deal. Allmendinger finished 15th in 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship points, with one top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes. His best finish was a fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. It was a season that was arguably better then what Allmendinger has had in the past, but was it good enough to keep Best Buy around for another year?
One would think that given a relatively decent showing by Allmendinger last season and the image he projects out of the racecar, Best Buy or any other sponsor for that matter, would be inclined to write a check for another season long ride. Then again, in NASCAR it’s all about winning and that’s something Busch has proven he can do. Busch has over 20 career wins including two last season and he’s the 2004 series champion. However, Busch has also proven that he can display an anger that alienates his team, fans and the media. Just ask Jack Roush, who also had a ‘mutual’ parting with Busch in 2005 over the same sort of anger issues that contributed to Busch’s latest loss of employment.
Roush by the way is the primary supplier of engines and technical support to RPM. Given the history he has with Busch don’t expect Roush to vote ‘yeah’ on Busch being hired at RPM.
While a sponsor can look at Busch’s stats, before any corporation writes a check there will no doubt be a great deal of fact checking. A sponsor would have to roll the dice, hope that Busch behaves himself and figures out the issues that have been troubling him before the season starts. Would Best Buy or any other large corporation be willing to take that chance? While Allmendinger and RPM did have some decent showings last season and RPM has won in the past, is their equipment up to the level that would keep Busch competitive and happy, each and every week? As he has shown in the past, whenever Busch has a car that isn’t running up to his standards, his anger is directed everywhere but inward.
Then there is team owner Richard Petty. Petty may be only a minor owner, but his name is over the door and his legend precedes him. With 200 wins and seven championships, there isn’t too much Petty hasn’t seen or dealt with over his long career. Behind the smile is a man who knows how to get things done and has knocked some sense into more than one driver in the past. Put the headstrong Petty and the anger prone Busch , who isn’t exactly a kid himself, under the same roof and without a complete turnaround from Busch, you’ll have two strong personalities simply waiting to clash.
The talk by Loomis could be nothing more than speculation, a trial balloon to gauge the reaction to adding Busch. It would seem to be a far stretch that any sponsor would want to take a chance on a driver who has had very little time to fix the problems that have sent him packing from two of NASCAR’s largest teams. Busch can talk a good game, he has said he is seeing professionals to get help with his anger issues, but given the short time between seasons in NASCAR, is there really enough time to address those issues? It would seem unlikely.
Wagering on Allmendinger could be a safer bet than Busch. While he may not win any races this coming season, Allmendinger did show marked improvement in 2011 and that trend should continue in 2012.
If the sponsor is willing to risk it however, despite the short amount of time needed to get ready for the season, Busch just may get another chance.
Should that chance come at RPM though, given the personalities of Busch and Petty, the end result could be disaster, for Busch, the team and most importantly NASCAR.
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