Kurt and Kyle Busch have finally joined forces announcing this week a joint effort to campaign in the NASCAR Nationwide Series under the Kyle Busch Motorsports banner.
The team has full season sponsorship from Monster Energy for the No. 54 Toyota. Younger brother Kyle will race the car starting at Daytona and turn the driving duties over to Kurt after four races. The brothers will then split the duties for the remainder of the season.
“Since debuting in NASCAR, Kyle Busch Motorsports has had the goal to add a championship-caliber Nationwide Series team to our organization," Kyle Busch said. "With [Thursday's] announcement of Monster Energy as primary sponsor and my brother, Kurt, as the second driver, we've accomplished that goal. The Monster Energy team of athletes consists of champion performers united by a desire to be the best. Kurt and I share that same desire and will settle for nothing less than adding a NASCAR championship to the long list of achievements for one of the strongest brands in the world."
The addition of a sponsor with a ‘Monster’ moniker however may actually be one of the more fitting in NASCAR history when it comes to the brothers Busch.
"Monster Energy has always stood for competing and winning no matter what the sport," Monster Energy Co. president Mark Hall said. "To make this happen, we've always sought out the most determined, fearless and committed athletes for the Monster team. With the Busch brothers sharing the wheel of the Kyle Busch Motorsports Monster Energy Camry, we have every reason to believe we have drivers capable of running up front every weekend."
Both Busch brothers have ‘bad boy’ reputations in NASCAR. Both have been involved in on-track and off track incidents involving their individual tempers; Kurt was punched by then driver Jimmy Spencer a few years ago after an on-track tangle and just last year Kyle was charged with speeding and reckless driving in North Carolina. He was also parked at Texas Motor Speedway after an on-track incident with driver Ron Hornaday, crashing him and ruining any chances Hornaday had at winning a Truck Series title. Kurt too was fined for making obscene gestures at NASCAR officials and being verbally abusive to reporters.
The brothers also share the legacy of having to find new teams due to anger issues. Kyle was released from Hendrick Motorsports several years ago and Kurt from Penske Racing this past season after a final confrontation with a reporter during the final race of the season at Homestead.
Whether the anger issues shared by the two brothers will surface between them isn’t certain. But both are known to have the lack of proper equipment trigger their anger. Should the older brother have an issue with the racecars provided by his younger brother or have both have shown in the past some other problem that ignites their anger, the tempers could flare between them. If the notorious Busch brother emotions do explode, the monster they create could turn a happy family reunion into a fairytale from the Brothers Grimm of old.
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