Busch brothers join forces for Nationwide Series project

Kyle Busch might be the boss, but as the older brother by seven years, Kurt Busch still finds himself imparting advice from time to time.

It's difficult to change a lifelong dynamic, but this isn't a true employer-employee relationship anyway.

Both are highly invested in Kyle Busch Motorsports, the namesake literally so.

"It's not necessarily just a brother, but it's a championship-caliber driver," Kyle said of hiring Kurt. "It's a guy that's going to be able to run up front. He's going to put his full effort forward. He's going to be able to go out there and win you races.

"There were other drivers we were certainly capable of putting in the seat, but we knew that we would have a little bit of a learning curve in trying to get those guys up to speed. This just makes that (process) way quicker."

Kyle, 26, invited Kurt, 33, to share driving responsibilities for the team's new Nationwide No. 54 Toyota that Kyle will handle for the first five races. That includes Saturday's Sam's Town 300 at the brothers' home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"Everything's new to us, so we have to concentrate on these first five races and try to go test with Kurt during the break (after March 24) and kind of see the similarities or the differences," KBM crew chief Mike Beam said. "Then we'll have to make changes. So it's definitely going to be a challenge."

The brothers will split driving duties after the first five races.

"Just to have a Busch in that No. 54 car for every race gives you that sense of brotherly love, whereas we've been competitors our whole lives," Kurt said. "So this is a great chapter for us to start."

Kyle opened the Nationwide season by finishing 18th at Daytona and followed with an 11th-place showing at Phoenix.

The goal is to make a real run at the Nationwide title this season, though Kyle said he doesn't expect the team to jell and win races until May.

This season is a new beginning for both Busches, and not just on the Nationwide side.

Kyle Busch nearly was fired from Joe Gibbs Racing's Sprint Cup team after intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Truck race last season. Off the track, he also was clocked driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone.

Kurt Busch left Penske Racing after a run-in with ESPN reporter Jerry Punch, resulting in a video that went viral.

Resurrecting their images is not the overriding reason they decided to go into business together, but should a more positive public opinion of them be a result of this union, they would take it.

"I think everybody respects both of them for their ability to drive a race car," KBM general manager Rick Ren said. "But everybody handles media differently.

"Maybe this year if everything goes really good, I think it will be more of an eye-opener to the race fans who they really are, not necessarily who they are portrayed to be. I will tell you both of these guys behind the scenes are not how they are portrayed to the public. They're good people."

Ren said any skeptics should see the impact of Kyle's foundation that benefits needy children.

Still, reputations are hard to shake, no matter the amount of winning and charitable works performed.

"I don't expect it to change much, unfortunately," Kyle said. "People only care about what they see on TV, and sometimes TV doesn't portray exactly how you are.

"I don't worry about it anymore. These guys running around here know who I am. They believe in me, and they want to work with me. They want to be here, and they want us to be able to win races, not just for themselves, but as a team."

Kyle is unquestionably one of NASCAR's most talented drivers, and though he has been in contention for the Sprint Cup championship, his highest finish was fifth in 2007. He began this season by finishing 17th at Daytona and sixth at Phoenix.

No one would be surprised if by the time the Chase comes that Kyle and his No. 18 Toyota are in the mix.

The same cannot be said for Kurt and his No. 51 Chevrolet. He was 39th at Daytona and 15th at Phoenix, and he is starting over with Phoenix Racing. It's like going to Triple A after a career in the majors.

But now maybe the pressure is off.

"This group is a lot of fun, and I can see myself staying here for as long as they want me," Kurt said. "It's all about the mighty sponsor dollar, but in life, there are certain victories that can be outside of Victory Lane.

"This is a blast. You have to work a lot harder, and you have to find a broader range of results. This is a good project."

So is the project with KBM.

Kyle grew up wanting to beat Kurt in every competition, and that probably won't change.

"It's neat now to work on something together," Kurt said, "but I know there's going to be a running tab on who wins more in this Monster car."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.