Nats’ Harper new inspiration to fellow Las Vegan Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch has been looking for new role models to help guide his racing career, and the 2004 Sprint Cup champion thinks he has found one in a fellow Las Vegas native.

Bryce Harper.

The 34-year-old Busch will be driving for his third team in three years when he takes the wheel for Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing on Oct. 13.

"I'm going to look at a new Zen master, and it's Bryce Harper. I'm really looking up to a 19-year-old Bryce Harper to help me through all this," Busch, who will run two more races for Phoenix Racing before moving to Furniture Row for the season's final six races, said last week in Dover, Del., the site of today's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

"He is so wise," Busch said, "he told the media 'no more clown questions. I'm not going to answer any clown questions.' "

Busch jokingly said that, at the beginning of the season, his Zen master was actor Charlie Sheen.

"That wasn't going very well," Busch said. "Then I followed a fellow top-10-hated-athlete guy in LeBron James. He brought his talents down to Miami and won the championship down there. I'm going to take my talents to Denver and bring the championship out there."

After further contemplation, Busch focused on Harper.

"That phenom out of Las Vegas, that Nationals guy, has helped their team get to the playoffs," Busch said.