Busch to race 1,100 miles in one day

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Sunday will bear one of motorsport’s ultimate tests of endurance for Kurt Busch — 1,100 combined miles of racing between Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Four drivers have attempted what the racing community simply calls, “the Double.” The most recent attempt came from Robby Gordon in 2004. Only one driver — Busch’s NASCAR owner Tony Stewart — has completed all 1,100 miles on the same day. Stewart finished sixth in Indianapolis and third in Charlotte in 2001.

Simply joining Stewart in completing both premier events would rank as one of the greatest accomplishments in Busch’s career. A win in either of the races — especially Indianapolis — would instantly cement Busch’s name among legends.

But Busch isn’t concerned with the history books. He said Indianapolis serves as a new benchmark — a personal goal of testing himself on one of racing’s greatest stages.

“It’s not like I’m putting my career or my credentials on the line to prove anything,” Busch said. “This is a moment to check off something on the bucket list, but also to challenge myself to see where I can end up in this open-wheel rank at one of the most difficult races in the world.”

Busch’s crossover from the stock car world to the IndyCar world has been well-received by those at Indianapolis. As Busch finished debriefing with his team before qualifying on May 18, a crowd of about 30 fans had gathered around his pit box. A few of them requested pictures as Busch got onto his golf cart to drive back to the garage, and Busch obliged.

For years, the often outspoken Busch has been among NASCAR’s most polarizing figures. The 2004 NASCAR champion carries the nickname “the Outlaw” because of his past history of disagreements with competitors and public scrutiny from comments made to media and his team.

But that isn’t the Kurt Busch teammate James Hinchcliffe has seen. Hinchcliffe initially joked that Busch was normally “throwing things and cussing a lot,” but he quickly corrected himself.

“No, no, that’s clearly the Kurt of old,” he said after qualifying. “The guy we’ve had has just been awesome. It’s been really cool seeing someone with as much racing knowledge and experience as he has. He’s brought a lot to the table in that respect. Some of the philosophies are very different, but you’re taking a rookie who happens to have a billion races under his belt.”

Despite his experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a stock car, adjusting to drive the radically different No. 26 Dallara-Honda has taken some getting used to. While in NASCAR, the cars Busch described as a “workload truck” would happily go into Turn 1 around 200 mph. His “sports car” IndyCar makes the first turn at about 230 mph.

Like Busch, competitor Juan Pablo Montoya has had experience in both NASCAR and IndyCar. Montoya said he has been impressed with what he has seen from Busch, but he added racing scenarios will be different.

“In NASCAR, you get probably about 20 percent of the understeer that you get here, I think,” Montoya explained. “He’s doing a really good job in a really good car with a good team. The racing will be harder because he’s not 100 percent sure what he’s going to get.”

Busch got a taste for just how difficult race conditions can be on Monday during the final full day of IndyCar practice. As he exited Turn 2, Busch felt a bobble in the car. He quickly tried to correct the car, but he overcorrected and sent the car into a spin that left Busch with a torn up racecar.

It’s the exact scenario Busch will look to avoid in Sunday’s race at Indianapolis. Readjusting to the IndyCar start will be the most challenging aspect. Busch said he will take the first third of the race to simply practice and get his bearings before starting to make his move through the field.

“It will be just a matter of controlling emotions, as this is the start,” he said. “The tow of the draft will be phenomenal. It will be overwhelming to the point where breaks will come on to my mind, ‘I’m slowing down,’ and just staying off of the car in front of me and settling in. It’s a matter of just trusting the car in the dirt dirty air.”

Busch said running in the Indianapolis 500 will be a dream come true. He’s called the open-wheel paddock a whole new world, and he has been complimentary of the competition and the help he’s gotten from other drivers.

Once one dream race comes to an end, Busch will go into NASCAR mode. Busch will hop onto a private plane in his fire suit for a 50-minute flight back to Charlotte, where doctors will attend to him and make sure his health is in the proper state to compete in NASCAR. He’s been training for the endurance test with karate and runs to the gym, but the doctors will serve as precautionary aids.

He said he’ll take a nap on the plane, eat and be ready to hit the track once again, chasing a win in NASCAR’s longest race. With the IndyCar race beginning at 12:12 p.m. and lasting roughly three hours and the NASCAR race starting at 6:15 p.m., any delays during the day will cause more stress on the already tight schedule.

But Busch said he isn’t worried as much about that. He is only worried about one thing — becoming the second person to complete “the Double” and trying to find a way to win either race on Sunday.

“I’m enjoying and taking it all in,” Busch said. “To be on the fourth row of the Indianapolis 500, I’ll give it a thumbs up.”