Kurt Busch finds himself sitting in fourth spot and 75 points out of first in the 2009 Chase. So far this season, he has had one win, eight top fives and 16 top 10s. Despite all this, there is still turmoil with the team.
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His crew chief, Pat Tryson, has already announced he won't be returning in 2010 and will be joining driver Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing. So Kurt is going through some frustration. You might say his ego is getting in the way at times.
I remember back in 1989 when I was crew chief for Ricky Rudd. We had just the opposite situation. Ricky announced he was leaving us. Now, we never quit working hard to try to win races, but, to be honest, we didn't make it easy for Ricky either. I look back on that now and realize how silly that was.
Now, I have the utmost respect for Roger Penske. He is one of the most awesome and powerful men in all of motor sports. Obviously, his record speaks for itself. I also have all the admiration for Kurt Busch. He is a very talented race-car driver. With all due respect to Roger, I blame him for all the things that have gone on and are going on.
Truly, Roger is the only guy that can put his foot down and say it's not only going to stop, but also stop now. They are a great company, and they are spending a ton of money. Yes, Pat is leaving, but if you listen to the communication on the radio during a race, that's probably a big reason he is leaving.
At the end of the day, they could still win races this year and could still win the Chase. If they are doing this well with this kind of animosity, just think how good they could be if they would just buckle down for eight more weeks together. They have to get through these remaining races with a professional attitude. I don't care whether after the checkered flag falls at Homestead they want to spit on each other then.
Again, Roger pays those guys well and he is spending a lot of money, but only he can make it stop. I know he is focused on trying to win the IRL championship and rightly so, but he also has an excellent chance to win the 2009 Chase, too. It's no different from Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, Joe Gibbs or Jack Roush. When they speak, folks listen, or they'd better. Those owners are the only ones that can make a difference when they speak.
