NASCAR Cup Series

Testing tires never so vital for NASCAR drivers

Published Jan. 9, 2009 12:20 a.m. ET

foxsports

Just like usual in early January, Kurt Busch was back in the cockpit of a car at a track doing testing.

"It's just good to have that racetrack smell back in your nose," Busch said Thursday.

Except this was different. Busch was at Texas Motor Speedway instead of Daytona and taking part in a Goodyear tire test rather than an open test for Penske Racing.