Over the years, Kurt Busch has faced some difficult and occasionally awkward questions from NASCAR media members. Thursday at the annual Sonoma Raceway media luncheon, Busch got asked a fairly bizarre question: Who would he rather have lunch with - Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman or Jimmy Spencer?
"Where did you come up with those three," Busch said, his voice rising as the banquet room at the tony McCormick & Kuleto's Seafood & Steaks at Ghirardelli Square exploded in laughter. "I was thinking you might say Danica (Patrick) to finish off the Stewart-Haas conversation."
Busch recalled an interview with the Armed Forces Foundation - a worthy cause that Busch has done a tremendous amount of fund-raising for - a few years back. "Who are the three people you'd invite to your hot tub and then, who are the three people you'd banish to an island, never to be heard from again?" Busch said he was asked back then. "This is that same type of question, so I hope I don't have to kill one, marry one or go hang out with one."
Despite having run-ins with all three at one point or another in his career, Busch said he is on good terms with Stewart, Newman and Spencer.
"I have no idea where I'm going with this story," said Busch. "I has hoping something would have clicked by now. But maybe Newman and I need to have a sit-down, because we're both out there charging hard, trying to get into the Chase and we're looking for rides."
The end of that last sentence referred to the fact that both Busch and Newman signed one-year contracts for 2013 and are two of the most valuable free agents in the NASCAR Sprint Cup marketplace right now.
Give Busch credit: He was a good sport and he got the crowd laughing.
