Friday, November 12, 2010

Kurt Busch Is Serious Enough About NHRA to Get a License

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Drag racing has fast become more than just a hobby to Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. In fact, he is as serious about the sport as he is about racing in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.

So it was on a beautiful late fall day this week at Rockingham Dragway that Busch earned his NHRA Pro Stock license, taking the next step forward in his pursuit of going straight and not turning left. The Las Vegas native ran fast enough in a Roy Hill-owned Pro Stock to be eligible to drive in the NHRA's third-level series behind Top Fuel and Funny Cars.

There was no fanfare. No champagne. No cheering crowds -- only a few high fives and warranted smiles between the empty concrete, steel, and wood bleachers looking on aside both the left and the right lanes.

There weren't even any other competitors on site. It was Busch, his crew, the track prep crew and Roy Hill, a former drag racer and now drag racing school owner.

For three days, Busch and his crew -- all dedicated to drag racing -- worked under the tutelage of Hill and were put through the paces to ensure that come 2011, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and his team would be ready for whatever might transpire on the drag strip.
 
 

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