Can the combination of Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson turn Ganassi Racing around?
CONCORD, N.C.—Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson might just be NASCAR’s new odd couple.
Busch, 40, grew up in the desert. He worked on his own late models and raced around the Southwest before Jack Roush recruited him two decades ago. The 2004 Cup champion has amassed 30 victories for three different owners on every type of race track in the sport.
Larson has remained under the same roof for the last five Cup seasons. The 26-year-old Northern Californian cut his teeth in midgets prior to signing a long-term deal with Chip Ganassi in 2012. He has scored five wins in 183 starts. Unlike Busch, Larson never worked on his cars. He really has no interest in understanding the mechanics. Similar to most Cup drivers of his generation, Larson is a plug-and-play competitor whose job starts when he gets behind the wheel.
Busch is in the twilight of his racing career. Larson is far from full bloom. Still, opposites attract. What the drivers do have in common—besides a love of racing—is the ability to make the most out of their time outside of the race track.
And that could be beneficial for both of the Chip Ganassi Racing drivers.
“I just feel a small responsibility just due to my age and where I sit, personally,” Busch said when it comes to working with Larson. “He’s at the top of his game in the top sport of racing here in the U.S. Larson can be bigger. He can be better. And I see something in him. And that’s part of the draw of why I came here.
“There are plenty of reasons, but that’s one of those things on the side. It’s not a trophy. It’s not a win. But, I would feel a sense of accomplishment by helping him out.”
Larson’s raw talent is remarkable. Yet it took nearly two-and-a-half years before he found Victory Lane in 2016 at Michigan. What appeared to be his breakout year in 2017—with a career-high four wins, three poles, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s and an eighth-place finish in the standings—was followed by a winless 2018.
Larson understands there are holes in his NASCAR development and areas where a veteran such as Busch can be beneficial in his evolution as an elite driver. While Larson says working with former teammate Jamie McMurray “was a blast,” he knows Busch will push him to be better this year.
“Getting somebody with Kurt’s experience is probably what I’m most excited about,” Larson said. “The new (car) package is going to be what it is. We’re all racing the same thing. You’re always anticipating—and excited—about getting to Atlanta and seeing where you stack up. But I would say I’m more excited about working with Kurt and trying to learn as much as I can off of him and grow as a driver.
“I guess I have to find those areas where I can be better. Everyone can always be better. Look at a guy like Jimmie Johnson—a seven-time champion. He’s constantly growing. Everyone is constantly growing. I think it comes down to what rate I can grow at. I think there are things I can change throughout the week to be better. I’m going to try and grow as a driver for sure.”
Larson’s potential is unlimited. Although he was winless in 2018, Larson still produced 10 podium finishes on a variety of tracks. His crew chief, Chad Johnston, believes the statistics don’t reveal the full story.
“He finished second so many times that people think you have trouble closing,” Johnston said. “But those seconds are probably seconds that should have been top fives or fifth-to-10th. The year before last, we won two or three races just because of late-race restarts—both Michigans. Richmond was one that we won off of pit road. But we weren't going to win those races had he not had good restarts.
“He has the ability. It’s just a matter of—I don’t know if it’s closing—but as a team knowing what the car needs to do towards the end of the race. Are you setting it up for a long run or a short run and what changes you need to do to put yourself in an advantage at that point. I think it’s more of a learning curve for all of us, not just him. Some of that’s just the feedback he gives, but I think Kurt can help him with what the track does from Friday to Saturday to Sunday.
“He’s been doing it a lot of years. Tapping into his memory and his knowledge will be a benefit for all of us.”
Johnston, who worked with Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing, describes the contrast between drivers as “black and white." Busch is more outspoken, where Larson is generally subdued. But Johnston understands the impact Busch can have on Chip Ganassi Racing.
“They’re both competitive,” Johnston said. “Kyle is more laid back and easy going. Kurt is going to tell you what he thinks whether you want to hear it or not. There’s pros and cons to both, right? But at the end of the day, the goal is the same—to win races and win championships.”
With Busch wintering with wife Ashley in West Palm Beach and Larson racing midgets around the world with his young family in tow, contact has been limited between the drivers. Still, Busch sent Larson a pep talk prior to the Chili Bowl Nationals. And on Tuesday afternoon, following their media availabilities, the teams raced go-karts across the street. Larson led. Busch passed him. Then Busch’s new crew chief Matt McCall, a former short track driver who ran a spattering of trucks and Xfinity races, topped them by a second.
When the season starts, the bonding will begin in earnest. Busch is anxious to hit the track to see how the driving styles align.
“Right now if my first gut instinct is I’m the guy that drives off the right front tire from all the Late-Model experience I have and he’s the guy that drives off the right rear tire with all the dirt track experience that he has,” Busch said. “It shows that there’s two ways to skin the same cat. But that gets me excited to learn things. I think he’s feeling that same thing as far as having my experience come to him.
“And then there’s going to be the friendship that develops from it, too. There are all kinds of things that are ahead of us and we have a learning curve—teammate, crew chief, even with Chad Johnston on the No. 42, everybody just getting in the same room and getting going. And hopefully we can just get that behind us by the end of February and that way we’re rolling out to the West Coast for the Swing ready to go with all the questions answered.”
What’s Larson’s first take?
“He’s a very competitive person,” Larson said of Busch. “It’s going to be fun to race against him.”
Our Partners
.png)
