Kurt Busch will be doing plenty of NASCAR racing in 2012

   By Jim Utter

   jutter@charlotteobserver.com

   Kurt Busch will be doing plenty of racing in the 2012 NASCAR season.

   On Friday, Phoenix Racing announced it had hired the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion to drive for its No. 51 Chevrolet team next season.

   The No. 51 entered every Cup race in 2011 with several different drivers. The news release announcing Busch’s move said he would drive a “full schedule” with the team.

   Busch is also expected to join forces with his younger brother, Kyle, and drive for Kyle’s Nationwide series team in 2012, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned.

   One option being considered is for Kurt Busch to run the full Nationwide schedule and compete for the series championship, multiple sources said.

   Under NASCAR’s current system, Busch will only be able to earn driver points in only one series. It remains unclear what effect Friday’s Cup announcement will have on the Nationwide plans.

   A spokesman for Kyle Busch Motorsports said Friday the team was still finalizing its driver lineup and would not have any official announcements until after Jan. 1.

   Kurt Busch parted ways with Penske Racing earlier this month, ending his six-year tenure with the organization. He has won 24 Cup races and the 2004 series championship in his career.

   Busch’s first race with Finch will be the Feb. 18 Budweiser Shootout, which he won last season.

    “It’s going to be old-school racing, where we show up, race hard and go for the win,” Kurt said of his new Cup ride with Phoenix. “And if we don’t win, we’ll go back to the shop, work hard and do it all over again next week.

   “That’s the way we all started racing, and it’s great to get back to that.”

   James Finch, owner of Phoenix Racing, celebrated his 20^th year as a team owner in 2011. His Spartanburg, S.C.-based team has won 13 NASCAR races, the most prominent being the April 2009 Cup race at Talladega, Ala., with then-driver Brad Keselowski.

   “All we want to do is win,” Finch said. “Winning is why I’ve been in racing for as long as I have, but NASCAR is a very competitive sport, and winning – especially at the Sprint Cup level – is hard.

   “But now with Kurt Busch as our driver, we have a shot to win every week.”

NASCAR digital media outlets to grow

   NASCAR coverage on digital media platforms is looking to expand, perhaps as soon as the 2012 season.

   Sports Business Daily reported Monday that NASCAR is close to reaching an agreement to buy its digital rights back from Turner Sports, a move that could see the sanctioning body manage its own digital business as soon as 2013. Specific terms of the pending agreement were not available.

   Some changes could be seen in 2012, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned. They include Sirius Satellite Radio being able to stream its content on-line to subscribers and MRN and PRN - which own the radio broadcasts rights to NASCAR races - being able to stream their race coverage online.

   When these changes could take effect remains unclear.

   There was no immediate comment from officials at Sirius.

   NASCAR spokesman Scott Warfield would not confirm any specifics but did offer the following statement:
  
   “As is the case with all of our partners, we are in constant dialogue with Turner Sports. While we don’t publicly comment on the nature of those discussions, it is fair to say we are exploring various options as it relates to the future of our long-standing partnership.”

   In any case, it seems NASCAR offerings in digital media should be on the rise in the near future.

How much did the Chase drivers make?

2011 Season Winnings

Rank     Driver             Season Total

1     Tony Stewart         $12,671,071

2     Carl Edwards         $11,351,964

3     Kevin Harvick         $8,072,369

4     Matt Kenseth          $7,901,409

5     Brad Keselowski     $6,503,444

6     Jimmie Johnson     $7,599,034

7     Dale Earnhardt Jr   $5,329,888

8    Jeff Gordon              $7,126,719

9    Denny Hamlin          $6,578,688

10  Ryan Newman         $6,388,178

11  Kurt Busch               $6,714,991

12  Kyle Busch              $7,160,043

Danica Patrick picks up a crew chief

   Greg Zipadelli's move to Stewart-Haas Racing as competition director was a much anticipated and expected one. However, his temporary role at Danica Patrick's crew chief for her limited Sprint Cup schedule in 2012 was a late addition to his job description.

   Zipadelli addressed his planned work with Patrick during a teleconference on Friday.

    Q.  Zippy, is one of your big jobs right now to get the 10 team kind of put together and is there any chance that you would end up crew chiefing that at least for the 500?

    ZIPADELLI:  Yeah, I think that is the plan now.  I mean, I will start immediately as soon as this afternoon, working on putting some of those pieces together.  I know Matt Borland has done a really good job of keeping that going already, so they're not behind.  And as far as Daytona, yes, Daytona test and Daytona 500, right now it looks like I'll be there to do that and just see ‑‑ most important is that we find the right person long‑term for that position.

    Q.  And when would kind of the target date for that be? 

    ZIPADELLI:  I think honestly, if it takes until the end of the year to make sure we look at everybody that's going to be available either now or coming available at the end of the year ‑‑ really see who that person is that fits with the other crew chiefs, fits into Stewart‑Haas's, under their umbrella and the mold and the way they like to do things, that's important is finding that right person.  We'll take as much time as we need.

   Q. The second part of the question is being on top of the pit box with Danica for Daytona, I mean, you know there's just going to be so much attention placed on her first Cup race, especially being the biggest NASCAR race of the year.  I mean, in a lot of ways it's got to be an enviable position but also a position that can be quite difficult.  

   ZIPADELLI:  I mean, when we talked about this, this wasn't part of it.  They got through it and they thought about it and they asked if this was something that I would do, and here's the deal:  I'm here to help this team grow in anything that I can do.  I'm looking forward to it.  I think it'll be fun, it'll be exciting, and like I said, it gives me a little bit of the ‑‑ helps with the withdrawal as far as being on that box.  The races are spread out throughout the year, so that'll be good.  It shouldn't take a whole lot away from the things I'm trying to learn and help with over here on a daily basis.

   With that being said, to me I'm just looking at it as, hey, it's a good opportunity, we're going to go and do the best we can with it, surround her with the best people we can and give her a great opportunity.

   Q. As the guy who helped Tony ease through the transition from IndyCar to stock car racing, how will that experience, 13 or so years ago, impact your assisting Danica through that same transition next year?

   ZIPADELLI:  I mean, I hope just the things that I've learned over the years, the patience and the things that I've had to ‑‑ going through those transitions, we'll be able to pull from those things.  I think Tony is going to ‑‑ and Ryan are going to be able to help her way more with that.  They've actually experienced it and felt it and been through a lot of that stuff, and as far as that goes, she couldn't have two better teachers, you know?  

JGR announces new crew chief for driver Joey Logano

   Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today that Jason Ratcliff has been named crew chief for its No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team, replacing Greg Zipadelli who is leaving the organization to pursue an opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing. 

   “We appreciate everything Greg has done for us here at Joe Gibbs Racing. He has been a big part of our success, but we felt the timing was right to make this transition for our race team which allows Greg the opportunity to pursue a director of competition position with Tony (Stewart),” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We also felt that the timing was right to bring Jason (Ratcliff) to our Cup operation. He is a proven leader with a tremendous track record in our Nationwide program and we think he and Joey will work well together.”

   Ratcliff spent the previous seven years as crew chief for JGR’s No. 18 Nationwide Series team. No team has been better over the past three seasons as the team won two consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championships in 2009 and 2010. They narrowly missed out on a third consecutive title this past season finishing just a few points off the pace in second. Over the past three seasons JGR’s No. 18 Nationwide Series team has won an incredible 30 races, with 68 top-five, and 85 top-ten finishes. In addition, they have led an astonishing 6,124 laps over that time.

   “I’m excited about the opportunity to join our Cup operation and work with Joey and everyone on the 20 team,” said Ratcliff. “There is a great history with this program and we have two of the best sponsors in the sport with The Home Depot and Dollar General. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Joey a few times now on the Nationwide side so there is a familiarity there, but I’m looking forward to getting started fulltime and working alongside Dave (Rogers) and Darian (Grubb).”

Lineup for 2012 Budweiser Shootout

    NASCAR announced Wednesday the list of eligible competitors for the 2012 Shootout. The 34th annual season-opening event launches Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a start time set for 8:10 p.m. FOX.

   Criteria are based upon the following qualifications, with eligibility based on a driver having been active in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during the 2011 season:

· The highest ranked 25 competitors in 2011 NSCS driver points

· Previous winners at Daytona, including the Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, and Shootout events

   Starting positions will again be determined by a blind-draw at the annual Shootout Draw Party on Friday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4.

Drivers eligible for the 2012 Shootout include:

2011 Top 25 Driver Points

Tony Stewart

Carl Edwards

Kevin Harvick

Matt Kenseth

Brad Keselowski

Jimmie Johnson

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Jeff Gordon

Denny Hamlin

Ryan Newman

Kurt Busch

Kyle Busch

Clint Bowyer

Kasey Kahne

AJ Allmendinger

Greg Biffle

Paul Menard

Martin Truex Jr.

Marcos Ambrose

Jeff Burton

Juan Pablo Montoya

Mark Martin

David Ragan

Joey Logano

Brian Vickers

Others (criteria in parentheses)

Bill Elliott (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400, Shootout)

Geoff Bodine (Daytona 500, Shootout)

Derrike Cope (Daytona 500)

Michael Waltrip (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)

Jamie McMurray (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)

Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500)

Terry Labonte (Shootout)

Ken Schrader (Shootout)

NASCAR champ crew chief joins Hamlin's team

   This year's championship-winning crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series will try to win one next season with the 2010 season runner-up.

 

   Joe Gibbs Racing will name Darian Grubb - who won this season's championship with driver Tony Stewart - as the new crew chief for Denny Hamlin on Friday afternoon, sources confirmed to The Observer and ThatsRacin.com.

 

   Grubb, who was told early during the Chase for the Cup that he would not return as Stewart's crew chief next season, had been mulling several offers before deciding to join Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR released Hamlin's crew chief, Mike Ford, earlier this week.

 

   In three seasons together at Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb and Stewart won 11 races, including five in this season's Chase.

 

   Hamlin finished second in the 2010 Chase, falling 39 points short of Jimmie Johnson, who won his NASCAR-record fifth consecutive title.