"To add a driver with the
résumé of Kurt Busch to the Indianapolis 500 field is a huge gain for IndyCar,"
said Derrick Walker, IndyCar Series President of Competition and Operations. "We want
to see the best 33 drivers put their skills to the test on the biggest stage in
motorsports, regardless of which series they come from. To attempt 'the Double'
is a tremendous challenge, and we're looking forward to watching Kurt accomplish
the feat this May."
Busch, 35, who is
dedicating the effort to U.S. military personnel serving around the world, said
the opportunity "is a dream come true."
"My dad, a Mac Tools
distributor, and I would go to car shows and see Indy cars and he'd say, 'This
is about as close as you'll ever get to one of these things' because it was so
far removed from what we could dream as a small blue-collar family from Las
Vegas," Busch said. "It's just the different opportunities that have come up in
motorsports (that have led me) to this biggest moment outside of stock
cars.
"It was a talk over
dinner (with his agent, John Caponigro) one night on 'what if?' and now it's all
becoming a realty for me to drive in the Indy 500 with
Andretti."
Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, was excited about Busch's decision.
"As a past Coca-Cola 600 champion, Kurt Busch knows what a test of endurance 600
miles can be. To race 1,100 is nearly impossible. Our records show that only one
driver has ever completed all 1,100 miles of the double in the same day, and
that was by Kurt's new team co-owner, Tony Stewart. To even attempt this takes a
lot of guts," he said.
"Fans will appreciate this effort, and I know they'll be as excited as I will watching the clock to see if he can make it to Charlotte in time for our green flag."
