SPEED QUOTES: Reaction To Kyle Busch Announcement
12-11-2009 3:45 pm

Kyle Busch, arguably NASCAR’s most electric driver and its 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, announced Friday at the SPEED Studios in Charlotte, N.C., his newest challenge – ownership of Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Busch and Brian Ickler will share driving duties in the No. 18 Toyota Tundra in 2010, while Tayler Malsam pilots the No. 56 Tundra. If sponsorship is secured for a potential third truck, Busch plans to tab former champion Johnny Benson for that effort.

SPEED on-air personalities react to Busch’s announcement below:

“Since Kevin Harvick had in his head seven or eight years ago the idea to start a team, the amount of effort they put into it and what they’ve accomplished in a short period of time is amazing. I certainly expect Kyle Busch’s dedication to this sport and the kind of people who want to be associated with a driver of his caliber to make his team a formidable one from the get-go. I anticipate Kyle will put together an organization that will rival or outperform KHI and you can’t ask for anything better than that in the series.” -- Ray Dunlap, SPEED reporter

“Kyle Busch’s newest venture is a strong statement about the health of the Truck Series. A year ago, everyone had such dire predictions for NASCAR given the economy, specifically regarding how severely they expected the Truck Series to be affected. We didn’t see that, though. The series is very healthy and Kyle’s decision is a nice testament to the belief he has in it. I know how much Kyle loves the Truck Series and I think it’s a terrific leap of faith for him to start a team. He’s so electric and no matter what he climbs into, he runs it hard and drives it to the front. Busch is one of the brightest stars we’ve ever had in the sport and for him to make the commitment to start a team in the Truck Series really is a boost to the series.” -- Phil Parsons, SPEED analyst

“When you look at the Truck Series as a whole and the economy, the one concern has always been the potential loss of drivers. When you have a driver of Kyle’s caliber and talent, concerns abound that given his schedule in a fulltime Cup car and Nationwide car last year, he might not be in the Truck Series much longer although it means so much to him as a driver. So, to see him make this type of commitment as an owner, and he still will be driving, is a big deal. The TV ratings have been very good and when you have a driver of Kyle’s caliber competing weekly, it not only elevates the competition in the series but it raises the profile. It’s great to have Kyle remaining as a driver and now an owner.” -- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter

“Kyle Busch has been entertaining us with his talents on the track for the past seven years and now investing in the Camping World Truck Series with a two-truck team is a resounding endorsement for the health of this series. Kyle raced the trucks when he was only 16 years old and now he’s giving young drivers the opportunity to live out their dreams as well.”-- Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

SPEED, now in more than 79 million homes in North America, is the exclusive home of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Gatorade Duel at Daytona, NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The only network delivering live, at-track programming all season long, SPEED offers the definitive pre- and post-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series programs – NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane, as well as other popular NASCAR programs including Trackside Live, NASCAR Performance, NASCAR Live!, NASCAR Race Hub, This Week in NASCAR, NCWTS Setup and NASCAR in a Hurry.