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Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch - that seems to be the only name that gets any attention these days. Sure the kid has hit a streak that is unrivaled - winning twenty-one races in all three series in 2008 and visiting victory lane at each of the four facilities visited thus far in 2009 - but don't think older brother Kurt can't still get the job done. After celebrating with Kyle in victory lane in their hometown of Las Vegas last week, it was Kurt's turn to get the job done this weekend at Atlanta. A strong car throughout much of the weekend, Busch's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge rolled off from the second spot and never looked back.
Dominating the event, the Penske Racing driver scored the third-straight NASCAR win for a Busch family member. In addition to Kyle's win at Las Vegas in the Cup Series, "Rowdy" took the checkered flag this Saturday in the Camping World Truck Series event. Making it three-straight, Kurt hoisted the trophy and celebrated in victory lane. "I felt like I needed to hold my end of the bargain," Kurt jokingly said after the race. "I'm real proud of [Kyle]. Real happy for him. He's done a tremendous job transitioning to Gibbs Racing. To be up front every week like he has, to run strong." With all of younger brother Kyle's success it has become easy for Kurt to be overlooked by many. A disappointing 2008 and an 18th-place finish in the standings on top of Kyle's impressive numbers have helped overshadow the older of the two brothers just a bit. Despite all of this, Kurt does not feel he has been underestimated. "I think the kid has been dominant and he's been on the gas," Kurt said of his younger brother. "Just like Carl Edwards was out in front of us with a 'green white checkered' today. I thought for an instance, 'This is how these guys win,' they put themselves in position to win. I thought if there was a yellow off the restart, Carl Edwards would be sitting here talking to you guys after a dominant performance by our team." While it may be tempting, do not underestimate Kurt Busch's ability to get the job done. In his ninth full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Busch is a former series champion, has nineteen career victories, sixty-three top-5s and 118 top-10s - not bad numbers to say the least.
"Obviously, a driver like him can drive for any team out here," team owner Roger Penske said of his driver. "His brother is a great driver. I can tell you one thing, there's not many people that can hold a candle to Kurt. That's why we hired him." Although he struggled for much of the 2008 season, Busch has come out of the box strong thus far in 2009. A tenth at Daytona was followed up by a fifth-place finish in Fontana. After setting his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge on the outside of the front row (next to brother Kyle), Kurt's day went south when his motor let go relegating him to a 23rd-place finish. This weekend's performance in Atlanta moved Busch to third in the series standings and solidified the 30-year-old as a serious threat to the competition. "To start off this year rolling like we have, it feels good," Busch explained after Sunday's victory. "Today it leaves me speechless because of how much hard work has been put in, how excited we are to pull our Miller Lite Dodge into Victory Lane, put Dodge up on top of the board. With everybody struggling up in Detroit, it feels really neat to do that." Expect to hear more out of the eldest of the Busch brothers as the season progresses. A renewed confidence and strong performances have this team holding their head high, especially heading to Bristol in two weeks where Kurt has five wins, five top-5s, nine top-10s and one pole.
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