
2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Kurt Busch, the drag racing rookie that everyone has heard of, plans to make his second start behind the wheel of his 1970 Dodge Challenger at PINKS All Out at zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC on April 24. Busch will pull a different kind of double duty, by attempting to qualify his Miller Lite Dodge for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Super-speedway and then fly to Concord where he will be paired up with other racers for a special exhibition portion of the race.
Busch apparently won’t be vying for a spot in the elite Saturday evening All Out show televised on Speed Channel, however, he will serve as one of the show’s technical advisers during eliminations.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, which includes 36 races over the course of 10 months, doesn’t offer Busch many opportunities to enjoy his new-found racing hobby.
After working his way through Roy Hill’s Drag Racing school this winter, Busch made his drag racing debut at the NHRA Gatornationals last month in the 9.90 super Gas
category. There, the rain-shortened event limited him to only two time trial passes, before being eliminated by Wes Neely following a tire-spinning 10.10 elapsed time. The Gatornationals were fun but now we get to run our Dodge Challenger all out,” said Busch, who has already notched a victory this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. “Hopefully, we will get to go up against a Chevy at PINKS All Out and take ‘em down.”
Busch acquired the ultra sharp, newly-restored Challenger on eBay in 2008 and began work to get it race-ready in early 2009. The car weighs in at 3,000 pounds and is powered by a turbocharged, 1,167 horsepower Mopar 6.1-liter HEMI that should carry it into well into the 8’s without the throttle stop.
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