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Kurt Busch to Attempt Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on Same Day

Kurt Busch and Andretti Autosport announced Tuesday that he will try to run the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, becoming the first driver in 10 years to try such a feat.

Only John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon have attempted the grueling, 1,100-mile double race.  Robby Gordon was the last to try the feat in 2004.

Stewart, Busch’s new co-owner at Stewart-Haas, is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles. He did it in 2001 on his second and final finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.

Busch, the 2004 NASCAR champion, will be in the fifth Andretti car attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.  Should he make the race, Busch will then fly to Charlotte Motor Speedway to race with his NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing in the Coca-Cola 600.  It will certainly make for a long day.

“I’m a fan of motorsports, a student of motorsports, and I view this as a challenge for myself,” Busch said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Memorial Day weekend, the central focus of all motorsports is Monaco, Indianapolis and Charlotte and this is a tremendous opportunity to be right in the middle of it.”

Last May, Busch completed the Indy 500 rookie orientation program with Andretti but decided not to run the race. He said he’s had second thoughts about the decision.

“I took the conservative route and sometimes I kick myself because Carlos Munoz finished second as a rookie in that car last year,” Busch noted. “So now I’m challenging myself to do something great in motorsports.”

Andretti will unveil the car and primary sponsor for Busch at a later date.

“I’m really excited to have Kurt come onboard for the Indy 500. He did a great job for us when he tested last year,” Andretti said. “He’s obviously a natural talent and we feel he is going to take to the Indy car quickly and have a competitive month with us.”

Busch is expected to spend a week testing Andretti’s Honda in May. With his schedule he will need to make at least 10 trips between Indianapolis and Charlotte as he will race in NASCAR’s All-Star race, and attemptsto qualify for the Indy 500, race in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

Cessna has signed on to help with Busch’s transportation between the two circuits, and Busch estimates it will require at least 20 hours of flight time shuttling him back and forth between both series. Busch also has recieved permission from Charlotte Motor Speedway to helicopter into the track on race day.

Busch joked he’s entered “a boot camp phase” of his personal training to be ready for the big event and began taking martial arts.

“You can get your body ready, and do all the cardio needed and follow the nutritional guidelines,” he said. “But the mental aspect of running 1,100 miles is like nothing you can prepare for. I think the martial arts can help with that.”

IndyCar president of competition Derrick Walker said the series would try to accommodate Busch with track time much the same way it has Juan Pablo Montoya in his move from NASCAR back to Indy cars this season.

“To add a driver with the resume of Kurt Busch to the Indianapolis 500 field is a huge gain for IndyCar,” Walker said. “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 believes that everything is falling into place for this attempt.  With NASCAR’s new Chase championship format, all Busch has to do this year is win a race to earn a spot in the 16-driver Chase.  As such he might be cutting it close, but can afford to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 and not jeopardize his season.

“As long as we attempt to qualify for every race, we are eligible for the Chase under the new rules,” Busch said. “It’s like you are in New York City, on Broadway, and you look up at all the bright lights — they are clearly pointing to this being the right time to do this. The green light is on.”

 

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