(WOMR file photo)
Furniture Row Racing announced today that Kurt Busch has been hired to drive the team’s #78 Chevy during the 2013 Sprint Cup season.
Busch, a former NASCAR Cup champion, will replace Regan Smith, who joined Furniture Row Racing at the beginning of the 2009 season. “Though we have made strides as a resourceful single-car Sprint Cup team, we are not where we want to be, which led us to the difficult decision of making a driver change as we move forward,” said Furniture Row Racing’s general manager Joe Garone. “Kurt’s exceptional driving talent has the capacity to take a team to another level. We look forward to having Kurt join our Denver-based organization and feel his racing experience will play an important role as we plan ahead to 2013.”
Garone added, “As our team driver the past four years, Regan has represented Furniture Row Racing with both class and competitiveness. His win at Darlington in 2011, the first for Furniture Row Racing, will be a memory forever etched in our organization’s history. He is a friend, and will always be a friend of Furniture Row Racing. We wish him all the best.”
“Furniture Row Racing has the commitment, talent and resources to compete at a high level in the Sprint Cup Series,” said Busch. “I have watched with admiration on how this team has grown over the years, and that is why I am excited about the opportunity as I eagerly look forward to a new chapter in my racing career.” Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Busch has driven the #51 Chevy for Phoenix Racing. His previous two teams in the Sprint Cup Series were, Penske Racing [#2 & #22], and Roush Fenway Racing [#97].
The marriage of Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing almost makes perfect sense. Since Barney Vissor owns both the race team, and the companies that sponsor the race team, there was really no “hard sell” to “Corporate America”. Vissor is willing to employ KuBu as his driver, and the race team is self sponsored! Therefore, there is no requirement to sell Busch to sponsors. It is all about Barney Vissor wanting KuBu as his race car driver, period!
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
