Kyle Busch becomes a team owner
Kyle Busch announced on Friday that he would become a NASCAR team owner, unveiling Kyle Busch Motorsports' assault on the Truck series in 2010
Following in the footsteps of Sprint Cup colleagues Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, Busch will now have his own squad in NASCAR, fielding the #56 and #18 Toyota Tundras next year.
Busch will share driving duties in one of his trucks with Brian Ickler, while the other one will have 20-year-old Tayler Malsam at the wheel full-time.
The 24-year-old has hired veteran crew chief Rick Ren to lead his organisation as director of competition. Ren won the Truck series title with Ron Hornaday this season and also in 2007.
"I feel really blessed that my opportunities that I've had over the last few seasons in NASCAR, to now kind of give back a little bit," said Busch. "I have given back to the local short track ranks with the Late Model cars and have had some good partners on that side.
"And now, with the Camping World Truck Series programme, I feel like it's really going to be beneficial to me to have Rick Ren on board and to give back to such young drivers, like Brian Ickler, like Tayler Malsam and myself.
"It's a fun deal for me. I really enjoy racing in the Camping World Truck Series - one of my favorite divisions to race in. Of course, the focus is solely on the Cup stuff for myself and that's been an instrumental part of bringing Rick in, so I can keep that focus over there on that side. The time has come."
In 2009 Busch contested 15 out of 25 events in the truck series, winning seven of them for Billy Ballew Motorsports, for whom he has driven since 2007 without a retainer.
Besides his truck series outings, next year Busch is expected to run a partial schedule as defending Nationwide Series champion, but is placing more emphasis on his Sprint Cup Series duties after missing the Chase this year.
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