REPORT: USF1 wants NASCAR's Kyle Busch for driver duties
F1 drivers have left the grid to go to NASCAR, so why not have a NASCAR driver make the leap to Formula 1? USF1's Peter Windsor reportedly has his eye on NASCAR bad boy Kyle Busch to pilot the team's single-seater in next year's championship. The 24-year-old Busch is said to have massive talent, and he's tallied a fair number of wins in his five years of racing in three NASCAR series.We like the idea of an American pilot who isn't from IndyCar, especially considering the record of American drivers with that background, Mario Andretti excluded. It's still surprising, however, that Windsor, who well knows the crucible that is Formula 1, would want to put an F1 rookie in a brand new car for a brand new team. Pilots with years of F1-specific grooming and success in feeder series like GP2 have burst like melons on concrete when elevated to F1 (Piquet, Jr. and Grosjean, anyone?). If USF1 does make it to the grid (Ecclestone seems to think they won't), we hope they've got drivers who can help them show well.
[Source: Daily F1]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
DiRF 12:38PM (10/24/2009)
Yeah, 58 wins in 5 years (16 in the top series)... he's got the talent, but not the experience to avoid crashes and keep his cool.
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NickDG 12:49PM (10/24/2009)
In before the NASCAR bashing begins. Before you haters start your rant it is a lot harder to drive a heavy NASCAR with small tires compared to these USF1 cars. And before you give the only turning left excuse, they DO race on road courses in NASCAR, you haters just don't like to mention that.
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Jim 12:56PM (10/24/2009)
It's not "harder," it's different. In NASCAR (road courses) it's harder to get the car to do what you want. In open-wheel, the car does precisely what you want but it's a lot harder on the driver's body.
Jim 1:01PM (10/24/2009)
addendum:
read Mark Gillies article here:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q1/we_drive_a_honda_f1_car-sport
It sounds like he was barely even approaching 7/10ths of what that car could do, and even then his description makes it sound absolutely punishing.
Second, I think NASCAR would have more credibility if it was actually a "stock car" series like it used to be. Look at something like the KONI Grand Sport series. *That* is much closer to "stock car" racing than NASCAR.
Franz 2:30PM (10/24/2009)
This is new... I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that before. NASCAR rides are more difficult to drive than F1 cars? You think that wider tires are the biggest difference? I'm not even gonna bother to try and play devil's advocate today, because you're just flat out wrong. And driving on two road courses a year doesn't exactly compare to F1 either.
Kitko 2:45PM (10/24/2009)
"In NASCAR (road courses) it's harder to get the car to do what you want."
Of course, especially with these nasty right-turns....
Geep 3:08PM (10/24/2009)
This guy must be trolling. No one even said anything about nascar and he starts by saying its harder than F1? Who even thinks that let alone the fact he hasn't driven a nascar and and F1 car.
Troll/Fool
Kyle 3:23PM (10/24/2009)
Yea but the bullsh*t they pull on road courses is crap because they bash each other around. I'm not saying he's a bad driver I'm just saying they're different, sports altogether. I'm not bashing NASCAR I'm just saying you can't use it as a feeder series.
Franz 4:25PM (10/24/2009)
See? It would seem everybody gets it but you. I can't even begin to fathom how you arrived at the conclusion that NASCAR is more difficult than F1. What's the maximum Gs a NASCAR driver subjected to, 2... maybe 3g? F1 pilots see more than that under braking alone, and double that in high speed turns... for extended periods of time too, on tracks like Suzuka and Istanbul Park and Spa. Poor Kyle will have to spend weeks in the gym just getting ready for his first test if he gets picked.
Monica Dickey 5:20PM (10/24/2009)
I think by making this post you began what you aimed to prevent...
But really why does it have to be F1 vs NASCAR? Two different kinds of races, both can be appreciated for wht they are.
Kappa 5:36PM (10/24/2009)
Stayed up all night watching Days of Thunder there Roger Duvall?
Pat 6:51PM (10/24/2009)
Wow NickG, how did you get past the Parental Controls?
tankd0g 12:53AM (10/25/2009)
A lot harder, ya right. That's why an F1 or IRL driver can get in one and be middle of the pack in his first race. Shifting, turning and braking. In Nascar, you pick one to do at a time.
MachinaDC5 12:49PM (10/24/2009)
Ramsey said it right, you get groomed for F1 very early on in your development as a driver. Even the least successful F1 drivers have been preparing for F1 specifically for quite some time. Nothing against this Busch guy, who very well may have the talent, but you move up to F1, not across, for a reason.
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Jim 1:16PM (10/24/2009)
But look at the other side- if there aren't any recognizable names in the field, then it'll be hard to get any mainstream traction. Racing fandom is quite frequently focused on the driver more than anything else.
Fernando 1:39PM (10/25/2009)
Jim is very right indeed. I would like to see Kyle Busch in F1 as a die hard F1 fan just because it would introduce more people to the sport that I think have been missing out on it all along.
Beastage 1:02PM (10/24/2009)
Ugh another "bad boy" from America... why can't they learn from Mario Andretti? he was the exact opposite of badboy, Mario was a genius at setting up the car and managed to win the F1 championship while driving an inferior car.
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Mike 1:15PM (10/24/2009)
@Bestage, I think that should be "superior car" If I'm not mistaken they banned the car design the next year.
MachinaDC5 2:14PM (10/24/2009)
Your bad boy comment doesn't really go well with that picture. :D
Geep 3:19PM (10/24/2009)
He would be referring to the Lotus 78 and 79 (mostly 79), lets see how crappy they were:
78: "It was designed by Peter Wright, Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd, and was the car that started the ground effect revolution in Formula One."
79: "It is considered by many the most significant and respected racing car design of all time", "The 79 proved to be almost unbeatable during the 1978 Formula One season and provided an unprecedented level of domination."
Yep, absolute sh*t-buckets. Mario had 64 points and his teammate (who died and didn't even race the whole season) had 51 points with Lotus easily taking the championship. I'm not saying Mario wasn't a good driver because he was, but the car was quite the opposite of being inferior when he won the championship.