NASCAR Champion Kurt Busch to Drive for Phoenix Racing

Kurt Busch, 2004 Sprint Cup Champion and NASCAR All-Star has made his decision. Next year he will be driving the #51 Chevrolet for James Finch on the Phoenix Racing team. Busch wade it to the Chase for the Cup again for the sixth straight season, but had a bit of a hard time closing the deal down the stretch. He had been previously driving the #22 Dodge for Penske Racing

“I’m very happy to join Phoenix Racing, and, after entertaining a lot of quality offers, there’s no better place for me,” Busch said in a written statement. “We’re going to run the full schedule together, and we’re going to have fun doing it.

Finch has not been so successful since becoming an owner with only one Sprint Cup victory since 2009 at Talladega Speedway.

Ironically, Finch has been very critical of Busch’s behavior in the past. He once told ESPN: “He needs to simmer down a while. There are a lot of people that don’t like Kurt. He’s never done anything to me personally. He just needs to look in the mirror and see what the problem is.”

Finch was always impressed by Busch’s skills behind the wheel. for the last 10 seasons Busch has won at least one Sprint Cup race. In 2011, he won two races and finished 11th in the Chase for the Cup.

“All we want to do is win,” Finch said to USA Today. “Winning is why I’ve been in racing for as long as I have, but NASCAR is a very competitive sport, and winning – especially at the Sprint Cup level – is hard. But now, with Kurt Busch as our driver, we have a shot to win every week. He’s a past champion, and he’s proven he can win everywhere. Our sponsors are looking forward to Kurt representing their brands.

Finch is sure that he has the team and the cars that are poised to win and with the addition of Busch he thinks this is going to be a good year.

Is Kurt Busch going to bring home a championship for Phoenix Racing this year?