Is Richard Petty serious about hiring Kurt Busch?

My first reaction upon hearing that Richard Petty Motorsports is seriously considering hiring Kurt Busch for the 2012 season was that somebody had invented a rumour to make the media look bad.

There’s nothing going on in motorsports at the moment and dedicated websites, in particular, will go to town on any rumour or nugget of information tossed their way.

My thinking was that as the media got Kurt Busch fired from Penske Racing, what better revenge than to make the media look really stupid?

But blow me down, as Popeye the Sailor Man used to say. It turns out that the initial report from Sirius Satellite Radio’s NASCAR show with Dave Moody had more than a grain of truth to it.

The story still strikes me as a bit of a trial balloon, designed to measure reaction. But who knows what might come of it?

Richard Petty Motorsports has been doing everything it can to convince sponsor Best Buy to sign up for at least another year. However, the internal thinking is that Best Buy won’t re-up if ex-Champ Car star A.J. Allmendinger continues as driver of the No. 43 car (he finished 15^th in Sprint Cup standings in 2011 with no wins) but that it might agree to terms if a proven winner like former Sprint Cup champion Busch was in the cockpit (11^th place with two wins in 2011).

As we all know, Busch was fired by Penske Racing for swearing at a cameraman and at ESPN pit reporter Jerry Punch while waiting to be interviewed on-air at the final race of the Sprint Cup season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was not the first time Busch blew his top and some observers (including me) suggested it was time he got his comeuppance.

Not everybody agrees.

According to a story by speed.com's Tom Jensen, Petty Motorsports co-owner Andy Murstein told FOXSports.com Tuesday that “Kurt’s issues are far less severe than what other athletes have done in other sports."

Continued Murstein: “Those athletes have all received second chances and Kurt will, too. He wasn't caught running a dog-fighting ring, he wasn't caught with a handgun in a club, he wasn't using performance-enhancing drugs and, unlike his brother, he wasn't even letting his temper get the best of him to cause a wreck.

“I think he is a great competitor who just needs to take a step back and clear his head. Perhaps someone as well-respected, talented, and universally loved like the King (Richard Petty) could help him accomplish that.”

Whew! I actually thought Kurt Busch had received several second chances, but apparently not.

In any event, Petty Motorsports COO Robbie Loomis told Moody that the team has talked about hiring Busch.

"There is a lot of interest on our part in having Kurt Busch in the fold," Loomis said. "It makes sense to have Kurt with our team, if we can make it work. . . We value what he has done on the race track. He has won a (Sprint Cup) championship and worked for a first-class operation like Penske Racing. Guys like that don't come along every day."

Guys who get fired for belligerence don’t come along every day, either. Kurt Busch has burned a lot of bushes (no pun intended) over the course of his NASCAR career and he’s a lightning rod so far as fans are concerned.

Petty Motorsports gets its engines from Jack Roush’s organization and Kurt Busch and Jack Roush have, as they say, a history. Busch drove for Roush until the last two races of 2005 when Roush suspended the then-defending Nextel Cup champion for coming under the scrutiny of police in the Phoenix area for reckless driving.

So the question has to be asked: will Jack Roush continue to do business with a race team that employs Kurt Busch as the driver?

Although Richard Petty is a minority owner in Richard Petty Motorsports, the team still bears his name and it’s his reputation on the line. As well, his son, Kyle Petty, did not mince words when asked to comment on Busch’s firing by Penske Racing:

"This is a business. When a driver’s behavior and actions bleed over to the business side, then it becomes everybody’s business. With some of the things that went on with Kurt this year with his in-car tirades . . . with the way he’s been portrayed in the media and now his outburst toward Jerry Punch, I don’t think the sponsors can live with that.

" . . . From some of the statements made by the sponsors, what sponsor will want to take a chance on him again? Although the sponsorship pool is small nowadays, the sponsors that are out there want to maximize their dollars. One of the underlying reasons Kurt was let go is that he didn’t represent his sponsor in a good light, and if I was a sponsor, I might not look at Kurt the same way I’d look at another potential driver."

So Murstein thinks Busch deserves another "second chance" and Robbie Loomis thinks Best Buy will jump at the chance to sponsor Petty Motorsports with Kurt Busch in the saddle and I suggest they're both making a mistake.

Kurt Busch does not deserve to be out in the wilderness forever. But six months or a year away from the limelight might introduce some humility to a man who’s sorely in need of some.

Comments

[kyle]

To say Kurt should sit six months is way too idealistic than realistic. The fact remains he's by far the most talented driver for hire, and there are a lot of teams - and sponsors - who will benefit from finally getting some TV time. I personally hope RPM is able to figure out a way to keep AJ in the fold as well (Kurt and AJ are my two fave drivers, so I'm more than a little torn about this news), however you really can't blame them for doing what needs to be done to keep Best Buy in the mix. And, honestly, who could blame Best Buy? I bet despite all the controversy M&Ms is pretty happy with having Kyle Busch as their driver rather than their previous drivers David Gilliland, Elliott Sadler, or Derrick Cope (back when it was the Skittles car). Exposure is exposure.

[Nick Danger]

Big league auto racing is beholden to those individuals who control the pursestrings. This driver was removed from the Penske seat for the simple reason that he had become a financial liability. If Miller Brewing, Texaco, Cadbury or Ralph's Recycling experience a loss of revenue as a result of ineffective marketing (in this case, behaviour), they will change the marketing strategy.
Nascar maintains its disingenuous connection to God and country along with wholesome family values. Praise the Lord and pass me a Bud! God bless America and hand me a Twinkie. If the hillbillies in the stands (or watching on the tube) stop purchasing the sponsoring product, expect a reaction. Nascar's bigger problem; fewer hillbillies in the stands.

[Anthony]

I'm a lifelong fan of Petty and the 43 car. Whoever is in that car, that's my guy. With that said, I love AJ Allmendinger. He has me excited to be a Petty fan because his progress over the last few years has been fantastic. He's also been a great guy both times I met him. If RPM wants to sign Busch, that's great. But don't replace AJ or take him out of the 43. Try to set up a 3rd car for Kurt. Kurt is talented, but he doesn't fit the Petty legacy. AJ does. And AJ proved his loyalty by sticking with the team through their bankruptcy. To push him out would be a low class move.

[ElBobbo]

If Curse Buschleague is hired and RPM lets Allmindinger go it will be concrete proof that NA$CAR is all about being the biggest prostitute for a dollar,ever. If that scenario comes to pass then shame on you Richard Petty, you will have completely sold your name and reputation and lowered yourself to the level of the other whores that nowadays run NA$CAR.

[Greg]

If BestBuy sponsors Kurt Busch, I will never buy from them again! Kurt represents everything which is wrong with pro sports today. Except for drug abuse... Mayfield has that covered.

[mattwrotethis]

If RPM hired Busch, they'd be looking for another driver before the halfway point of the season. King Richard wouldn't put up with that mess for long, and even Murstein and Loomis would lose interest. They'd end up hiring Reutimann or Vickers off the unemployment line and throwing away the season at that point. If you're going to ditch the Dinger, do it for Reutimann. He's got years of experience getting wins out of mid-pack equipment and pitching for an electronics and appliances company.

[Richard Thibodeaux]

Well i for one went out and spent $450.00 at Best Buy when i found out Kurt was being considered for the iconic 43. Kurt said the exact same thing as Chad Knaus except he didn't use the word mother. Watch inside nascar and you will see. Your nascar champ was almost held in Austraila for trouble with a track owner and don't give me the bull of past recotd because both of these guys have one. Go Kurt