Rowdy’s R/C All-Stars Presented by NOS Energy Drinks

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 12, 2010) – NASCAR driver Kyle Busch has invited some of America’s top professional radio-control racers to join him for the inaugural Rowdy R/C All-Stars presented by NOS Energy Drink event that will be held as part of the Taylor’s Finish Line Festival on Sunday, May 23 on the grounds of zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Rowdy R/C All-Stars presented by NOS Energy Drink not only features a professional class, but also a celebrity class comprised of NASCAR drivers and personalities, and a kids class of special local guests invited by the Kyle Busch Foundation. All classes will compete on a 50 ft. by 100 ft. dirt track comprised of jumps, rhythms sections, berms and other obstacles to challenge the competitors and thrill the crowd..

“The Rowdy R/C All-Stars brings together my favorite personal hobby with my day job in NASCAR,” said Busch, driver of the No. 18 car for NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing and a member of the R/C race team outfit Team Associated. “NOS Energy Drink shares my passion for R/C racing and together we are organizing a must-see event at Taylor’s Finish Line Festival.”

The professionals, led by Team Associated’s Ryan Maifield, a five-time national R/C champion, and several top R/C racers from North Carolina, will compete with 1:8 scale nitro buggies. The celebrity and kids class competitors will race 1:10 scale off-road, short course trucks.

Admission to Rowdy’s R/C All-Stars presented by NOS Energy Drink is included with admission to Taylor’s Finish Line Festival, a “Cause” for Celebration fundraising event. Advance tickets are now on sale for the festival through the event’s website at http://www.finishlinefestival.com . Tickets are $25 each for anyone six and older and all shows and rides are included in the price of admission. All proceeds will go to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western NC and Levine Children’s Hospital of Charlotte.

“The line-up for Taylor’s Finish Line Festival is getting bigger and better every day,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “To have Kyle Busch and NOS Energy Drink create such a unique event to showcase one of Kyle’s passions and provide more great entertainment for the crowd, makes this an even more special day than we ever envisioned.”

Taylor’s Finish Line Festival was created by J.D. and Melissa Gibbs, who wanted to host a family-friendly event to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western NC and the Levine Children’s Hospital.. The Gibbs’ family was greatly affected three years ago when J.D. and Melissa’s youngest son Taylor was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Fortunately, Taylor is currently in remission and the festival will celebrate the completion of his 3 year chemotherapy treatment. Charlotte Motor Speedway, along with JGR’s sponsors, partners, and friends in the community, will assist the Gibbs family to host the event on the grounds of the zMax Dragway on the Sunday afternoon following the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race. Gates will open at 2:30 PM immediately following NASCAR’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

There will be dozens of activities for both young and old. In addition to the Rowdy R/C All-Stars presented by NOS Energy Drink races, events will include more than 40 carnival like amusement rides and games, inflatables for the children, BMX, freestyle motocross, and skateboard exhibitions, appearances by NASCAR drivers and personalities, and live entertainment across three stages throughout the afternoon culminated with a live concert by Grammy Award winning recording artist Toby Mac beginning at 8pm and a fireworks display that will close out the night in explosive fashion.

75 Children to Be Given the Gift of Hearing

Speedway Children’s Charities and the National Rifle Association are partnering with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to deliver the gift of hearing to more than 75 underprivileged children and adults throughout the Carolinas on May 10, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The NRA has been a steadfast supporter of Speedway Children’s Charities for more than nine years and thanks to their sponsorship, this extraordinary event will be made possible and change the lives of children forever, as many of them will be able to hear for the first time.

“It is an honor to be a part of such a spectacular event, one that will change the lives of these children forever, by giving them the gift of hearing,” said Saundy Hutto, national director of new business development and marketing for Speedway Children’s Charities. “We are thrilled to team up with the NRA and the Starkey Hearing Foundation to make this event possible. Being able to see the expression on the children’s faces when they hear for the first time will be priceless and that is what Speedway Children’s Charities is all about.”

Through this hearing mission, “Get in Gear to Help Children Hear,” the Starkey Hearing foundation will provide hearing devices at no cost to the children. Starkey Hearing is a global leader in hearing health care and since 2000 the foundation has supplied 442,221 hearing aids to people in need throughout 86 countries. Currently the Starkey Hearing Foundation is working toward its goal to deliver 100,000 free hearing aids per year and one million in this decade.

“We live through what we give, and our best work is helping people,” said Bill Austin, CEO of Starkey Laboratories and founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. “We can’t do this alone, but together we can say we did something right. I am grateful to our partners who are truly humanitarians and are helping to change the world.”

Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Richard Petty will be in attendance to meet the children and sign autographs, along with Kyle Busch Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers, Brian Ickler and Taylor Malsam. Other guests include: Al Cecere, president of the American Eagle Foundation with celebrity Bald Eagle, Challenge, and Sam Bass, renowned motorsports artists.

The formal portion of the “Get in Gear to Help Children Hear” program will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Victory Circle, located in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield. Following the press conference, the children and their families will be escorted to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Garage where volunteer audiologists will fit them with the new hearing devices.

The children will not only be able to hear for the first time, but they will be given the opportunity to hear their first NASCAR race, as each child will receive four tickets to the TECH-NET Auto Service 300, NASCAR Nationwide Series race on May 29, courtesy of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In addition to the hearing aids and race tickets, lunch will be donated by Chick-fil-A and Ruby Tuesday. Each child will also receive a gift bag thanks to donations from AutoTrader.com, PPG Industries, Office Depot Foundation, The Kyle Busch Foundation, Mars Inc. and Otis Spunkmeyer.

There are Speedway Children’s Charities chapters at seven Speedway Motorsports, Inc., facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Throughout the year, Speedway Children’s Charities will host a number of charitable events at each track.

Ingrid Vandebosch Dishes On Her Designer Dress

A flowing gown kept Ingrid Vandebosch‘s bump practically under wraps at the Costume Institute Gala, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“It hides the right stuff — my arms, my belly, my legs,” the model, 39, told PEOPLE Moms & Babies of her Kaufman Franco dress, which she accessorized with jewels from Cartier.

Due the first week of August with a boy, Vandebosch and husband Jeff Gordon are preparing for the arrival of their son, who will join big sister Ella Sofia, 2½.

“I don’t know how you can have any more love than we already have for her,” Gordon, 38, notes.

“So I’m excited to see how I react to having a second child as well as having a boy this time.”

Although the couple are considering name possibilities for their baby boy, there is one they’ve already decided against. “No Jr.,” the race car driver said firmly. “He’s not going to be a Jr.”

He may, however, end up behind the wheel like dear old Dad.

“Could be. We won’t know until he’s a little older. But the way he’s kicking inside there, he might well be,” Gordon laughs.

Sounds like Ella could be taking after her model mama as well. “She would not stop talking” while Vandebosch was preparing for Monday evening’s gala, Gordon shares. “She just loves seeing her get the hair and makeup done.”

“Last year, I had a big poofy dress,” adds Vandebosch. “All she wanted to do was be under my dress! She was screaming and excited.”

– Jeffrey Slonim, People.com

Johnny Benson to compete in Keyser’s Port City Racing 125 at Berlin Raceway May 8

Berlin Raceway is proud to announce that former NASCAR Champion Johnny Benson, Jr. will compete at the track on Saturday, May 8. Benson will drive the #51 NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for NASCAR star Kyle Busch, in preparation for the June 15 special.

The Marne fairgrounds are where Benson cut his teeth in auto racing, following in the footsteps of his father, John Benson. He went on to claim the 1989 Outlaw Late Model track championship at Berlin before being called up to the big leagues of NASCAR, driving for Jack Roush. Benson went on to win one Sprint Cup race during his time in the nation’s top series, before moving to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and winning the 2008 series Championship.

The Grand Rapids native driver will again return home to compete in the CRA Super Series sanctioned event, which is presented by Keyser’s Port City Racing. The last time Benson saw racing action at Berlin was when he was severely injured in his own ISMA SuperModified.

Benson will be looking to help dial in the setup for 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Kyle Busch. Busch will return to the driver’s seat of his Camry in an attempt to capture the checkered flag in his second attempt at the track in his template car, in a race named Rowdy’s Revenge.

Local favorites are also anticipated to be strong for both of the two races, including Johnny VanDoorn, Brian Campbell, and Chris Anthony. Bill Elliott’s son Chase will also compete on June 15 for the large payout.

Tickets are on sale now and more information for both events can be found by calling 616-677-5000 or visiting http://www.berlinraceway.com

Tony Stewart Foundation Awards $20,000 to Friends of Ferdinand To Fund the Retirement of 10 Thoroughbred Racehorses

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team Stewart co-owns with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, is a winner on a different kind of track. In February 2010, the Tony Stewart Foundation awarded $20,000 to Friends of Ferdinand Inc in order to support the retirement and adoption of thoroughbred racehorses.

“These are animals that are all racehorses that have been retired versus being destroyed,” said Stewart. “Friends of Ferdinand is a great organization that will take these horses, rehabilitate them, fix their injuries and get them trained and adopt them to new homes. Their racing careers may have ended, but their lives don’t have to.”

This award is the continuation of a program called “Tony’s Ex-Racers,” which began in 2008 with the retirement of 10 thoroughbreds from Indiana’s racetracks. With the 2010 grant, a total of 20 thoroughbred racehorses, whose futures are otherwise uncertain, are provided safe-haven, training and new homes through Friends of Ferdinand. Horses Kalista Tyann, Woodman’s Star, Sunny Thoughts and Friendly Neighbor are the most recent thoroughbreds to arrive at their foster homes located in the Indianapolis area, bringing the number of Stewart’s horses to his favorite number – 14. Six additional thoroughbreds will be identified in the coming months.

“Friends of Ferdinand is an all-volunteer run organization that puts the horses first,” said Joni Thompson, Executive Director of the Tony Stewart Foundation. “We are pleased to support their work and do our part to ‘Accelerate Change’ and encourage the humane and responsible retirement of racehorses in Indiana.”

Friends of Ferdinand Inc., (FFI) is an Indianapolis based non-profit organization that works alongside Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs to provide options for horses whose racing careers are coming to an end. Horses accepted into Friends of Ferdinand’s adoption program are provided with veterinary care to identify and attend to any injuries or health issues. The horses are then evaluated for temperament and ability and provided professional re-training for second careers. Through FFI’s programs, more than 250 horses have been transitioned from the track into new homes and careers – as show or pleasure horses, dressage competitors and beloved companions.

“The volunteers and horses of Friends of Ferdinand thank Tony Stewart for his continued support and generosity,” According to Sara Busbice, President of Friends of Ferdinand. “It truly validates our efforts and has enabled us to provide caring and permanent homes for some of thoroughbred racing’s deserving retirees.”

Friends of Ferdinand is named in memory of the magnificent Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby Champion, Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 1987 Horse of the Year who earned more than $4 million during his career. In 1989 he was retired from racing and exported to Japan to stand at stud. Tragically, a few years later, Ferdinand was slaughtered for human consumption. Friends of Ferdinand provides opportunities for rehabilitation and transitional training for horses who are no longer competitive on the racetrack. More information about Friends of Ferdinand may be found at http://www.friendsofferdinand.org.

The mission of the Tony Stewart Foundation is to raise and donate funds to help care for critically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and to support other charitable organizations in the protection of various animal species. More information about the Tony Stewart Foundation may be found at http://www.tonystewartfoundation.org.

Kyle Busch Motorsports Earns Its Maiden Victory

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Just four races into its inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) scored its maiden victory by way of a thoroughly dominating performance by team owner Kyle Busch in Friday night’s Nashville200.

The 24-year-old from Las Vegas started from the pole and led 131 of 150 laps in the No. 18 Dollar General Toyota Tundra en route to his 17thcareer Truck Series victory in his first Truck Series start on the 1.33-mile oval at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.It was his second victory with Dollar General as a sponsor, as he won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway driving for Braun Racing.

Meanwhile, Tayler Malsam and the No. 56 Toyota Tundra for KBM put up a solid effort but just could not find a way to overcome a myriad of handling difficulties and came home a frustrating 17thin Friday night’s 150-lap affair.

“It feels pretty awesome,” said Busch, who qualified second and finished second at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., in the previous best result for KBM this season. “This is so cool – to win in your own stuff and to have these guys behind me who worked so hard. We’ve been working some long hours in the shop just getting this truck ready. Eric Phillips (crew chief) did an awesome job with this truck. He gave me a great Toyota Tundra.”

After clocking the fastest lap in this morning’s opening practice session, then blazing to the pole by a hefty quarter of a second over the rest of the field, the race-winning performance was very matter-of-fact for the young driver who in his relatively short career has amassed 64 victories in NASCAR’s top three series – Sprint Cup (16), Nationwide (31) and Truck (17).

He started cleanly, led the first 77 tours of the 1.33-mile concrete oval before points leader Timothy Peters finally got by him for a relatively brief 17 laps at race’s midpoint, then weathered the late-race challenges of Kevin Harvick before taking charge and crossing the finish line .426 of a second ahead of Harvick to end his fellow owner-driver’s personal four-race Truck Series winning streak.

“You never know how good you’re going to be or how you’re going to do,” Busch said. “Tonight was a very, very good night for us. Eric did an awesome job with the truck to make it good. We didn’t have a whole lot of changes to it during practice. We tried a couple of different things just to see if we could learn something, just to get ready for when Brian (Ickler) comes back here in August. From the get-go, the truck was good. It was fast. We just tried to stay out in clean air and do what we could out there and not get bothered much by traffic. Timothy (Peters) ran a great race. He was really, really fast, there, on the long runs, and I was surprised to see him go by. His truck was pretty good at that point.”

“It was pretty uneventful for the most part,” added crew chief Phillips. “We had a pretty good truck when we unloaded today. We made a few changes this morning but really didn’t do a lot all day. A couple of little air pressure adjustments, but we just tried to keep the thing out front. The guys in the pits did a really good job. We’ve struggled with that a little bit, being a new race team. I’m really proud of the guys, as hard as they’ve worked on their pit stops these last few weeks.”

Malsam, the 21-year-old from Washington, started 21stbut worked himself into the top-15 just six laps into the race and stayed in that relative position for the rest of the evening despite a slew of handling difficulties.

“We were all over the map,” said Malsam, who saw a solid top-10 finish disappear less than two laps from the finish by a cut tire last weekend at Martinsville(Va.) Speedway. “It felt really awesome to see Kyle win the way he did. That will hopefully swing the momentum in our direction. For some reason, this track and I just have never seemed to get along. Our next race (at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City) is at a track I like a lot.”

Behind Busch and runner-up Harvick was Ron Hornaday Jr., Peters and Todd Bodine in spots three through five. Matt Crafton, Mike Skinner, Aric Almirola, Stacy Compton and Rick Crawford completed the top-10.

The race featured two caution periods for 10 laps, with four drivers failing to finish.

While Busch and Brian Ickler are sharing the No. 18 Toyota over the 25-race Truck Series season, the team is competing for the owner title and gained one spot to take third in the standings, 36 markers behind the new series-leading No. 2 entry of Kevin Harvick Inc. Ickler, who finished third last weekend in his KBM debut race at Martinsville, will be back in the No. 18 Toyota at the next Truck Series event May 2 at Kansas.

Malsam, competing in all 25 races in the No. 56 Toyota, dropped one spot to ninth in the driver championship standings, 197 points behind Peters, the series leader.

The next event on the Camping World Truck Series schedule is the May 2 O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDTwith live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 12:30 p.m.

If you missed the race, here’s what Kyle had to say in Victory Lane!
http://www.nascar.com/video/truck/2010/post_race/victory_lane/04/02/cwts_nas_high_winner.nascar/index.html

Dollar General, Busch Team Up for Nashville Race

Dollar General to Sponsor Busch’s No. 18 Toyota Tundra in
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Nashville Superspeedway

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 30, 2010) – Dollar General, the nation’s largest small-box retailer, will sponsor Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Toyota Tundra in Friday night’s 200-mile NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.

The one-race sponsorship will give Dollar General a solid presence at Nashville as they also sponsor Braun Racing full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Reed Sorenson will pilot the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota for Braun Racing on Saturday afternoon at the 1.33-mile oval.

Dollar General and Busch have plenty of history together, as Busch drove Braun Racing’s No. 32 Dollar General Toyota to victory in the May 2008 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas native has more than 60 wins in NASCAR’s top three divisions, including three Nationwide Series races where Dollar General served as race sponsor (October 2008 at Charlotte; July 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.; and October 2009 at Charlotte).

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity for us to partner with Kyle for the Nashville Truck Series race,” said Jim Thorpe, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Dollar General. “We’ve worked with Kyle before when he won a race for us at Braun Racing and we’ve seen him in victory lane several times when we’ve sponsored races that he’s won. This will be a great weekend for Dollar General and all our employees and partners. We get to root for Kyle Friday night and then cheer on Reed and the Braun Racing team on Saturday. We’ve got a great relationship with Braun and getting to work with Kyle is just an added bonus.”

The 200-mile race at Nashville will be the fourth for Busch as driver/owner for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He and Brian Ickler split time in the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, while 21-year old Tayler Malsam drives the No. 56 Toyota Tundra full-time for KBM.

“We’re really happy to have Dollar General on board for Nashville,” said Busch, who has 16 career victories in the Camping World Truck Series. “We were able to put them in victory lane in 2008 in the Nationwide Series race at Charlotte and we’d love to get them a win at Nashville. I’ve haven’t won at Nashville in the Truck Series, so it’d be great to get a win for myself and for Dollar General.”

The 130-lap race at Nashville begins at 8 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on SPEED beginning with a pre-race show at 7:30 p.m.

-KBM-

Ickler to Drive #18 Truck at Martinsville While Kyle Busch Takes Over at Nashville

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 25, 2010) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) owner-driver Kyle Busch, who was originally scheduled to pilot his No. 18 KBM Toyota Tundra in Saturday’s Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, has turned the driving duties over to KBM driver Brian Ickler. In turn, Busch will take over for Ickler in the No. 18 Tundra next weekend (April 2) at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.

Saturday’s 250-lap race around the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway oval will be the first in a KBM Tundra for the 24-year-old Ickler, who drove 11 Truck Series races for Billy Ballew Motorsports in 2009 with a pole position, two top-five and three top-10 finishes to his credit.

“We have a sponsorship opportunity that will require me to be in the No. 18 Tundra at Nashville next week, and I wanted to fulfill my promise to Brian that he gets to drive in 10 races this season, so it was an easy decision to have him drive this weekend,” said Busch, whose two-truck startup team also features 21-year-old Tayler Malsam in the No. 56 KBM Toyota Tundra for the full 25-race season. “It’s going to be exciting for him and the team since it’s going to be his debut race for Kyle Busch Motorsports. I think he’ll do a great job.”

Ickler, the San Diego native who started his career racing off-road events in the desert southwest and who caught Busch’s eye as a standout performer in NASCAR’s Camping World West and East Series, also drove a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2009 at Iowa Speedway in Newton and Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park in the No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota.

“I’m looking forward to getting my first start in a KBM truck at Martinsville this weekend,” Ickler said. “It’s a place that has a lot of history. Anytime I get the opportunity to race, I’m going to be ready to go. It’s a great place to start building my relationship with Eric (Philips, crew chief) and all the guys on the 18 team.”

In the season’s first two Truck Series events, Busch posted finishes of 22nd at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and second at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while Malsam was 17th at Daytona and 13th at Atlanta.

The Kroger 250 starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by SPEED.

http://www.kylebuschmotorsports.com/page.php?cat=news&page=1&article=12

Kyle Busch Foundation Reaches Out to Underpriviledged Youths During Stops in Las Vegas, Atlanta

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 22, 2010) – Pulling double duty at the recent NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., might have made life busy enough for Kyle Busch.

But the talented 24-year-old driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Sprint Cup Series Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) – as so often is the case – found a way to go above and beyond the call of racing duty both weekends.

In his hometown of Las Vegas, Busch doubled up his Sunday Sprint Cup effort with a run in the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota for JGR in Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide Series race. On Friday night, he and his Sprint Cup crew members, along with representatives from M&M’s and Toyota, surprised some 70 youth and staff members at Boys Town Nevada with a catered dinner and tickets for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races. He also took time to sign autographs and pose for photographs during his two-hour visit Friday night, and spoke to the gathering about the importance of hard work in achieving one’s goals. The tickets to Saturday’s and Sunday’s events were courtesy of Speedway Children’s Charities.

“It was really exciting to be able to visit with all the kids in Las Vegas,” Busch said. “I chose to support their organization because I believe in the work Boys Town does. It feels good to be able to give something back to my hometown.”

Since 2007, the Kyle Busch Foundation has partnered with Boys Town Nevada by providing Christmas presents each holiday season, as well as clothing and financial support through the year.

At Atlanta, during his dual assault on the Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race on Sunday and Saturday’s E-Z-Go 200 Truck Series race – the second event for his newly formed Kyle Busch Motorsports two-truck team – Busch hosted some 30 youths from the nearby Carrie Steele-Pitts Home, a private, nonprofit and nondiscriminatory child-caring agency that provides 24-hour, state-approved residency for neglected, abandoned, abused or orphaned children. Thanks again to tickets provided by Speedway Children’s Charities, the Kyle Busch Foundation transported the group to the track and entertained them for Saturday’s Truck Series event, where Busch qualified on the front row and pulled off a near-victory behind eventual race-winner Kevin Harvick. Guests were neatly outfitted in the traditional, customized Rowdy Bunch t-shirts provided by the Kyle Busch Foundation.

“It was great to have all the kids from the Carrie Steele-Pitts home in the stands at Atlanta who were a part of the Kyle Busch Foundation,” added Busch. “That was cool to have them there and sorry we came up a little bit short of them seeing the first win for the KBM Truck team. These kids have gone through a lot and it’s neat that Speedway Children’s Charities and KBF helped them enjoy a day out at the track.”

The Foundation currently supports homes in Grand Rapids, Mich., Concord, N.C., Mesa, Ariz., Atlanta and in Busch’s hometown of Las Vegas. For more information about the Kyle Busch Foundation, or to learn how to donate, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.kylebuschfoundation.org” http://www.kylebuschfoundation.org.

Josh Hammer Will Race for KBM in Gulf Coast Series

Josh Hamner may have grown up in Chelsea, Alabama, but his home away from home has always been Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The 2008 Blizzard Series Champion will chase that championship again at Five Flags, along with the Gulf Coast Series Championship – this time for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Hamner will run 10 races, half at Five Flags Speedway and the other half that make up the Miller Lite Championship Series at Mobile International Speedway (AL), for the KBM team.

“This has been a very exciting time and I can’t wait to get down to Pensacola and get the ball rolling on the new season,” said Hamner. “We have had a lot of success at Five Flags and now we are going to be with best team possible. We can’t wait to get started and hopefully we can win both track titles and the overall title as well.”

Hamner has won races at both tracks and will now run for arguably the best Super Late Model team in short track racing. KBM has won the Winchester 400, the Snowball Derby and SpeedFest at Lanier in the last six months. The operation is headed up by Bond Suss and newly appointed crew chief Chris Gabehart, who is a former All American 400 winner. They field cars for Sprint Cup Series star Kyle Busch who spends his time away from NASCAR racing on the short tracks all across the county.

“Kyle Busch Motorsports is a first class operation,” said Hamner. “They have some great people working with them including Bond Suss and Chris Gabehart. It’s a dream team for short track racing. To get in there and drive is simply unbelievable. I don’t think things have set in yet of how cool this deal is and what a great break it is.”

Hamner spent the 2009 season running what is now known the Sunoco National Tour, which didn’t give him much opportunity to race the Hamner spec motor that was developed by his dad Jeff Hamner at Hamner Racing Engines in Alabama. This new situation will give the opportunity for Josh to race the family built equipment on several occasions with KBM.

“Right now if you don’t have a Hamner Spec engine then you are not winning,” added Hamner. “I didn’t run them a lot in 2009, but KBM uses them at almost all their races so I have confidence in both my team and my Dad’s engines, so it’s a good combination.”

Hamner will also race family owned cars at Montgomery Speedway in the “Show Me The Money” Pro Late Model Series. Other events could be added as well later in the season.