Busch to race Robblee’s ride
The No. 28 Abby Motorsports late model is unaffected by boos from the crowd, its driver claims

By Jim Cressman The London Free Press

Kyle Busch not only will be the best driver at Delaware Speedway Wednesday — or perhaps ever, for that matter — he’ll be driving the best car.

With nine-time track champion Steve Robblee, of Dorchester, laid up with a back ailment, Busch will drive the No. 28 Abby Motorsports late model in the Delaware Summer Showdown, featuring NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars Busch and David Reutimann, and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler in a 50-lap feature.

“That car is brand new and it’s been a great piece,” said Robblee, who was leading the Delaware late-model points chase until sitting out last Friday’s racing because of his back. “I expect him to run up front. He has a good chance to win.”

Originally, Busch was to drive the Abby Motorsports No. 51, which is driven by Robblee’s son Matt. But with dad not competing (and his back may keep him out for some time), the change in cars was made to allow his son to compete Wednesday.

“Kyle has had some input in (my) car,” Robblee said Tuesday. “He sent a representative up to look at it, so there’s a little bit of Kyle Busch in there and there’s a little bit of Steve Robblee in there.”

It’s ironic that NASCAR public enemy No. 1 Busch should be driving the car of a man who’s heard his fair share of boos during his long, successful tenure at Delaware.

“I’ve heard the boos, but that car’s got a shield around it. It can handle it,” Robblee said.

Busch, Reutimann and Leffler are coming off NASCAR races at Daytona last weekend and are en route to Chicagoland Speedway for the Nationwide Dollar General 300 on Friday night and the Sprint Cup LifeLock.com 400 on Saturday night.

But it’s their love of racing — and a handsome appearance fee of more than $70,000 US combined, plus the cost of putting them in a Delaware late model — that has them dropping into Delaware.

While Busch slipped to sixth from third in Sprint Cup points with his 40th-place finish at Daytona (he experienced a double-wreck night), the all-time laps leader (8,117) in the Nationwide Series is also charging toward becoming that series’ all-time wins leader.

The reigning Nationwide champion isn’t defending his title as he focuses on the Sprint Cup, but he’s still fourth in Nationwide points despite missing three races.

Reutimann currently is 17th in Sprint Cup, while Leffler is 10th in Nationwide.

Leffler made NASCAR history in 2007 when he passed Greg Biffle with two laps remaining to win the NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis for the first win by a foreign manufacturer (Toyota) in a top-tier NASCAR series since Al Keller won in a Jaguar in 1954.

Busch then gave Toyota its first Sprint Cup victory in 2008 at Atlanta.

Competing against the likes of Busch will be a special treat for 19-year-old Stephen Richmond of Appin, whose introduction to racing came at the age of four when he sat down in the front of the family television and watched Jeff Gordon win the NASCAR night race at Bristol, Va.

“That was it, I was hooked. That was the race that started it all,” said Richmond, who normally drives a street stock and open-wheel modified but caught a ride in a late model for this event.

Richmond has attended eight Sprint Cup races, but admitted he’s not a big fan of Busch, the self-appointed “rowdy boy” of NASCAR with his sometimes overly aggressive driving and post-race antics, such as smashing a priceless, handmade, one-of-a-kind Gibson guitar in victory lane after winning the Nationwide race at Nashville last year.

The guitar trophy is special to Nashville races and is one of the most coveted prizes on the NASCAR circuit.

Busch is young and brash, but as Robblee pointed out, also outrageously talented. That was evident when he charged into NASCAR at age 18. He’d driven a truck at 16, but NASCAR quickly implemented a rule that barred any driver under 18 in its three premier series.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he races against the guys from here,” Richmond said. “He can wheel a car, that’s for sure, but Kyle Busch isn’t a big idol of mine. I’ve never really liked him that much.

“Nothing against him, I just don’t like the way he drives. He doesn’t seem to respect anything out there. But you can’t take anything away from the fact he can really drive a car. He is better than 90% of the people in the field every weekend — and he thinks that, too.

“That’s where he gets into trouble.”

jim.cressman@sunmedia.ca

What: 50-lap feature race featuring NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, David Reutimann and Jason Leffler

When: Wednesday

Where: Delaware Speedway

Schedule: Spectator gates open, 1 p.m.; NASCAR drivers’ practice, 1-3 p.m.; open practice, 5:30-6 p.m.; on-track interviews with NASCAR drivers, 6:10–6:30 p.m.; time trials, 6:40 p.m.; autograph session, 7:10-8:10 p.m.; racing, 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: Sales will be capped at 5,000. General admission is available at the gate, but the track is encouraging people to buy and print their tickets online to save lineups. Go to www.delawarespeedway.com.

Meeting NASCAR drivers: The track advises it will not be possible for all fans to meet them personally. However, everyone will see them around the facility, being interviewed on the front stretch and racing. Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis with 240 wristbands issued when the gates open at 1 p.m. to guarantee those fans access to autographs.

Pit entry: Restricted to pits crews. No spectators.