Kurt Busch at the Varsity in downtown Atlanta promoting the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

By: Chris Smith

Kurt Bush was in Atlanta today promoting the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but where was he? Busch was at the historical, iconic landmark of downtown Atlanta…. The Varsity.

For all of you who don’t know what the Varsity is, it is a fast-food joint in the heart of the city and is an experience unlike any other you will find at any fast-food chain.

The restaurant was packed with fans of all ages and backgrounds, wanting to get the opportunity to sit down and eat lunch with Kurt Busch. But before the flood gates were opened up, we had the opportunity to talk a little with Kurt and get find out his thoughts on the upcoming 2010 season.

We began by asking his thoughts on the latest rules changes that NASCAR implemented and Kurt made it clear that the changes that were made created “positive marks all the way around”. All of these changes made for great racing and he is hopeful that it will translate to the same positive results in the “meat and potatoes” part of the season with all of the intermediate tracks like Atlanta, Las Vegas, Charlotte and more.

When asked about the number of Green-White-Checkered flag opportunites, currently set at three, he indicated that new rules always have a tendency to get worked into the first race. And as well all know, Daytona utilized this new rule right off the bat. Overall he liked the new rule because he needed more time to work something out to improve his finish. He indicated that Greg Biffle and others who were leading at times probably didn’t like it, but that there was no question that Jamie McMurray loved it.

I then asked him what his favorite tracks are on the circuit and Atlanta made his top five. Comparing it to Darlington and coining the new term the “Atlanta Stripe” based on the age of the asphalt and type of racing. Making the track such a driver’s track, racing right at the edge of the wall, creates a great experience as a driver and always provides great entertainment for the fans. Others in his top favorites are his home track of Las Vegas and Bristol, as well as one no longer on the circuit, Rockingham citing tire management was key to successful racing there.

There is no question that Hendrick Motorsports is the top dog as far as teams go right now, so I asked Busch to rate where Penske is in relation to the other teams in the series. Busch wasted no time grading Hendrick as an A+ with all of their areas, with their engine department, bodies and engineering staff. He was very quick to add that he gives Penske an A- rating for where they are as a team. His feels that they are “right in the mix”, but feels that they need more experience overall to escalate the team to the status of Hendrick. Sam Hornish, Jr. is in his third year and Brad Keselowski is “brand new and coming into his own”, they just need to move those guys into a more veteran status and they will be right up there with the other guys.

“No I haven’t, so this should be pretty wild, I’m excited about it, it’s always fun to go to places with a cult, a big following and nostalgic like the Varsity. This is gonna be fun”

As a part of the Varsity experience, Busch was going to go behind the counter and serve customers, and there is a key to serving at the Varsity, so I had to ask him if he had any experience in fast-food delivery. His simple answer was “no I haven’t, so this should be pretty wild, I’m excited about it, it’s always fun to go to places with a cult, a big following and nostalgic like the Varsity. This is gonna be fun”. So Kurt donned his apron and hat and went to work. Yelling out “What’ll Ya Have…. What’ll Ya Have…. What’ll Ya Have…..” making kids and adults alike appreciative of coming out and serving “yellow dogs, rings” and the one-and-only “F-O”.

Busch was a great sport, even though he seemed a little out of his element behind the counter, but did a great job.

Make sure you check out our facebook page to provide feedback and for more photos from this great event put on by our friends at Atlanta Motor Speedway.