» KURT BUSCH AIMS FOR NASCAR ‘QUADFECTA’

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Since Daytona International Speedway opened its doors to the NASCAR Cup Series in 1959, only 10 drivers have completed what drivers call the Daytona Grand Slam — winning the Daytona 500, Coke Zero Sugar 400, Clash (added in 1979) and a Duel qualifying race.

“I have got to get that ‘quadfecta,’ I guess you can call it,” driver Kurt Busch said during an appearance at the track Tuesday. “I have won all of them except the summer race. I’ve been close a few times.”

Busch, who wheels the No. 1 Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, was in town to promote the July 6 400 by giving Dr. Hal Kushner a few pointers on how to get around the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

The Army veteran, who spent 5 { years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, will serve as the honorary pace truck driver.

The two took several laps together in a pace car. Busch drove first, then Kushner got a chance behind the wheel. After that, Busch took media and about two dozen veterans for spin around the track.

“Not only is he an incredible race car driver, but the things he is doing off the track for veterans and to help support all the activity around our races is spectacular,” Speedway President Chip Wile said.

While the 500 and 400 have always been different, this year there is even a wider gap. The 500, which was staged in February, was the last Cup Series race to use restrictor plates.

For the 400, the cars will be equipped with tapered spacers, which engineers say is a more efficient way to restrict air to the engines but increase throttle response.

Those spacers were used at Talladega Superspeedway. That race April 28 produced 38 lead changes. The race was won by Chase Elliott, last season’s Most Popular Driver, who was assisted by fellow Chevrolet drivers.

Can we expect more of the same teamwork from Chevy at Daytona?

“Absolutely,” Busch said. “It was a brilliant start for all of us to work together. We did good and it’s only going to get better.”

“Talladega was a fantastic race,” he continued. “There were tons of lead changes. The stability in the cars was good. It still comes down to that (late race) strategy, like is the crew chief going to put you on old tires or fuel only? You have to manhandle it from there.”

Busch said his team builds a second Daytona car two months in advance of the race. The engineers are looking for speed. It’s up to Busch and his road crew to get the No. 1 handling right for the race.

“You have to aim at the track conditions,” said Busch, noting Daytona is a bit more slippery in the summer. “You have to factor in whatever tire they provide for this race. Plus, we have the new package for the July race. I think that will shake it up quite a bit.”

This season has been dominated by two race teams — Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) and Team Penske (Ford).

Through 14 races, they have combined to win 13 times, led by Kyle Busch, Kurt’s little brother, who races for Gibbs. Kyle has a series-high four wins.

“He’s been impressive,” Kurt said of Kyle. “I’m proud of him.”

With that said, it is obvious Gibbs and Penske have found that little edge with NASCAR’s new aero/engine package on the rest of the field.

“The Penske and Gibbs guys right now are a step ahead,” Kurt Busch said. “They’re a step ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing, which hasn’t won yet. That’s surprising to me, that the SHR group hasn’t broken through to Victory Lane.

“Right now, it’s on us to get ahead of those Penske and Gibbs guys, so you’re talking about four or five really good cars to beat. There’s always one of them left at the end of the race that you have to beat.”

Busch called his season to date “consistent.” He has three Top-5 and eight Top-10 finishes. He said it has been a good season, “not a great season.”

“We know we need to grab another gear, so to speak, jump up and run in the Top-5 more weeks and not just do it at tracks good for me or good for the team,” he said.

“We need to back to some of these tracks for a second time and we’ll have all that data and information to use as a base.”

The Cup Series takes a week off following Sunday’s race at Michigan. Busch plans to attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, not to drive, but as a guest of his car owner Chip Ganassi.