One of the most talked about stories of the year has been the growing maturation of Kurt Busch. Once the wild man of NASCAR, Kurt has adopted a new look on life and become an upright citizen within the Sprint Cup ranks, while in the process also having become a popular choice to dethrone Jimmie Johnson as Sprint Cup champion.
Does anyone remember the old Kurt Busch, with his babyish ranting and antics? Or do you remember Jimmy Spencer punching a trash-talking Busch in the face through the window of his car in an attempt to put a stop to it all? Maybe you remember his getting busted for the way he was driving his own car on the roads outside Phoenix International Raceway? Kurt remembers all of it, and now, with the benefit of age, he cringes at the thought.
He was not winning many friends during those days, however – not in the sport and not in the Roush shops. In fact, his mouth and his attitude were doing more damage to him than even winning a Sprint Cup championship could repair. With 2010 successes with have him near the very top of the points race, the new Busch now is now being mentioned as a top contender for the season championship. The old Busch might have been mentioning it himself, but coming into the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 he is keeping to himself and letting his driving and newfound maturity speak for themselves.
NASCAR will return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the 2010 running of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Held each year in Loudon, New Hampshire, in 2008 this Sprint Cup Series race changed its name from the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 to its current title. The event organizers added one extra lap to represent that Lenox Industrial Tools is "looking for users and suppliers of industrial tools that go the extra mile, whose jobs are physically demanding, day after day, and still find time to contribute to their communities in a meaningful way." The Lenox 301 has also been referred to as The Extra Mile at the Magic Mile, which technically is misleading, given that the race distance is actually 301 laps, and not 301 miles.
Having opened its gates in 1990, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is located about an hour north of Boston, and hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events each year – the other being the Sylvania 300 in September. Laid out over approximately 1,100 acres, the multi-functional facility is the largest sports complex of any kind in New England, featuring a 1.058-mile oval speedway, a 1.6-mile road course, and a total capacity to hold up to 105,491 spectators while hosting motorsport events which consistently exceed the attendance figures of the NFL's Super Bowl each year as well!
