Thursday, June 28, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.
As a longtime team owner in open-wheel and NASCAR racing, Roger Penske has employed some of the greatest drivers in the history of auto racing.
Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Al and Bobby Unser, Bobby Allison and Rusty Wallace are among those who have won races for Penske in either Indy-style cars or stock cars.
And now Penske may be considering adding Kyle Busch to the Penske Racing South NASCAR operation, which includes older brother Kurt Busch.
"Penske would be stupid not to look at Kyle, so that talk is under way," Kurt Busch said during a national teleconference.
But, he added, Kyle is "talking with all the other race teams out there such as Ginn Motorsports, Yates. I'm sure he's talked with Gibbs.
"I would say he's talked with 99 percent of the garages, and that 1 percent (he hasn't talked to) is probably Roush Racing."
After starting his professional racing career at age 16 with team owner Jack Roush in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Kyle Busch left Roush Racing for rival Hendrick Motorsports when he turned 18. Busch, who has four Nextel Cup Series victories, became a coveted free agent this month when Hendrick signed Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive for the team beginning next season.
Despite parting ways with one of the top teams in the NASCAR garage, Kyle Busch should land with an equally competitive team.
"The kid is an ultimate talent," Kurt Busch said. "He's a proven race winner (at) 22 years old. He's going to find a good place to land, and he'll land on his feet."
Kurt Busch, who left Roush Racing at the end of the 2005 season after winning the Nextel Cup Series championship a year earlier, said he had some advice for his younger brother as he searched for a new team.
"For Kyle, it's an interesting situation to be released from a top-tier team," he said. "You want to try to find a lateral movement, so there's quite a few teams that are comparable to Hendrick Motorsports , and he's looking around. But the biggest thing that he has to do is stay patient and be able to weigh out all his options.
"So just trying to weigh it out and look far into the future is the best advice that I can give him on where (he wants to see himself) long-term."
Coming home
Kyle Busch is to return to The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week and compete in the annual "Night of Fire" racing card Tuesday night.
Busch, a Las Vegas native who raced at The Bullring as a youngster, will compete in the 40-lap Super Late Models main event.
The evening of racing also will include USAC Ford Focus Midgets, Legends Cars and IMCA Modifieds as well as Monster Trucks, freestyle quads and a postrace fireworks display.
Spectator gates will open at 5 p.m. and tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and members of the military , and $5 for children ages 6-12. Tickets can be purchased in advance either by calling 644-4444 or by visiting www.lvms.com.
Extended duty
Nine pieces of heavy equipment used during the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month are headed to Iraq.
The U.S. government purchased the JCB Loadalls, which were used to lift and move disabled cars during the Formula One race, for the military. The reach trucks were outfitted with the speedway's trademark "Wing and Wheel" logo before being sent to the Middle East.
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Career Champ Car victories for Paul Tracy of Las Vegas, who won Sunday's Grand Prix of Cleveland.
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Paul Tracy's position in Champ Car points after five of 16 races (Tracy missed two races because of injury).
"I guess this is why the series pays me to stay here - to create some excitement."
Paul Tracy, who damaged two front wings and drove from last to first to win Sunday's Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Cleveland.
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