“They call it the 'best appearing burnout car in Super Gas',” said Kurt Busch, a bit of pride in his smile, as he relaxed on the flight back to Talladega Superspeedway after a day of racing at zMAX Dragway in his 1970 Dodge Challenger outfitted with a 1200 horsepower 427 cubic inch hemi engine.

That's 1199 more horsepower than his wife, Eva's, Andalusian named Lauro; which, according to Busch cost more than his 1200 horsepower to purchase, and also maintain.

Seems the perfect match, they both love horsepower.

“They call it the 'best appearing burnout car in Super Gas',” said Kurt Busch, a bit of pride in his smile, as he relaxed on the flight back to Talladega Superspeedway after a day of racing at zMAX Dragway in his 1970 Dodge Challenger outfitted with a 1200 horsepower 427 cubic inch hemi engine.

That's 1199 more horsepower than his wife, Eva's, Andalusian named Lauro; which, according to Busch cost more than his 1200 horsepower to purchase, and also maintain.

Seems the perfect match, they both love horsepower.

Busch went to Concord, NC, not just to satisfy his desire to drag race; but to feel the thrill of 1200 horsepower. The driver of the Miller Dodge on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was part of the show, a filming of Pink's All-Out. Obviously Busch couldn't be part of the competition, but a special appearance fit right into everyone's schedule and certainly made for a better show.

There was no doubt the crowd loved the showmanship, as Busch smoked the tires all the way to the 660 foot mark prior to making his first run of the day at zMAX Dragway. It was, according to Busch, “a John Force burnout” which Force most certainly would have been proud to see.

As Busch drove down the strip straight and true to a respectable 8.71 second run at 154 plus miles per hour, it was easy to see the crowd loved the run. When he parked the pristine Challenger back in his pit area, Busch had a bounce in his step and excitement in his voice.

In the grandstands, the screams, the cheers, and the arms were waving wildly.

“That was totally awesome,” said Stephanie from Beaufort, South Carolina. “It's the fastest I've seen all day.”

Jessie Whiteside, also from Beaufort, wishes more NASCAR drivers would spend time drag racing, and thought Busch's run was “a smooth ride. It was a quiet ride but it hauled tail.”

With barely a free moment to speak to his crew, Busch gave in willingly to the television cameras and a throng of fans who showed a respect not seen in any NASCAR garage. There was no rush to be the first to get an autograph. There were lots of NASCAR shirts in the throng, but not all bore the name Busch.

Busch played to the crowd at every opportunity. He greeted the younger boys with an offer of a high-five and a heartfelt, “hey little bit, how ya doing?” He posed for photo after photo, never once showing impatience. He even signed the belly of a pregnant woman, to the amusement of many milling about.

The second run down the track was faster by a hundredth of a second. It was also against competition. Busch finished second, noting the winner ran three tenths faster than he'd previously run. It was according to just about everyone asked a clear case of sandbagging. Back in the pits, Busch tended to television, the fans and found time to consult with his crew chief.

To television, Busch would explain the car was still nosing over at the top end. For whatever reason, he and Jesse, the crew chief, were struggling to find the right combination of rpm's and turbo to push the car harder through the final 320 feet. They were already at the limit on the rear end gear. The car needs to go on a diet and the right tune-up on the end found.

It was the third pass down the track which sent the crowd into another near frenzy. Busch was paired again Garey Jones, an IHRA competitor, in a $500 winner take all run to the stripe. Busch was offered an advantage because Jones Chevy had made a faster pass. Busch candidly responded, “I already have an advantage, I'm in a Dodge and he's driving a Chevy!”

Jones laughed and danced around, pulling the legs of his driver's uniform almost to his knees. The two shook hands and climbed in their respective cars. Jones did a long burnout. Busch, conscious of how he had overheated his engine on the long burnout, heated up the tired, but never even got to the tree as the smoke poured from his tires.

The two left at almost the same moment and appeared to be even at half-track. Busch never left the groove while in the other lane, Jones, found himself trying to drive a drag car which had the mind of a circle track car. Jones went left to the centerline and then moved hard right to the wall.

The crowd went wild, along with Eva, who arrived at the track just prior to the run.

“I'm calling Roger,” she said, referring to Roger Penske, owner of Busch's Miller Dodge on the Sprint Cup Series. “He could have hit him.”

Busch was never in any danger of being hit, but it will look great on television; the drama intense. And, you'll have to watch the airing to know who won the money – Jones or Busch.

Rain brought an end of the event before Busch could get a run in against Roy Hill – a student versus teacher matchup.

On the flight back, Busch talked about the day and how much he is dedicated to drag racing.

On a day when Busch could have relaxed in his motorcoach back in Talladega, he chose instead to fly to Concord, race his Dodge Challenger and then fly back. Easy enough when you own your own plane, but a little more risky when the weather reports call for heavy thunderstorms and conditions ripe for a tornado.

Busch never wavered in his determination to get to Concord. Once the pilots found a window of opportunity to take off and the right flight path, the call went out – get to the airport.

What started out as a project to build a bad-to-the-bone street car quickly morphed into a Super Gas project with an eye towards a run in the seven second range. And, the dream doesn't stop there.

Busch is serious, very serious about his drag racing.

Serious enough to have gone to Roy Hill's Drag Racing School, twice. He's done his homework on turbochargers, transmissions and gear ratios.

He's took the steps necessary, as laid out by Graham Light, to run in Gainesville earlier this year. And, a return trip, if there is a week off in the NASCAR schedule, is already on the calendar.

Serious enough to fly from Anniston, Ala., to Concord, NC when the window of opportunity was closing fast. Sheering winds and tornado forecasts forced Busch's pilots to divert south of Atlanta before making a turn to the north towards Charlotte. And, the return trip, after a major tornado hit Alabama within 50 miles of the racetrack, was not without a few rough moments during the descent.

It is not cheap to spend four hours in a private plane just to go play in a Super Gas car.

Busch wasn't playing. He loves the rush of running 8.71 seconds at 154+ miles per hour down a quarter mile. And, he didn't try to hide from the race fans. Busch spent more times chatting with fans, signing autographs, shaking hands, posing for pictures and greeting child after child with a smile.

Busch is serious enough about drag racing to sign a waiver in his recent contract which says if he gets injured drag racing and can't get into his stock car – he doesn't get paid.

And, if it was humanly possible, which it isn't, Busch would gladly run both the NASCAR schedule and the NHRA schedule.

“Tell them to run on Wednesday and I'll be there,” he said, being serious. If the NHRA ran regional events during the middle of the week, Busch would find a way to drag race.

Flying back to Talladega, Busch talked about how successful his day had been. He'd been more than just a driver running down a drag strip. He was the car owner. This was his deal. You could tell he was satisfied. And, his wife Eva, was asking when she would get to ride in the car.

Guess the call to Roger has been forgotten.