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July 30, 2010

NASCAR fans all revved up at Kyle Busch’s visit

Auto racer signs autographs at Toyota of Scranton. He is a team owner in truck series.

GERARD HERMAN For The Times Leader

SCRANTON – With this weekend’s Sunoco American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 taking place at Pocono Raceway, local NASCAR fans are gearing up for an afternoon of watching their favorite superstars in competition.

For some of those fans, the rare chance to get up close to one of those superstar drivers was at a local auto dealer on Thursday afternoon.

After waiting patiently in the sun, several hundred people turned out at Toyota of Scranton for a Q&A and autograph session with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch.

A mainstay in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series as a driver, Busch is also a team owner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and will be entering his No. 18 Toyota Tundra in the Pocono Mountains 125 truck race on Saturday at the raceway at Long Pond.

Busch’s truck will be sponsored by the Scranton auto dealership, and the truck’s owner was more than pleased to thank the fans who have helped him build his racing enterprise.

After arriving at approximately 6 p.m. with a police escort, Busch spent several minutes answering a multitude of questions from those assembled on a stage in front of the dealership. Busch then headed inside the showroom to sign autographs.

Staying for more than an hour, Busch signed items for every fan in attendance before placing his signature on items for dealership employees and their families.

“I love to be at events like this where we can hang out with the fans,” Busch said before taking the stage. “It’s great to be here today to support Toyota of Scranton and meet the fans who are out there with us every weekend.”

Onstage, Busch fielded questions that ranged from what was his favorite NASCAR track to how hot it is inside his car during a race. He also gave his take on who his favorite drivers to talk to in the paddock are each week.

“Jimmie Johnson is a great guy to talk with, because you can actually get him to say a few sentences,” Busch said to one young fan. “With Jeff Gordon, he only gives you one- or two-word answers!”

While Busch is in Iowa on Saturday competing in a NASCAR Nationwide series race, fellow Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne will be behind the wheel of Busch’s No. 18 Tundra.

“Kasey is a great guy, and he always drives well at Pocono,” Busch said. “We hope he drives well this weekend.”

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