ship team. He knows how to put guys t
ship team. He knows how to put guys t
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Its been 10 years since a driver last attempted running both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, a feat so grueling that only Tony Stewart has successfully completed all 1,100 miles. Now Kurt Busch wants to give "the double" a try and he will have cars capable of winning both races. He said Tuesday he will attempt to make the Indianapolis 500 in a fifth entry for Andretti Autosport. Should he make the May 25 race, Busch would then fly to Charlotte Motor Speedway to fulfil his full-time job with Stewart-Haas Racing -- a team co-owned by Stewart -- in NASCARs longest event of the year. "Im a fan of motorsports, a student of motorsports, and I view this as a challenge for myself," Busch said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Memorial Day weekend, the central focus of all motorsports is Monaco, Indianapolis and Charlotte and this is a tremendous opportunity to be right in the middle of it." Only John Andretti, Stewart and Robby Gordon have attempted the "double," and no driver has tried since Gordon in 2004. "Welcome to the club!" Gordon posted on his Twitter account. Stewart, Buschs new co-owner at Stewart-Haas, is the only driver to complete the double. He did it in his second and final attempt, in 2001, when he finished sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte. An Indiana native who grew up dreaming of winning the Indianapolis 500, Stewart long ago abandoned that goal and passed on an offer last year from Roger Penske to drive one of his cars in the 2013 Indianapolis 500. But Stewart has given Busch his blessing. "Its a great opportunity for Kurt and I fully support him," Stewart said Tuesday. "Hell have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but he has an overwhelming amount of driving talent on his side. He has a great car owner with Michael Andretti, whos not only an owner, but hes been a driver too. "Michael has so much to offer Kurt in terms of knowledge and firsthand experience. It really seems like a natural pairing." Buschs attempt comes at a much different time than when Gordon and Stewart last tried to run both races. Social media didnt exist a decade ago, and Busch plans to utilize every avenue possible to let fans follow along with his attempt. On Tuesday, he even launched a website -- www.kurtbuschdouble.com -- that is expected to chronicle his efforts. "I think this is something that is good for NASCAR, good for IndyCar, good for the fans to get behind and really feel like they are part of," Busch said. "There was no social media, or the means for fans to get an in-depth look at what goes into the double when the others tried it. We think weve got an opportunity to make people feel like they are part of the experience with me." Busch first flirted with the idea last May when he completed the Indy 500 rookie orientation program with Andretti. He didnt put a program together to run the 500, and said hes second-guessed that decision at times. "I took the conservative route and sometimes I kick myself because Carlos Munoz finished second as a rookie in that car last year," Busch said. "So now Im challenging myself to do something great in motorsports." Andretti will unveil the car and primary sponsor for Busch at a later date. "Im really excited to have Kurt come onboard for the Indy 500. He did a great job for us when he tested last year," Andretti said. "Hes obviously a natural talent and we feel he is going to take to the Indy car quickly and have a competitive month with us." Busch, an advocate for The Armed Forces Foundation who is dedicating his effort to the men and women in the U.S. military, will bring at least two personal sponsors. Cessna has signed on to help with his transportation between IndyCar and NASCAR, and Busch estimates it will require at least 20 hours of flight time shuttling him back and forth between both series. Hes also teamed with Basis, a wrist-based health tracker Busch is using to help with his training leading up to the double. Busch has also taken up martial arts and joked hes entered "a boot camp phase" of his personal training. "You can get your body ready, and do all the cardio needed and follow the nutritional guidelines," he said. "But the mental aspect of running 1,100 miles is like nothing you can prepare for. I think the martial arts can help with that." He said hes spoken to Stewart, as well as former Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr., and Juan Pablo Montoya, who left NASCAR to drive for Penske in IndyCar this season, about his venture. Castroneves, Hornish and Montoya are all former Indy 500 winners. "All of them have given me great support and told me, You can do this," Busch said. Indeed, three-time winner Castroneves welcomed Busch to the field: "Congrats on the #indy500, see u there!!" he tweeted. Busch will not participate in an IndyCar race before the Indy 500, but president of competition Derrick Walker said last month the series would try to accommodate him with track time much the same way it has Montoya, who has received additional testing time in his preparation for the season. "To add a driver with the resume of Kurt Busch to the Indianapolis 500 field is a huge gain for IndyCar," Walker said. "We want to see the best 33 drivers put their skills to the test on the biggest stage in motorsports, regardless of which series they come from. To attempt the double is a tremendous challenge, and were looking forward to watching Kurt accomplish the feat." Buschs path to the Indy 500 will begin in earnest after the May 10 Sprint Cup race at Kansas. Hes expected to spend a week testing Andrettis Honda, and make at least 10 trips between Indy and Charlotte as he participates in NASCARs All-Star race and attempts to qualify for the 500, race in the 500 and the 600. He said hes worked out several scheduling issues with NASCAR and has permission from Charlotte Motor Speedway to helicopter onto the frontstretch of the track to speed up his arrival for the second race. Busch won the Coca-Cola 600 -- which is a full 100 miles longer than any other race on the NACAR schedule -- in 2010. "As a past Coca-Cola 600 champion, Kurt Busch knows what a test of endurance 600 miles can be. To race 1,100 is nearly impossible," said Charlotte Motor Speedway president Marcus Smith. "To even attempt this takes a lot of guts. Fans will appreciate this effort, and I know theyll be as excited as I will, watching the clock to see if he can make it to Charlotte in time for our green flag." Charlotte officials said theyll track Buschs journey from Indianapolis on their massive big screen video board in the infield of the speedway so fans can follow and anticipate his arrival. But if he wins the 500, Busch knows hell be late to Charlotte -- if he makes it all. However, NASCARs new Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format means all Busch has to do this year is win a race to earn a spot in the 16-driver Chase, and he can afford to miss the start of the 600 and not jeopardize his regular job. "As long as we attempt to qualify for every race, we are eligible for the Chase under the new rules," Busch said. "Its like you are in New York City, on Broadway, and you look up at all the bright lights -- they are clearly pointing to this being the right time to do this. The green light is on." Nike Air Max 1 Uomo .Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time. Air Max 1 Scontate Online .C. United on Saturday night and boost the Unions playoff hopes. Nick DeLeon scored in the 36th minute for United (3-23-6), which had ample opportunities to build on its lead but went its 10th straight match without a victory. http://www.airmax1scontate.it/. -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season. Nike Air Max 1 Vendita .Airport spokeswoman Heather Lissner said that all departing flights were back on schedule. However, arriving flights were still trying to catch up.Super Bowl Sunday got off to an inconvenient start for hundreds of passengers trying to get to Phoenix for the game. Air Max 1 Scontate . Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season.Carmelo Anthony said Wednesday that he has heard Phil Jackson will be "coming on board" with the New York Knicks, the strongest indication yet that the 11-time NBA champion coach will soon be taking over the teams basketball operations. Anthony went as far as to suggest that its no longer a question of if Jackson will rejoin the Knicks, but when. "Everythings in his hands now," Anthony told reporters in Boston at the Knicks gameday shootaround practice. Neither the Knicks nor Jackson had any immediate comment. Jackson played on the Knicks last championship team in 1973, and later went on to win six NBA titles as a coach with the Chicago Bulls and five more with the Los Angeles Lakers. "Im agnostic as to what team, but I would love to see Phil Jackson" back in the league, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday after speaking to the Boston College Chief Executives Club of Boston. "To have one of the greatest ever sitting on the sidelines is a loss for the league," Silver added. "The league needs him. I hope he lands with some organization." Jackson, 68, has said in the past that teams have tried to lure him back to the NBA, and there has been speculation for several days that this offer from the Knicks would be good enough to get him to interrupt retirement. Jackson has been out of the league and largely out of the public eye since 2011, when he ended his coaching stint with the Lakers. "I still dont have a lot of the details, all the details," Anthony told reporters. "Have I heard? Yeah, Ive heard that he will be coming on board. Its not official yet. You can always use Phil Jacksons insight on whatever ... his philosophy, his mindset, his resume, what he brings to the game, what he brings to a team or organization. That goes without even saying, so well see how that plays out." Anthony said he hasnt spoken with Jackson about his plans for the Knicks. If this deal becomes official, that will likely change quickly, since Anthony could leave this summer as a free agent. Anthoony said the Knicks told him about their pursuit of Jackson over the last couple days.dddddddddddd He gave no indication if Jacksons potential involvement with the Knicks would affect his free-agency plans. "It wasnt something that was do-or-die based on my decision," Anthony told reporters. "Them guys was going to make that decision regardless of what I said." Ever since Jackson last coached, there has been a certain amount of guessing about when he would return to the league — or if any offer really could get him to leave Montana, where hes spent much of retirement. He didnt exactly slam the door shut in 2012, telling HBOs "Real Sports" that "there might be" a job that would bring him back to the game. In that same interview, Jackson called the Knicks roster at the time "clumsy" and said Anthony had to become a better passer. But he also seemed to suggest that if he wanted, he could still win. "The game doesnt pass a person by," Jackson told HBO in that interview. The Knicks won 54 games last season and considered themselves to be title contenders. They entered Wednesday on a four-game winning streak, but were still No. 10 in the Eastern Conference standings, 3 1/2 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Already, though, speculation is rampant that major changes are coming before next season. Knicks coach Mike Woodson has been on perhaps the hottest of hot seats, Anthony could go elsewhere, and it would certainly make sense if Jackson surrounded himself with people who are familiar with him and the style he used to coach the Bulls and Lakers to the 11 titles. "You cant take for granted what he knows about the game of basketball, whether hes on the sideline or in the front office," Anthony told reporters. "Im sure he will try to his best to do what he has to do to try to build a championship team. He knows how to put guys together, put a team together. Well see what happens." AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '