Being a champion a dozen times, of many series, says a lot about a driver and explains why Scott Busby is frequently called the Richard Petty of the Bay Area. Busby now has his sights aimed at conquering the Copper World Classic, where he qualified 14th for Sunday's event.

Keep an eye out for the #74 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

RacingWest: What's your favorite part about racing at the Copper Classic and what significance does the Copper World Classic have in your career as a driver?
Scott Busby: I don't really know if the Copper World Classic has any real significance to me as a driver, more than any other race or racetrack.

What I can say is that the Phoenix International Raceway is an excellent facility. The racetrack is an absolute blast to race on. It has different corners, different straightaways, it is an unbelievable racetrack and it is a super well-run race and facility. Since the race is run the first of February each year, it makes it an early start of the season, but an excellent opportunity for some good racing in multiple classes of cars in what is still considered the winter months.

RW: Considering that PIR has two distinctly different corners, which do you, set your car up for to be the best you can or can you get both?
SB: PIR definitely has two different corners and I guess we are still learning this racetrack. We are still figuring out exactly what to do with our set up. In general, we set up the racecar fairly neutral for both corners, and I think one of the keys to this racetrack is not to drive in the corners too hard or too far and not to use the brakes too abruptly.

RW: Track record being a 27.386 held by Hornaday from the 1995 CWC, do you feel that this record will go down this year and how will you do it?
SB: I don't believe this record will be broken for some time unless the series changes tires. I am still fairly new in this series with 1998 being our first year to compete and in that year we saw a significant tire change from US made tires to Chile made tires. I believe that in 1995 the tires that were available were of a wider tire patch and probably a softer compound. I don't look for this record being broken for sometime.

RW: NASCAR has a new Monte Carlo body this year (straight up). Do you feel this is an advantage on the PIR mile?
SB: For what little bit I know about aerodynamics, I would feel that the new Monte Carlo and the new Pontiac and even the Ford Taurus, which is basically a straight up body anyway that these new GM Cars will be a little more aerodynamic on the bigger speedways. I think that the new straight up bodies will have a slight advantage over the offset bodies and we look forward to debuting our new car in another month or so which does have a new straight up Monte Carlo body.

RW: Since this is only a 50-lap race, will it be 50 flat out or will you have to conserve the car a little?
SB: The SW Tour, along with its other touring divisions, the NW Tour, the Slim Jim All Pro and the REMAX - these boys are here to race and I do believe that it will be 50 laps of straight out racing. Since it is only a 50-lap race, I don't think there will be any mandatory pit stops and it is just going to be 50-lap dash.

RW: If you could compare Phoenix to any other track the Series races on, which one would it be?
SB: I would have to venture onto the Las Vegas Super Speedway to come up with any comparable track to Phoenix. Las Vegas has two different turns and a very large and very nice facility much like Phoenix. It does have its own varied shape, thereby segregating it from the other tracks that we typically run on the SW Tour.

RW: What is your goal, Win? Exposure? Experience?
SB: First of all it is always our goal to succeed, which means that just finishing the race in one piece and on the lead lap would be a positive. Secondly, a finish in the top ten would be really nice for my crew and myself.

RW: What advantages can you offer a sponsor for this race over other teams?
SB: I believe our team can offer a sponsor many opportunities, first being that myself and my team always does what we say we will do. Secondly, our team is very personable, we treat everybody as equals, and we represent ourselves well with the media, TV and the general public. We go out of our way for children and children's events. We are capable of revamping our team almost overnight and we can cater to almost any sponsor demands or dreams. We would encourage a sponsor or sponsors to give us a try.

RW: What will you do now that there is not longer the Toolies/drivers get together on Thursday night before the race?
SB: Unfortunately, I do not know what the Toolies/drivers get together is. Usually Thursday night, since we have driven all night the night before, we just try to get some rest early.

RW: Do you have any sightseeing planned during your trip to Phoenix?
SB: Our usual trip will take place this next week to Phoenix. Typically we will leave Wednesday night around 8 or 9 p.m., drive all night to get to Phoenix. We will tech our car on Thursday, unfortunately our plans don't normally include much sight seeing.

Source: RacingWest
Posted: 2/6/99