NASCAR 2013: Preview Turner Scott Motorsports

I’ll have to admit, I was disappointed that after winning a Camping World Truck Series Championship in 2012, James Buescher was looked over for a full time Nationwide gig in 2013. Turner Scott Motorsports has decided to fast track Kyle Larson instead. Buescher will run a part time schedule, but return to the trucks for another year. I decided to dig into Turner Scott Motorsports, and am impressed with the decisions they are making. After all, they don’t pay me for my input.

Nov 16, 2012; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Kyle Larson during the Ford EcoBoost 200 practice at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Larson, along with Nelson Piquet Jr, and Justin Allgaier will have full time rides in the Nationwide, with James Buescher, and Jeb Burton sharing time in the extra car, with a possible start or two for Miguel Paludo. After digging into Kyle Larson’s history, I can see why they are interested in getting him a lot of seat time in the Nationwide.

With four starts in the Trucks last year, Larson had three top ten finishes, including a second place at the Lucas Oil 250 in November. He had a 27th place finish at Homestead after leading 48 laps. I’m sure Turner Scott wants to see how the youngster can perform at the next level against the constant presence of Sprint Cup drivers that run in the Nationwide on a week to week basis.

The 20 year old Larson, who is from the Sacramento area of California, has excelled at every level where he competed. He started in Go Karts at seven years old, and moved into Open Wheel as a teenager, competing in USAC, Silver Crown, and World of Outlaws. He won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in all three types of USAC cars. He holds the track record at Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, California. This kid is the real McCoy. He won the 2012 K&N Pro Series East Championship, and K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year. He is an Earnhardt Ganassi Development driver.

Turner Scott Motorsports is an organization that is packed with talent at every level except Sprint Cup. One can only wonder how long it will be until they change that statistic. They seem to have a game plan, and are sticking to it. I can only speculate that they are waiting for NASCAR to sort out the Gen 6 Car, and will come into Sprint Cup with a stable of top talent that will be competitive  in the near future. I would further speculate that when they decide to move into the big time, they will quickly become an upper tier team that can compete for races, and an eventual title.

TMS fields Chevrolets with engines from Hendrick Motor Sports, and will be running for a championship in both the Nationwide, and Trucks in the 2013 season. Justin Allgaier finished in sixth place last season in the Nationwide with one win in 33 starts. He had six top 5’s to go along with 19 top 10’s. Buescher had 20 starts with his one win coming in the season opener at Daytona. With the addition of Larson, they will be looking for a strong finish in 2013.

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