Kurt Busch, Furniture Row team get pep talk from Broncos coach - MotorSportsTalk

Count Denver Broncos head coach John Fox among those pulling for the single-car Furniture Row Racing and driver Kurt Busch in their bid to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Fox recently welcomed Busch (pictured) and some of his crewmen from the Denver-based operation for a visit to the Broncos’ training camp and addressed the group as well. According to Busch, the coach’s advice was well-taken by everyone present.

“He’s a fan of NASCAR and he is pulling for his hometown team and we appreciate what he had to say to us,” Busch said in a statement. “He was inspiring, stressing to keep focused on the present and to execute with perfection.”

Busch has yet to break through for a win in 2013, but has been on the uptick as of late with three consecutive Top-10 finishes that have enabled him to jump into the Top 10 of the Sprint Cup standings. A sixth career Cup victory at Bristol would be most welcome for Busch as he aims to put his small team into NASCAR’s post-season.

FRR has already had to battle this weekend after Busch damaged his car in a Friday practice incident. But with some quick repairs done before qualifying, he went out and netted his seventh outside front-row start of the season.

With only three races to go in the run-up to the Chase, consistency is the name of the game.

“Even if we had a win right now, we would be not guaranteed a spot in the Chase,” Busch said on Friday at Bristol after qualifying. “Consistency is what gets you in and consistency wins the championship. You just have to ramp it up a notch once you’re in the Chase.

“So right now, the blinders are on. We are full-focus on just making sure we get nice, consistent finishes.”

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”