Kasey Kahne still rubbing it in to Kyle Busch, brings Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to PIR - MotorSportsTalk

Even though he won Saturday’s Nationwide Series race for the third straight time, Kyle Busch still had to be feeling a little bit down.

That wouldn’t be Kyle Busch the NASCAR driver, but Kyle Busch the Denver Broncos fan.

Not only did Busch lose a Super Bowl bet with fellow driver Kasey Kahne — forced to spend a full day in the regalia of Kahne’s favorite team, the NFL champion Seattle Seahawks — Busch had to endure even more of Kahne’s boasting Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

The reason: Kahne had a special guest with him, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Wilson spent time with Kahne, including walking through the Sprint Cup garage and watching Happy Hour from atop Kahne’s hauler in the PIR infield, according to a story at USAToday.com.

Wilson wore, what else, a Seahawks-green jacket while hanging with Kahne, a Washington state native and obviously a huge Seahawks fan.

“With Kasey being from the Washington area and all that, he’s a big Seahawks fan and we have a connection,” Wilson said.

Wilson was intrigued by everything he saw Saturday at the track.

“Just how much detail it takes for everything … just how much detail it takes to perfect your game,” Wilson said. “It’s similar in the sense of how I’m such a perfectionist in terms of how I play the game and all that. (Kahne’s) the same way. He’s got a great poise to himself. He’s very calm. That’s what I like about him.”

Wilson and Kahne will co-host a charity golf event and concert called “The Drive” to raise money for the Seattle-area Boys and Girls Club. The event will be held June 23-24, right after the Sprint Cup race at Sonoma on June 22. Several NASCAR drivers and NFL players will likely take part.

“We wanted to do (the charity event) together,” Wilson said. “It’s kind of cool. We’re in different sports worlds, but at the same time, we have a great appreciation for each other. It’s really exciting.”

Which makes one wonder, does Kyle Busch know how to play golf?

Maybe the younger Busch brother and Kahne can have a little side bet on the links. After Busch came up short in picking the Broncos to win the Super Bowl, can you say double or nothing?

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross