[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 25900-25901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING A RACING STAR

 Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate an outstanding athlete and a tremendous competitor from my 
home State of Nevada.
  A Las Vegas native, Kurt Busch is the epitome of a team player who 
thrives on pressure and has the utmost respect for his competition.
  His journey to the finish line of the NASCAR Nextel Cup title started 
in go carts and dwarf cars in Pahrump and Las Vegas. Kurt and his 
brother, Kyle, shared their father Tom's love for racing, and once Kurt 
hit the track there was no stopping him.
  His career highlights start with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the 
Nevada State Dwarf Car Rookie of the Year and Champion in 1994 and 1995 
respectively. From there he broadened his horizons to the Southwest 
Series after graduating from Durango High School in Las Vegas. Durango 
High School is the home of the Trailblazers, and Kurt's road to 
champion race-car driver at the age of 26 certainly blazed a trail or 
two along the way.
  Since those early Las Vegas days, Kurt has been an incredible 
presence in the American racing scene. He competed and finished above 
expectation

[[Page 25901]]

time and time again. He started this season with the goal of winning 
the championship. There were no guarantees in this Cup season though. 
Kurt stayed focused, and keeping his eye on the prize paid off. But it 
was a nail biter. Kurt faced many hurdles that would have meant the end 
for a lesser competitor. There was the broken wheel, the late restart, 
and the intense competition. And those challenges all came in the last 
race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  Mechanical failures and pressures aside, racing fans attribute Kurt's 
success to his consistency. I say it's all about heart.
  Following his victory, Kurt stated matter-of-factly: ``This is what a 
team does to win a championship . . . I'd like to put a cap on today 
and move on to what we did this year as a team, which is unbelievable. 
This championship is for Jimmy Fennig and everyone that's put work into 
this car.''
  And that team--including those of us who cheered on our native son 
from Las Vegas--is proud of its driver. He showed us all a passion for 
racing and a loyalty to those who got him to this point. And he has 
proven that it is okay to dream big. From go carts in the Las Vegas 
desert to top racing machines on professional tracks, Kurt Busch is an 
inspiration. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Motorsports Caucus and a 
true race fan, I congratulate Kurt Busch on all his accomplishments, 
including this championship. Kurt, you have made us proud in Las Vegas, 
and we look forward to watching you continue to shine in the future. 
God bless you.

                          ____________________