Busch Series legends look back as final race nears

A Winston Cup car was never a Winston car, and a Nextel Cup car isn't a Nextel car. It's a Cup car, plain and simple, the sponsor conveniently dropped. People don't call 'em Craftsman trucks ... they're just trucks.

For years, however, Busch -- or in the early days, Busch Grand National -- cars have been taking to the track as NASCAR's premier support division. It just sounded right. Anheuser-Busch's famed Budweiser brand backed the division in the first two years of its existence, and ever since, Busch drivers have raced Busch cars in the Busch Series.

Until now.

By the Numbers

After 803 races and 26 years, it all comes to an end Saturday at Homestead when the final race of Busch's series sponsorship is run, ending an era.

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Saturday's Ford 300 at Homestead will be the last race for Anheuser-Busch's title sponsorship of the series. Nationwide will take over in 2008. It'll take a while ... no, check that, it'll take a very long time to get used to the idea of referring to NASCAR's so-called No. 2 touring division as the Nationwide Series.

For years, baseball has had its bush leagues and racing has had its Busch Series. No more.

"Our beer brands have truly become synonymous with NASCAR," said Tony Ponturo, vice president, global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch. "The product awareness the Busch Series has generated for us is a testament to that, but it didn't happen overnight. It took time to build that equity among race fans, for it to become part of the vernacular and for the sport to grow to the levels of popularity it has achieved.

"Successful sponsorships are ultimately defined by the connection brands are able to make with the fans. That's been our focus in NASCAR, and with regard to the Busch Series, I think you'd be hard-pressed to refute the mutual benefits both sides have been able to extract. When this relationship began 26 years ago, both Busch Beer and NASCAR were somewhat regional brands. Together, both became national brands."

It's that growth, Ponturo continues, that has been Anheuser-Busch's proudest accomplishment in the sport.

"It's less about a moment in time and more about what the Busch Series has become," Ponturo said. "It's the second-most popular series in motorsports behind the Cup Series. While due credit goes to NASCAR and the people who make the series go, we'd like to think we played a role in making it more visible and attracting new fans.

"Beyond the business success, we've certainly enjoyed watching young, talented drivers use the Busch Series as a springboard to successful careers in the Cup Series. But even more than that are the relationships we've developed along the way with drivers, crews, owners, officials and the series' incredible fans. It's the tremendous passion all parties bring to the table that have made the Busch Series into the great success story it is today, and it's been our privilege to be along for the ride."

So why mess with such a good thing? Why end a title sponsorship that has literally become synonymous with the series it backs? It all came down, Ponturo said, to a "desire to realign the whole of our NASCAR focus on Budweiser." Anheuser-Busch will instead concentrate its energies on its program with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and star driver Kasey Kahne.

Really, the departure of the Busch brand is only the latest in a succession of major changes that the series has experienced in recent years. It should be noted here that the Busch Series in which Jack Ingram and Sam Ard raced -- heck, the Busch Series in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth raced full time -- no longer exists. (Continued)