Nearly every day, Rick Ren drives seven miles past where he wants to go to get to where he's going.

He hopes that changes soon. But then, as director of competition at Kyle Busch Motorsports, Ren and team owner Kyle Busch have had many hopes dashed in this, the organization's rocky first year of operation.

Nothing symbolizes that more than the state-of-the-art, eco-friendly building that Ren drives past every day on his way to work when he's in town. He lives less than eight miles from the shiny new KBM shop on the outskirts of Mooresville, N.C., but has to drive closer to 15 to get to where his current office resides in the old KBM shop.

That's because despite launching KBM in December amid much fanfare -- including a live news conference making the announcement on SPEED -- Ren and the rest of the organization's employees have yet to occupy their new home. Ren said that is coming soon. He also contended that some of the less-than-glowing publicity Busch has received lately because of problems with subcontractors getting paid for work done in the new building is totally unfair.

"It's like you or anyone else contracted a house to be built and you paid Fred the Builder. But then for whatever reason, Fred didn't pay the plumber right away," Ren said. "Well, that's not your fault. That's on Fred the Builder. The general contractor pays the subcontractors -- and if they aren't getting paid, that's his fault. Kyle paid the general contractor; the rest is on them."

He said he couldn't give a specific date for when the KBM operation will get to move into the new digs. But he insisted that it will be sooner rather than later and that any lingering controversy about the delay and who got paid what when will soon disappear.

"It's going to happen soon. Everything is going well. I know they're actually working on the punch list now, finishing things up," Ren said. "We all want to be in there. Kyle wants to be in the building; the contractor wants us to be in the building; all of the guys who work for us want to be in the building."

Busch, who makes millions as driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series, has openly admitted that becoming an owner in the Camping World Truck Series this year hasn't gone anywhere close to as smooth as he would have liked or anticipated. And the problems with his new building are only part of what has galled him.

Asked recently if it has gotten to the point where he currently is supporting the majority of the KBM operation out of his own pocket, Busch grimaced and replied: "I would say that majority is a fair word. Actually, it's far above majority; it's everything."

When it comes to his Truck operation, Kyle Busch has seen more frustration than enjoyment.

Back to the beginning

To first understand the frustration level of not being in the new building for Busch, Ren and the rest of the KBM employees, it is necessary to go back to the beginning, when the organization took its first few baby steps back in December.

Busch wanted to get into the NASCAR ownership side and has long been enamored with the Truck Series. Plus he has seen how fellow Cup driver Kevin Harvick started as an owner in the Truck Series in 2001 and has, over time, flourished in the role that he shares with his wife, DeLana. Kevin Harvick Inc. now runs two teams (one only part-time) in the Truck Series and one team in the Nationwide Series -- but it is important to note that KHI also has established itself as a player in other ways.

The Harvicks have their own parts shop, where they not only make their own parts for KHI teams but also make them to sell to other NASCAR entities. They also build lots of cars for other Truck Series and Nationwide Series teams in a growing side business. Both of those efforts, built carefully over time, provide important extra revenue streams.

Running a competitive, full-time team in the 25-race Truck Series costs roughly $3 million annually, Ren said. So when Busch announced his plans to run two full-time teams and hopefully add a third before 2010 was over, it raised some eyebrows.

"I thought it was pretty ambitious to go at it the way he did," DeLana Harvick admitted. "He actually came up to Kevin quite a bit last year and asked his advice. I'm not sure that he followed any of the advice that Kevin gave him, but it was offered.

"And that's the thing about Kevin. I think he's really secure in the role he's in, the position he's in now and if any of the kids have questions, he's willing to talk and sit down with them. Because he's been there and done that and he knows. I think owning these teams has really matured Kevin a lot. But I know what it's been like for us. I think sometimes people look up and see where we are, and they don't realize we started this in 2001. We didn't just get to where we are overnight. I think it's a building process, and hopefully [Busch] has surrounded himself with people who will give him good advice."

A big, unexpected blow

This inaugural season of high hopes began for KBM with the plans being to field two full-time teams and possibly a third. Busch was to split driving duties on the No. 18 truck with Brian Ickler, Tayler Malsam was to drive the No. 56, and former Truck Series champion Johnny Benson was standing by to wheel a third entry if sponsorship could be found.

The entire picture was altered drastically when Miccosukee Resort and Gaming pulled out as primary sponsor of the No. 18 shortly before the season was to begin when a new leader of the Indian tribe was elected and decided to sever all ties with NASCAR. The late and unexpected disappearance of a large part of what had been counted on to balance the KBM budget was a blow from which the organization still has not fully recovered, Ren said.

"It was a big hit right off the bat to get one and a half months into it, you're building a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility -- and one of the big sponsors you thought you had pulls out of the package," Ren said. "That's probably the biggest blow of all of it. It just shuffles where your money is going. There was definitely some major restructuring after that happened, and it's something that we're still dealing with.

“

It is tough. It's a tough business to be involved in and unfortunately, I picked the perfect yet wrong time to do it. We're looking to try to find the sponsorship. That's what it boils down to in this sport -- having the dollars to go forward.

”

-- KYLE BUSCH

"If he had known in October or November that they were going to pull out, he might not have tackled this this year. I mean, when a sponsor pulls out that late, you're not going to be able to replace those sponsorship dollars for that year. June, July and August are when most companies are getting their budgets together for the next year."

Busch simply did not count on having to shore up the loss of sponsorship dollars by extracting money from his own wallet. Yet that is precisely what has happened as he has been left scrambling. In the meantime, he allowed Ickler and Malsam to part ways amicably, as both landed rides in the Nationwide Series. The No. 56 truck Malsam was supposed to drive for the entire season has ceased operations altogether and Benson's full-time ride never materialized, although the veteran has been filling in some by splitting seat time with Busch in the No. 18.

Hence, what Busch envisioned as a healthy three-truck operation is now a one-truck deal -- although it is important to point out that the No. 18 has run well enough to win two races and currently is second in the Truck Series owner's point standings. Citing those results, Busch said he will continue to plow ahead and hope that the growing pains he has had to endure will eventually subside.

"It is tough. It's a tough business to be involved in and unfortunately, I picked the perfect yet wrong time to do it," Busch said. "We're looking to try to find the sponsorship. That's what it boils down to in this sport -- having the dollars to go forward.

"Everyone thinks, 'OK, well you make enough [as a driver] on the Cup side, you could do it [on your own without the sponsorship money] if you had to.' Well, you don't want to do it that way. That's what we're having to do this year to get through.

"Fortunately, I've had great partners like Z-Line, Dollar General, Heluva Good!, and we've been able to sell some races [as one-off deals]. Later on down the year, Interstate Batteries has bought a race. We're excited about the people we've been able to work with, but we need to put that full sponsor on there and make the truck have its own paint scheme every week. It's been a costly venture, a challenging one, but we'll keep moving forward."

Ren added: "We've got some one-race sponsors coming up -- at St. Louis, Indy and the fall Texas race. But we're still looking for someone to take on the full 25 races, and that's obviously what we really want and hope to get. I think right now we're just trying to get through 2010, and then we'll see where we are for 2011."

Despite behind-the-scenes issues, KBM has two wins, six top-fives, seven top-10s and three poles this season in the Truck Series.

Scaling back but scoring points

Much of what has happened to Busch has been a result of the sagging economy in racing and the world in which everyone lives. So the business he thought he was entering is not necessarily the one that exists at this very moment, and it could change again often and rapidly. So it's like he's attempting to build the foundation of a business on a shifting sand dune.

"I think all around it's a struggle right now [in NASCAR's three national touring series]," DeLana Harvick said. "I think you're going to have to learn to be a little more creative in maybe business-to-business opportunities that you put together. Based on the fact that Kevin and I are really involved owners, we're constantly learning new ways to approach things. Sometimes we do it right, sometimes we don't. But I think in general, everybody has had to take a step back and do at least a little reorganization. And that's not always a bad thing. It's just how you approach it."

Despite all the issues he has had to deal with, Busch's approach has impressed people. Among those singing his praises is NASCAR president Mike Helton, who has often had to call the enigmatic Busch into the post-race hauler after incidents in which Busch has lost his temper and done something to offend someone.

"The timing of it wasn't very friendly to him," Helton said of Busch's venture into ownership. "But he could have thrown up his hands and walked away -- and he hasn't done that. I'm proud of him for that and I think he'll make it work in the long run."

Of course Helton and NASCAR have a vested interest in hoping Busch succeeds. Helton admitted that getting high-profile drivers such as Busch, Harvick and Tony Stewart involved on the ownership side is great for the sport.

"We have to have race cars and race tracks to do what we do, so when there is a new blood of ownership like Kyle with the Truck Series that's a good thing," Helton said. "The truck count is important to us. And Kyle's passion for motorsports is obvious -- very obvious -- as he moves into this new level in his career.

"Some people might have looked at it and said, 'Well, that's pretty aggressive.' But he's his own guy. He chooses what he wants to do, and he gets it done. When it comes to that, I think he's a lot like Kevin Harvick, who has a desire to be more than a driver. I think Kyle is in that same bucket, so to speak."

Helton said the emotion guys like Harvick and Busch display on the track as drivers actually helps them as owners. "That's the same passion in them that makes them incredible drivers to watch on the race track; it also makes them good sportsmen in the sport," Helton said.

Plus, Helton added, the hardships Busch is going through now should serve to perhaps make Busch understand what his Cup team owners at Joe Gibbs Racing face daily on an even larger, more involved scale.

"I'm sure Joe and J.D. [Gibbs] appreciate the fact that Kyle has gotten into the ownership side, and that it hasn't been absolutely click-click, slam-slam," Helton said. "So Kyle might have a little bit more of an appreciation now for some of the issues that have faced Joe and J.D. over time, and that comes with a little bit more of a benefit to them.

"But I'm proud of Kyle for biting it off and standing behind it and trying to make it work. And that's a lot. He's an incredible guy on the race track -- and we're finding that he's got good style as an owner, too. I think Kyle will make this work. His tenacity that you see at times on and around the race track will serve him well in helping him get it done on the ownership side."

The new KBM shop will be a state-of-the-art facility when it finally opens.

The green flag

Associates say now that Busch might not have been so ambitious with his new building if he had known what was going to happen with the Miccosukee sponsorship and everything else. But they are quick to add that he was trying to do the right thing by "going green" with the high-tech building, which, in turn, caused construction costs to soar above original estimates.

The building has a geothermal heating-and-cooling system and all kinds of energy-saving gadgets built into it, including LED lights. The building's interior lights are body-heat activated. Having the structure LEED-certified has been costly and time-consuming because of all the additional red tape involved.

Ren said his belief is that if Busch can survive this year -- which is scheduled to end with a New Year's Eve wedding to fiancée Samantha Sarcinella -- Busch's future as an owner in the sport he loves will be secure.

"I think sometime down the line in the future, Kyle is going to look back at 2010 and say to himself, 'Holy cow! What was I thinking? What a year!' " Ren said.

“

I think sometime down the line in the future, Kyle is going to look back at 2010 and say to himself, 'Holy cow! What was I thinking? What a year!' It has been crazy, but I think he's handled it very well. One thing I've learned about Kyle is that he is of his word. He is a very compassionate young man who does what he says he is going to do. I think that's refreshing.

”

-- RICK REN

"I mean, he's out there trying to win a Cup championship, he's trying to start up an operation in the Truck Series, he's trying to build this green, state-of-the-art facility, he's planning to get married. That's a whole lot for anyone to try to bite off in a single year. He gets pulled in a lot of directions. Sometimes I won't even see him for three weeks at a time.

"It has been crazy, but I think he's handled it very well. One thing I've learned about Kyle is that he is of his word. He is a very compassionate young man who does what he says he is going to do. I think that's refreshing."

And Busch said he is committed to making his ownership gambit work. He also reiterated that he is not doing it entirely alone. It just feels like it much of the time these days, and he admitted he frequently worries about what would happen if he lost his day job as a Cup driver through injury.

"Toyota gives us all the resources we can use left and right. We can go to their center in Salisbury [N.C.] and use their pull-down rigs and use their seven-post machines and all that," Busch said. "Joe Gibbs Racing has given some help with some gears, transmissions, oils and stuff. M&M's has stepped up and bought the rear TV panel for the season, so that helps, too.

"As far as everything else goes, it's all out of my pocket. Is it painful? Yeah. You work your whole life to make the money you make and do everything you do and to see it all -- I'm not saying I'm throwing it away -- but to see it all go away, it's unfortunate. What it all boils down to is if I get hurt. If I get hurt and can't go forward, yeah, there's disability and there's this and there's that, but I don't need to put my family in that position. That's the thing that's a bad idea. I just have to stay healthy and keep going."

Meanwhile, Ren said that he is attempting to grow KBM's side business of building chassis for other truck teams. Right now that arm of the operation is housed at a location separate from the main shop. But soon, when they finally are permitted to get into their new building, everything will be together under one roof and Ren is hoping it all takes off in a positive direction.

Ren, who built his reputation as the most successful crew chief in Truck Series history while at Kevin Harvick Inc., thinks about the decision he made to join Busch in this venture every time he drives by the new KBM building on his way to the old one.

"When Kyle first came to me with this idea," Ren said, "I was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? It's not going to be easy. In fact, it's going to be very difficult.' And he said, 'Nope, I want to do this. I'm sure I want to do this.' So in the end, I agreed to come along and thought, 'Wow. We're really going to try to make this happen.'

"He may have been a little overzealous. But I know, for me, failure is not in my vocabulary. I'm pretty sure it's not in his, either."