KBM keeps in contact with Kyle's recovery

“I texted with him definitely a lot after Atlanta,” Boston said during a break in testing at the 0.526-mile track. “As far as the test goes, I probably won’t talk to him too much until after we’re done today.”

Boston, 25, made two XFINITY Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing last season, and a single NCWTS start with Venturini Motorsports in conjunction with KBM.

He’ll run the full Truck Series schedule in ’15 for KBM, and finished 29th at Daytona and 16th at Atlanta earlier this year. He is currently 18th in points.

“He’s definitely recovering quickly,” Boston said of his boss. “I saw him at the shop last week so he’s pretty pumped about getting back in a car.”

Boston, along with teammate Erik Jones, is competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Suarez is as well, but in the XFINITY Series where he is competing full-time for JGR and accruing championship driver points.

“In Daytona we had a lot of help from (Kyle),” Suarez said. “In Atlanta it looked like we got even more communication. For Martinsville, actually I was talking with him yesterday about exactly what to do, what line to run. I wish he could be here to give us some advice.”

That communication, he said, has been invaluable as he visits the bulk of the tracks on the schedule for the first time.

“You know, a rookie driver, we can ask a lot of things,” Suarez said. “This is my first time here, my first time in Atlanta, my first time in Daytona. It’s a lot of information that I can get before I get to the track so I can at least take a couple of steps forward. Just trying to do that, trying to ask as many questions as possible to be more prepared.”

Suarez will be back in the team’s No. 51 Toyota when the series returns to Martinsville for the Kroger 250 on March 28. He earned his first top-10 with a ninth-place finish at Daytona and followed that with his first top-five in Atlanta, where he finished fourth.

“We’ve talked a lot about the aero,” Suarez said. “The aero in the trucks is something that I never had (experienced) before. It’s something different, definitely. It’s something that I have been working hard on.

“I’ve had a lot of advice from him trying to be better in that and try to learn fast. I think we have a long way to go with that; it’s a lot to learn there. But I think with someone like him on our side, and the whole organization, I think is going to be very helpful.”

Busch has missed the first four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races after suffering a compound fracture of his right leg and multiple fractures in his left foot in the Daytona crash. JGR officials have said there is no timetable for his return to competition.

Two-time NCWTS champion Matt Crafton filled in for the No. 18 Sprint Cup team at Daytona while David Ragan took over for stops in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

The area of the wall where Busch’s car struck on Lap 112 of the Alert Today Florida 300 at DIS was not covered by SAFER barrier. Since the incident, several venues have re-evaluated their facilities with several installing additional SAFER barrier coverage as well as tire barriers.

In addition to Suarez and Boston, rookie Daniel Hemric (NTS Motorsports) also took part in Tuesday’s test.

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