Justin Boston (#54) and Matt Tifft (#51), Kyle Busch Motorsports
Michelle Hoskin, February 18th, 2015
michelle@racegear.com
Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, the team has already collected three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner’s Championships and has recorded 39 Truck Series victories across its five-year existence, including a single-season series’ record 14 wins in 2014. In 2015, Busch will share driving duties for the back-to-back reigning Owner’s Champion No. 51 Tundra team with Daniel Suarez and Matt Tifft, while four-time Truck Series winner Erik Jones and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Boston will each compete full-time. (1)
Justin Boston Interview:
Justin Boston
Michelle Hoskin: How and when did you start your racing career?
Justin Boston: I started racing Motocross when I was about five years old when I got a PW-50 for my 5th birthday. I started racing between the ages 5-6 at flat tracks.
M: If you weren’t racing, what would you see yourself doing in life?
Justin: I’d be involved in the water sports industry. I used to sell wakeboard boats before I got the opportunity to race full time.
M: If you could relive any great moment in your life, what would it be?
Justin: Winning my first ARCA race at Toledo last year because my whole family was there and I got my dog (Trapper) the same day.
M: If you could race against ANY driver, past or present, who would it be and where?
Justin: I would like to race against Tim Richmond at North Wilkesboro.
M: Have you adjusted to moving to KBM?
Justin: Yes, I’m looking forward to running my first race with them in a few weeks at Daytona.
M: Your favorite track to run?
Justin: Dover is probably my favorite since it’s close to where I grew up and it’s where I really fell in love with the sport after watching a truck race there. I also made my first Xfinity Series start there last year.
M: Family?
Justin: My family and I are very close and racing has been our lives since I was very little. My parents play a huge role in supporting me and have been there since the beginning.
M: Ever been in a wreck and were you scared?
Justin: I’ve been in a few wrecks throughout my racing career and they are never fun but there really isn’t time to be scared.
M: What message would you give other young drivers just starting out?
Justin: Be patient, you never know when you are going to get your opportunity so you have to take advantage of every chance you get.
M: What do you feel has been your greatest achievement so far?
Justin: Driving for Joe Gibbs racing last year in two Xfinity races was really cool and hopefully there will be more to come this year at KBM.
M: Favorite off-track activity?
Justin: Wakeboarding – it’s a great diversion from racing. Whenever I’m not at the race track you will find me on the water.
Matt Tifft Interview:
Matt Tifft
Michelle Hoskin: How and when did you start your racing career?
Matt Tifft: At the age of five I started going to dirt late model races with my Dad and then at the age of 11 I started racing go karts
M: Are you still continuing your education?
Matt: Yes, I am currently enrolled full-time in the Business Management program at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. I have my class schedule loaded Monday thru Wednesday so that it doesn’t interfere with racing.
M: If you could delete one bad moment in your life, what would it be?
Matt: When I got my first car I wished I would’ve bought a rear-wheel drive car instead of a front-wheel drive car.
M: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Matt: Hopefully racing full-time in one of NASCAR’s National Series.
M: Are you going to be racing full-time with KBM?
Matt: No, I will run six races in the 51 Tundra, but I also am working on adding a few more races with another Toyota team and also hopefully doing some ARCA races.
M: Your favorite driver while growing up?
Matt: Jeff Gordon.
M: Family?
Matt: Have a younger brother and sister.
M: Your thoughts on the Chase point system?
Matt: I like it, it was cool. I understand the traditionalists’ view of having to put together a full season, but this format makes it easier to understand and more exciting for the casual fans as well as younger fans.
M: If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give yourself?
Matt: Start racing when you were younger.
M: What’s it like being so young and racing in the NASCAR Truck series?
Matt: its cool – the biggest thing is you get to race against some of the guys you watched as a kid and that is exciting. Being so young, there is time to grow and learn from the veteran guys and try to adapt into a higher series than you were before by watching and learning from them.
M: Favorite off-track activity?
Matt: Playing music — I play the saxophone.
Kyle Busch Motorsports Interview:
KBM Facility in Moorseville North Carolina
Michelle: Any new news for 2015 in regards to KBM?
Kyle Busch Motorsports: We are excited to add Justin Boston to the mix and we will now be back to having three trucks running full-time this year. The way things worked out this year, Kyle will be in the truck less, running just four races. We have two exciting young drivers that will share that truck with him in Daniel Suarez and Matt Tifft. Open-wheel standout Christopher Bell got behind the wheel of one of our late models last year for about five races and really showed a lot of promise. He was able to get the hang of the pavement stuff pretty quickly and even edged out John Hunter Nemechek for a PASS win at Orange County Speedway. Right now, it looks like we are going to get Christopher run upwards of 10 late model races this season around his hectic open-wheel schedule and we are looking forward to seeing him continue to develop.
For crew chiefs, Jerry Baxter and Rudy Fugle have been around KBM for a few years and are a big reason why we have been successful. Each will take on a little more responsibility this year with Eric Phillips moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing. We brought Shannon Rursch in to be Justin Boston’s crew chief and feel like that gives a good mix of crew chiefs who have been here and know our system as well as a guy who can bring some fresh ideas to the table and help us stay ahead of the curve.
M: How many drivers do you have on the Team?
KBM: We have 5 drivers; Erik Jones and Justin Boston will run full-time. Kyle will split the No. 51 Tundra with Daniel Suarez and Matt Tifft.
M: Any new sponsors?
KBM: ARRIS will sponsor Daniel Suarez’s 13-race schedule in the Truck Series this season and we just announced this week that BitPay will be onboard with Justin Boston for the Daytona race. Zloop will also be a sponsor on Boston’s Tundra this season.
M: How much involvement does Kyle play in the day-to-day runnings?
KBM: Kyle is very involved in the day-to-day runnings of KBM. His main priority is to make sure he is successful as a Sprint Cup Series driver and to work towards winning his first championship at that level, but he keeps a close eye on our operation. He knows that he cannot be here on a daily basis, so he hires good people for both the competition side and in the front office. While he may not be here every day, he definitely keeps an eye on the business and is only an email or phone call away if we need anything.
One of the neat things that people may not know is that he grew up decaling cars, so he enjoys being involved in the design process that goes on for each team with the trucks, the haulers and uniforms. On the competition side, he is a great mentor to our young drivers. We obviously had two very talented young guys last season with Darrell Wallace Jr. and Erik Jones and having Kyle to lean on we believe really helped speed up their learning curves. The second half of last season it was really fun to watch those two battle up front for wins.
M: Any news on KBM Chassis? Expanding? Any new developments?
KBM: KBM Chassis had one of its best years last year. They obviously build some great Truck Series chassis that not only are used for our teams here at KBM, but we sell to other teams. I know some people probably think that we won’t sell other teams the same stuff that we use, but that’s not true. We sell teams our chassis turn-key unless they have changes they want made. We believe that it’s the parts and pieces that you put on the chassis as well as the team members and drivers that make the difference and the reason we excel is that we have the best people in drivers in the Truck Series. They also build and repair chassis for late model, Xfinity and Cup Series teams as well.
Inside KBM
External Links:
KBM:
http://www.kylebuschmotorsports.com/
Twitter: @KBMTeam
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KBMteam
Kyle:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kylebusch
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylebusch
Website: www.kylebusch.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rowdybusch
Justin:
Website: www.jbossracing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbossracing
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jbossracing
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jbossracing
Matt:
Website: www.matttifftracing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattTifftRacing
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Matt_Tifft
Instagram: instagram.com/matt_tifft
References:
1. http://www.kylebuschmotorsports.com/about/
