Kurt Busch offered extension by Furniture Row Racing

Kurt Busch being courted by many

Kurt Busch has been offered an extension from Furniture Row Racing.

The contract comes five days after FOXSports.com broke the news that the 2004 champion had received an offer from Stewart-Haas Racing to pilot a fourth car in 2014. Although Busch was offered a deal from FRR earlier this year, he opted to wait and ‘kick the tires’ before making a final decision. Busch, who is currently ninth in the point standings but sans a win, didn’t seem concerned about his plans for next season. Right now he said his “main goal is making the Chase."

"The timing of making a decision is what it needs to be," Busch said. "There are timelines on things and things that have to fall into place. The timing of this is tough because it’s the middle of August and it’s the run towards the Chase. But it’s a decision I have to put a lot of time and effort into.

"So, we’ll see how things play out. Right now, the focus is these three weeks and getting into the Chase. The cool part about everything is that after the next three weeks, I hope we’re five points from the championship lead — because that will mean we are in."

When SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli was asked about Busch’s status for next season, he replied, "As far as Kurt’s deal, that is moving forward. We spent some time this week talking about buildings and expanding. As far as that part of it goes we are pretty much committed."

Busch feels the renewed interest in his status for next season whether it’s from his existing team, Gene Haas or Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, stems from the effort of the No. 78 Furniture Row team and owner Barney Visser to providing a solid platform for him to display his talent. Busch has posted six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 23 starts this season.

"The performance of what we’ve done as the Furniture Row team has attracted a lot of interest from a lot of owners," Busch said. "It’s just a quality effort that Barney has put together that has allowed us to reach this point.

"To me, any time the phone rings, it’s a compliment not to me but to Barney and this whole team. It’s been a team effort that’s been a lot of fun to be a part of." Still, that doesn’t negate the intrigue for Busch and what it would be like to drive Hendrick Motorsports equipment via Stewart-Haas Racing.

"That’s what Stewart-Haas Racing uses for their equipment," Busch said. "Furniture Row, their equipment is Richard Childress equipment. The way this whole world works, you have to put yourself in the best position to win. Furniture Row Racing can do that. Stewart Haas Racing can do that.

"I can’t do that singularly though. As a driver in this sport, I have learned you can’t do it by yourself. You have to have a solid team around you in all areas."