It was hard to tell who was enjoying themselves more when NASCAR driver Kurt Busch visited the Quantico Marine Base in Northern Virginia last Tuesday. The marines gave Busch a hearty welcome as he detailed life in NASCAR, at the same time, Busch was equally enthusiastic about learning what the marine’s did on a day to day basis.

  “That’s what it’s all about,” Busch said. “A day when you can jump in such as this and interact with them and enjoy what’s going on from each of the walks of life we’re in. There’s many similarities in the danger that we put ourselves in front of as well as the responsibilities. To be involved with the Armed Forces Foundation and what they do for military family members, it’s neat to be able to give back in that fact and to see things right here in action in our own back yard.”

  Busch started off his day in a question and answer period with a group of soldiers from the stage of an auditorium then took time to sign autographs for every marine in attendance.

  “It’s really neat to be able to come here and it’s a privilege to be on the base, interact, tell stories and talk with some of the guys about their involvement,” Busch said. “Just the way that they treat you with open arms.”

  Staff Sergeant Keslie Smith was more than thrilled for the chance to get up close and personal with Busch, even though he admitted he was not one of the driver’s fans. “I’m a Kyle Busch fan,” Smith said. “I already told him that. I’m a Joe Gibbs Racing guy, but I definitely respect every guy that’s out there on the track, every race car driver has a part of it.”

  And when it comes to NASCAR, Smith has been a fan for life. “My dad used to work the sweeper truck for heartland out in Topeka (KS) when they used to race out there,” he said. “So I was just indoctrinated into NASCAR at a young age and just never stopped watching it.”

  There was nothing new for Busch fielding questions about his young brother Kyle. “Everybody want to know the sibling rivalry on how we race each other and who’s got the bragging rights, who doesn’t, things like that,” he said. “That’s the best thing about having a brother in the same sport that you’re in.”

  As a NASCAR driver having a brother in the same line of work, Busch forms a unique connection to the race namesakes of the Spring Sprint Cup race in Richmond- The Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400. Both Hansens were marines and Matthew only recently left Quantico. The race is dedicated to the memory of twin brother Daniel who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

  “It’s going to be an emotional event for the family,” Busch said. “To have one of them as a fallen soldier and the other one to be there, it will be emotionally attached to it. And now for me to visit the base here and to be at Quantico and to see our marines right here in action, training and going through the regiment they go through, you get attached. It’s just like they now have met me and they’ll be watching NASCAR and rooting for the #22 car.”

  After the meet and greet session, Busch along with Richmond International Raceway President Doug Fritz, track staff and media members were suited up in flack jackets and Kevlar helmets to take a trip to the Quantico mortar range.

  After going through instructions, both Busch and Fritz were allowed to fire off a round from the 81-caliber mortar.

  “That was my first time firing an 81-caliber mortar, absolutely,” Busch said. “You don’t get to do that every day. That excitement and that thrill, of course the danger involved in it. I’m a NASCAR driver so I enjoy the danger part of it but you’ve got to be smart while you’re out there.”

  Staff Sergeant Derrick Kincaid, who was one of the soldiers attending to Busch while on the range, pointed out he was a fan of both Busch brothers. “They seem to race a little bit different but I’ve just been a fan from the beginning,” he said.

  Kincaid attended the fall race in Richmond last year and intends to sweet talk his wife into a return trip this September. “You get to see it on TV but it really brings it home when you get to go down and see what they do and how they do it,” he said.

  As far as actually meeting Busch? “This is blast,” Kincaid said. “I think it’s neat first off that he cares enough to come out and see us but especially come out and see what we do.  I think just really boosts the morale around here. People like that just make you think that people actually care about what we do.”

  Kincaid was also pleased that a former Quantico marine was part of the naming rights for the Spring race in Richmond. “It seems like they care what we do and naming it after him is really important because it lets people know about what we do and things that can happen to us,” he said.

  Before leaving the mortar range, Busch stopped off to pen his autograph on the side of a white pickup that was naturally enough a Dodge.

  The NASCAR driver wound up his day in the company mess hall where he summed up his visit.

“We have this freedom to be able to go out and race and be out there on the NASCAR circuit because of our military members, what they do for us,” he said. “So it’s great to give back and also tie in events at Richmond International Raceway.”