REPORTING FROM ... INSIDE THE BUBBLE

Waking up at home, near Charlotte, at 6:30 am, Kurt Busch showers, shaves, dresses and heads to the Penske Racing shop for an early meeting with sponsors. From there, Busch and his wife, Eva, drive to a local airfield for a short flight to Kansas City. The plane lands just after 11:00 am, at an airport in downtown KC used mostly for private planes. On the tarmac, Eva takes the couple's two small dogs, hops in a rental car and speeds off to shop the Country Club Plaza.

Busch hops in a van headed for a KC amusement park, Worlds of Fun. There, in a photo-op for the media, Kurt will ride rollercoasters and compare the experience to driving a Cup car. ESPN The Magazine will be strapping a headcam to him for the experience.

At Worlds of Fun, the group herds into a meeting room where local TV crews wait with cameras, lights and microphones. The reporters ask Kurt about his Chase chances, about his younger brother's season, and about driving NASCAR's new model. After he answers, everyone heads for the main park entrance. The entourage has now swelled to fifteen people; including reporters, PR reps, amusement park officials and various interns, plus a unformed armed security guard.

Walking through the park, Bush is recognized. In front of the log-ride, he signs some autographs, shakes a few hands and poses for a coupe of pics. He rides two rollercoasters, the Mamba and the Patriot, going on each twice so the camera crews can get footage from different angles. Afterwards, grinning, he gives quotes to waiting reporters. He obligingly compares riding the coasters to what he will feel this September, when NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup comes to Kansas.

The entourage moves to a go-kart track where Busch takes a few laps, bumping and passing. Afterwards, he jokes about being better prepared for his next race, a road course.

"I appreciate getting to take some right turns," he laughs. "Now I'm dialed-in for this weekend."

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