M&M'S® News
July 2, 2008
Kyle Busch nominated for three ESPY awards
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (July 2, 2008) - ESPN, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports, handed out their nominations for this year's 16th annual ESPY Awards. The annual awards show salutes the efforts and accomplishments of the world's best athletes. Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, was nominated in three separate categories.
Busch, this season's hottest driver, has been in the spotlight all season long. Ironically, however, one award he's been nominated for involved a race from last year. Busch was involved in a wheel-to-wheel finish with Jamie McMurray in last summer's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Busch was unfortunately edged out by a margin of only .005 seconds, the second-closest margin of victory since NASCAR instituted electronic scoring in 1993. However, the spectacular race to the checkers earned him a nomination in the "Best Finish" category.
The other two ESPY nominations that Busch has garnered are for "Best Driver" and "Best Breakthrough Athlete." Both awards are undoubtedly due to his amazing efforts in 2008. With five wins in the Sprint Cup Series, he continues to lead the points standings in pursuit of his first major NASCAR championship.
In the "Best Driver" category, Busch will have to beat out fellow NASCAR competitors Jimmie Johnson (2007 Sprint Cup Champion) and Dario Franchitti (2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Champion). He will also compete for the award against Lewis Hamilton of Formula One, 2008 Indianapolis 500 Champion Scott Dixon and 2007 NHRA Top Fuel Champion Tony Schumacher.
The ESPY for "Best Breakthrough Athlete" is the final nomination Busch received. He is joined in the category by the Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson, Davidson College basketball standout Stephen Curry and the No. 1-ranked women's tennis player in the world, Ana Ivanovic.
All awards will be determined by an online fan vote. Fans of Kyle Busch are encouraged to go to http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/specialsection/espys2008/#/voting/ to cast their vote and show their support. While there, they will also have the chance to vote for any of their other favorite athletes in other categories.
The "2008 ESPYs co-presented by HUMMER and Under Armour" will be held July 16 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. This will be the first time for the ESPYs to be held at the Nokia Theatre, following a six-year stint at the Kodak Theatre. This year's show will be hosted by Justin Timberlake, with many special guests and presenters. The show will be televised on Sunday, July 20 at 9:00pm EDT on ESPN and ESPN-HD.
