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Kurt Busch, other NASCAR drivers enjoy excellent adventures during off week

Remember when you were a young auto racing fan, and on one of the first days of school you had to write or (worse) recite an essay about “What I Did During My Summer Vacation?”

NASCAR should do something similar.

The Sprint Cup drivers took Father’s Day weekend off, but that didn’t preclude many of them from having a good time, anyway. Based on some of the stories popping up on the speed blogs, few stayed home to spend quality time with the Old Man or help him mow the lawn.

Take Kurt Busch, for instance. Every time there’s a respite in the schedule, the lead foot from Las Vegas is always going here and there, doing something cool or unusual. (Such as drive in the Indianapolis 500 and win Rookie of the Year honors, which he did in 2014.)

Last weekend, Busch went to Lithuania, where I’m sure he picked up one of those awesome tie-dye Lithuanian national basketball jerseys.

Then it was on to the Formula One European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan — you think his boss Tony Stewart could find Azerbaijan on a map? Busch got to sit in one of the nimble F-1 entries owned by Gene Haas, who (along with Stewart) also owns the No. 41 Chevy the Las Vegan wheels in the Cup Series.

Then it was on to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (go to Saudi Arabia and hang a right, Smoke), where Busch tested a Formula 3000 car. He said he also got to check out some mosques when he was over there.

A Formula 3000 car is a smaller version of an F-1 car. It’s just as nimble.

Busch also posed for photos with F-1 ace Lewis Hamilton of England, who also is quite nimble, especially when he is avoiding the tabloid press and trying to avoid teammate Nico Rosberg.

While Kurt Busch was spanning the globe, seeking a constant variety of motor sport, Kyle Larson returned to his racing roots and won a sprint car race in Ohio at Attica Raceway. Fellow Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Stewart also played in the dirt.

While that was happening, Brad Keselowski tested Simon Pagenaud’s Indy car at Road America in Wisconsin, and Casey Mears drove a No. 13 GEICO car made of Lego blocks in Winter Haven, Florida. Mears wound up crashing into a pile of Lego bricks near the finish line. He was racing against Layla Popoff, a 10-year-old he met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Very cool, Casey.

Not so cool was how Mike Wallace spent his Father’s Day vacation.

The veteran NASCAR driver and family members were leaving a Rascal Flatts concert at the Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion when they were attacked by roughnecks. Wallace was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe beating, and the three roughnecks were arrested and charged with assault.

Very uncool, Charlotte roughnecks.

GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED

• Check out Brendan Gaughan’s helmet at last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway. It looks just like the one he wore kicking field goals at Bishop Gorman High. Gaughan started 23rd and finished 15th in the big cornfield near Des Moines. Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of Gaughan’s first Xfinity Series victory, on the road course at Road America. He achieved another milestone two weeks ago at Michigan by completing his 100,000th mile in a NASCAR career that began in 1997. Said Gaughan upon attaining six figures: “I realized that there are about four of us left that raced against Dale Earnhardt Sr. With Jeff Gordon gone, it’s myself, Dale Jr., Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle and I think Tony Stewart … wow. You usually don’t think about that.”

•  Tickets are on sale for Furiously Fast Fall 2, which is not a movie starring the late Paul Walker, but what Las Vegas Motor Speedway is calling its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Red Bull Air Races and the Toyota NHRA Nationals — all of which will hit the LVMS asphalt and air space in September. Call 702-643-4444, or click on lvms.com for more information.

• Internet rumor of the week: Jeff Gordon is on the short list to replace Michael Strahan as Kelly Ripa’s “Live!” co-host, according to TVLine. There’s precedent for this — when Regis Philbin sat next to Ripa, Gordon served as backup co-host nine times. Should it come to pass — others in the running are said to include Rob Lowe and Anderson Cooper — I’m sure Brad Keselowski will say there’s a conflict of interest, and then attempt to walk it back during the prerace festivities.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski

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