DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Whenever an upper-tier NASCAR racer shows up at Daytona International Speedway in January, there’s an initial level of intrigue and/or excitement, depending on your seat in the overall racing arena.

Soon thereafter, with a few exceptions over the years, you figure out the business arrangement that brought Johnny Stock Car into the sports-car world for a little Rolex moonlighting.

With Kyle Busch, it seems to be a twofold arrangement that made him part of a two-car Lexus team with the Vasser Sullivan organization. For starters, his chief employer Toyota has been asking for quite a while, Busch said this weekend during the three-day Rolex 24 test at Daytona. He suggested he’d been “politely” declining but figured he should eventually say yes or else the invitations might quit coming.

Also, there was a hint that came, naturally, via Twitter tease. “Rowdy Energy,” was the message, an apparent reference to a new energy drink coming to market at the behest of the current and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ.

“Tastes better than any of the leading brands and is better for you than any of the other leading brands,” he promises. “We will have more about that here in the coming weeks.”

It’s been many years since it was just about selling cars. How many hoodies and sunglasses did Fernando Alonso sell after touting his Kimoa brand here and at Indy the past couple of years?

Not sure if the Rolex weekend this month will provide Kyle’s drink rollout or if he’ll wait for February’s NASCAR Speedweeks, but the fact a racer feels it’s still feasible to attempt product/racing synergy is obviously a good sign. As long as the FDA and consumer tastes agree, of course.

Meanwhile, if you’re thinking a Kyle Busch visit to a very different form of auto racing might have a different feel than that of other NASCAR stars who preceded him, congratulations, you’ve obviously been paying attention.

He was asked if his “exacting” nature regarding his equipment might’ve accompanied him to this sports-car visit, and you had to nod and laugh as he largely confirmed that, yes, the “exacting” Kyle Busch indeed made the trip.

“I’m already trying to set up the car,” he deadpanned.

Don’t accuse Kyle of not being a bit self-aware. He couldn’t leave it at that, however.

“I suggested it should be softer, and they said, ‘It’s as soft as we can get.’ I said, ‘Well, that ain’t soft enough.’”

One of Kyle’s verbal haymakers began taking shape after that one.

“I feel like the NASCAR teams and the engineers are pretty sophisticated and advanced,” he said. “These guys are smart, too, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard that we’re as soft as we can go. You always think of different ways to engineer something.”

Without breaking stride, he did manage to slow his roll and pull any perceived punches.

“But, obviously, there’s a rule book, too,” he said. “I have no familiarity with any of that, so I could be totally off-base with what my team already knows and I don’t.”

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Over time, Kyle will leave the engineering to the engineers and, we’re guessing, learn to take advantage of a Lexus sports-car that offers so many allowances not enjoyed behind the wheel of a bulky NASCAR stocker.

“The braking is certainly the biggest adjustment,” he said. “With our big heavy stock cars, you have to start the slowdown process way early, the braking zone is forever, and by the time you turn in you have to be off the brakes, otherwise the inside wheels will lock up.”

Kyle Busch talking about the physical act of racing has always been the best Kyle Busch, and he doesn’t disappoint when describing this combination of machine and dance floor.

“We have to take care of our brakes on the Cup cars. You can overheat them,” he said. “Completely different techniques here. You can drive the snot out of ’em. Just throw it off in the corners as far as you feel like you can get in there, and stomp the pedal as hard as your leg will allow you to do it.”

All of the NASCAR stars who preceded Kyle Busch in the Rolex talked of how much fun it was to leave their comfort zones and be part of a team effort in a different world of racing. Given the pressure and work involved with a 24-hour racing effort, you always wonder just how truthful they’ve been in their praise. Few, after all, have made annual visits.

At least with Kyle, we should get an honest assessment at the end of January.

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