Some of us here at
Circle Track believe that the Camping World Truck Series is the best racing product that NASCAR has to offer these days. Yes, folks, we do follow NASCAR. We also wouldn’t mind having one of those trucks, but with most of us on a Street Stock budget, the truck series is out of reach. But wait! Thanks to the folks at Traxxas now almost anybody can own a NASCAR race truck—an officially-licensed, ready-to-race, radio controlled Toyota Tundra of Kyle Busch that is.
The 1/16 scale truck exclusively from Traxxas commemorates Busch’s exciting 2010 season when he won three truck series races with Traxxas colors along with the Owner’s Championship. This high-performance R/C truck features Traxxas’ proven Velineon brushless Power System for class-leading speed, coupled with full-time 4WD that makes it easy to drive like a pro.
The drivetrain rides on full ball-bearings and delivers smooth, efficient power through Traxxas’ Torque-Control slipper clutch and telescoping U-joint driveshafts.
The officially-licensed body includes all the graphics of Kyle’s fullsize No. 18 Toyota Tundra, right down to the Goodyear logos on a new NASCAR-style wheel and tire combination developed just for the Kyle Busch model.
The truck utilizes Revo’s innovative rocker- actuated suspension system which has been expertly engineered for 1/16 racing, right down to the oil-filled, threaded-body GTR shocks and road-tuned springs. The suspension and driveline are fully integrated into the compact chassis. Intricately molded as a single piece, the chassis balances strength and durability with precision response.
The truck also includes the Traxxas TQ 2.4GHz High Output radio system with Traxxas Link. This new system offers the unbeatable convenience of “no channels, no crystals” 2.4Ghz technology, and the long-range security of a high-output signal—but that’s just the beginning. The new, patent-pending Traxxas Link technology stores settings for up to 20 Traxxas Link-enabled models, with no naming or “model memory” settings required, just one controller for all your R/C cars. Power up the transmitter and the model you want to drive and the settings for that model are dialed in immediately! The new TQ 2.4GHz High Output radio is also fully adjustable; steering and throttle end points can be set precisely, and the Multi-Function knob can be programmed to control Steering Sensitivity (Expo), Throttle Sensitivity (Expo), Steering Percentage (Dual Rate), Braking Percentage (Dual Rate), or Throttle Trim.
Looks are nice, but how does this baby actually perform?
We took the truck out behind the
Circle Track shops and put it through its paces. Right out of the box it will turn over 30 mph with the included six-cell NiMH battery. Make a hard turn at full speed (like we are in the picture above) and the high-performance suspension system kicks in and the truck makes the turn without sliding out in the least. Now here’s the kicker. Traxxas offers an optional, second six-cell battery that bumps the truck’s speed to a tire-blistering 50 mph. In the R/C world, that type of speed is usually reserved for expensive LiPo power, but the Kyle Busch truck uses affordable and safe NiMH packs.
By the way, the truck also has a waterproof servo and O-ring-sealed receiver box which lets you keep on racing, even in wet weather. Let’s see NASCAR do that!
While we were testing this beast, we broke out the radar gun and video camera for a little more fun. Head on over to www.circletrack.com and you can check out the truck in action. We’ll also show you how to convert to the second battery and achieve that magic 50-mph mark!