KYLE BUSCH
NO. 5 LOWE’S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
DAYTONA PREVIEW
KYLE BUSCH - On his expectations for the 2004 season
“Well, the guys on the team won the championship last season with Brian (Vickers), so they’ve been ribbing me, telling me they expect to win another championship this time around. I’d love for it to come down to the last race of the season like it did last year at Homestead, with six different guys still in the hunt for the championship. If we could be one of those six, that would be awesome, but a lot of things will have to go our way this year for us to be in that position.
“I think a more realistic goal is to hopefully win a couple of races, maybe win a pole or two, and run for the title of Raybestos Rookie of the Year. I just want to gain as much experience as I can, and do the best job I can for Lowe’s and Hendrick Motorsports. I’m a rookie driver, so I know I’ll make some mistakes. I just hope we can make the most of the good finishes and minimize the number of bad finishes, and we’ll see where we stand near the end of the year.”
On racing at Daytona
“My mom and I visited here when I was about eight years old, and we went on the tour of the track. I remember how huge I thought this place was at the time, and how I was in awe of how steep the banking is and just how far it is from the tunnel over to turn two. Even now, it’s still pretty amazing when you come through that tunnel. To be able to race at a track with as much history as this place has is awesome. I’m so honored to have gone to victory lane here. It’s a dream come true.”
On his chances in the Hershey’s Kisses 300
“I think we’ve got a really strong car here, and our chances are good for a strong finish. When you have a Hendrick chassis and motor underneath you, you’ve always got the equipment you need to run well. Now, it’s up to the driver to get the job done and some luck has to go our way.
“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us against some of the other guys out there. You know the DEI cars will be strong, and you’ve got guys with a lot more experience than me that know a lot more about getting around this place than I do. David Green, Jason Keller, Ron Hornaday, Bobby Hamilton Jr., and several other guys are going to be tough to beat, but we’re sure going to do our best to get by them.”
STATS & FACTS
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
· While Kyle Busch had driven in an ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) race on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway’s (DIS) sister track, Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, prior to his victory in Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts 200 ARCA event, Busch had never competed at the World Center of Racing. Busch drove the No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in his DIS debut to gain experience and seat time in preparation for the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series season-opener, the Feb. 14 Hershey’s Kisses 300, where he’ll make his debut in the No. 5 Lowe’s Chevrolet.
SOMETHING OLDER, SOMETHING NEWER
· Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew can make the case that they have both the oldest and youngest team owners in the sport of NASCAR. The No. 5 NASCAR Busch Series team is co-owned by 84 year-old “Papa” Joe Hendrick and his grandson, 23 year-old Ricky Hendrick. The duo also co-owns the No. 25 entry of Brian Vickers in the NEXTEL Cup Series.
Ricky Hendrick had been the driver of the No. 5 before retiring late in the 2002 season. Vickers drove the No. 5 to the NASCAR Busch Series championship the following year.
When asked if he had given his grandson any advice, the elder Hendrick said, “I taught him pretty good. I taught him to get out of the car and let someone else drive it and own it.”
GET WELL, RANDY
· The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing Chevrolet is carrying a special decal for this weekend’s Hershey’s Kisses 300 NASCAR Busch Series event. The decal, which appears just below the “C” post on either side of the car, reads “Get Well, Randy.” The sentiment is directed towards the No. 5 team’s shop foreman, Randy Atkins. Atkins was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident several weeks back, and remains in the hospital. Atkins is expected to be released sometime in the next week or so, but faces a long rehabilitation process before he can entertain the thought of returning to work.
RACE NOTES
CHASSIS INFORMATION
· Chassis No. 22
STATS & FACTS
BATTING 1.000
· Before last Saturday’s ARCA Advance Auto Parts 200 event, Kyle Busch had never raced at Daytona International Speedway. Busch did gain some experience at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega Superspeedway, in an ARCA race there last season, but a NASCAR Busch Series test session in January marked the firs time Busch had driven a lap at the “World Center of Auto Racing.” In Saturday’s ARCA event, Busch proved himself to be a quick learner, as he fought back from a one-lap penalty (one of his crewmen went over the pit road wall without a helmet on) to win the race.
HOBBIES?
· While a lot of drivers have varied hobbies they use to take their minds off the pressures of racing, Kyle Busch’s hobbies are focused on the sport in which he makes his living. Busch claims that his only pastimes outside of racing are playing video games on his Playstation 2 console (racing games, of course) and racing RC (remote control) cars. While growing up in Las Vegas, NV, Busch’s part-time job was at a Hobby Shop, where he learned more about RC cars, planes and trains.
