Goulds Pumps/ITT Industries 250 - Kyle Busch Notes

KYLE BUSCH
NO. 5 LOWE’S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
PIKE’S PEAK PREVIEW

KYLE BUSCH’S HISTORY AT PIKE’S PEAK: This weekend’s event will mark Kyle Busch’s first visit to Pike’s Peak International Raceway.

Q&A WITH DRIVER KYLE BUSCH:

WITH THIS BEING YOUR FIRST TRIP TO PIKE’S PEAK, WHO HAVE YOU TALKED TO ABOUT HOW YOU NEED TO DRIVE ON THIS TRACK? “I’ve talked with David Green a little bit, and Lance (McGrew, crew chief for the No. 5 team). They’ve both told me the track doesn’t have a lot of grip because the pavement’s getting some age on it. There’s also not a lot of air up here to help you get some downforce. I hear it’s difficult to get a handle on the racetrack, but we’ll just go out there and do the best possible job that we can. Maybe David will take me around the track and show me what line to run like he did at Milwaukee.”

FROM WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD, WHAT OTHER TRACKS DOES PIKE’S PEAK COMPARE TO? “I’ve heard that it’s kind of like a small Michigan (International Speedway), or kind of like a bigger Richmond (International Raceway), except that turn two isn’t as sharp. Every racetrack has some unique aspects to it, but it’s nice to go to a new track at least having some idea of what to expect. Once we get on track and get a few laps under our belts, I think I’ll be able to adjust to it pretty quickly.”

WHAT LESSONS, IF ANY, DO YOU TAKE AWAY FROM LAST WEEKEND AT NEW HAMPSHIRE? “I’ve driven the same way all year long. It just so happened that this past weekend, I misjudged a little bit and got myself in a little bit of trouble. It’s just one of those deals where you have to move on and put it behind you. It’s a tough break that you had that happen to you, but there’s no reason for you to change your driving style just because of something that happened one week. We’re going to go back out there next week and drive the same way, and hopefully we can keep our nose clean and get back up front. We’ve just got to make sure nothing like that happens again.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF LANCE MCGREW

AFTER A TOUGH WEEKEND LIKE YOU HAD AT NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE TEAM WHEN YOU COME BACK INTO THE SHOP ON MONDAY? “You just tell the guys, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing.’ It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong, we’re just not getting the finishes. We’ve still been running in the top-five, we just haven’t been able to finish there. We just need to do everything we can to make everything we do better. We’re not going to make any kind of wholesale changes or anything just because we’re not getting the finishes. We’re just getting ourselves into some bad circumstances. What goes around, comes around, so I have no doubt we’ll get back to getting the finishes we want.”

LAST SEASON, THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE WAS AMONG SIX DIFFERENT TEAMS. THIS SEASON, IT’S PRETTY MUCH A TWO HORSE RACE AT THIS POINT BETWEEN YOUR TEAM AND THE No. 8 TEAM. TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES IN LAST YEAR’S BATTLE AND THIS YEAR’S. “I think in some regards, it’s a little more distracting, just because it’s almost like you’re focused on one guy and how he’s doing, as opposed to being completely focused on what you’re doing. Last year, there were so many drivers to look out for, you just didn’t look at any of them. You just kind of did your own deal and kept your head down and kept digging and trying to get the best finish that you can, not that you don’t do that every week. I don’t want to get in a situation where all I feel I have to beat is the No. 8 car. We’re still out there trying to win races, and the points will fall out however they fall out.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION- Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 299- Chassis No. 299 is new to the Hendrick Motorsports stable in 2004. In its only previous appearance, Kyle Busch drove this chassis to a pole position and a 10th-place finish at Nazareth Speedway in May.

STATS & FACTS