Kyle Busch Planning Another “Triple Strike” at Richmond

Kyle Busch

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 10) – In last May’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway (RIR), Kyle Busch was a triple threat – setting a new track record during qualifying, leading all but 14 of the event’s 250 laps and posting his first career Busch Series victory.

This week, Busch returns to Richmond looking to repeat last year’s dominant performance. He’ll do so behind the wheel of the No. 57 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with help from a sponsor that knows about conquering a challenge – Spectracide TripleStrike Grass-Weed-Root Killer.

The lower quarter panels, decklid and nose of Busch’s entry will carry the design of a stone walkway, but with unwelcome guests riding along – weeds. Busch says that’s where Spectracide TripleStrike comes in.

“It’s cool when you get to promote a product you believe in,” Busch says. “TripleStrike is awesome stuff. I have a house now, and I try to keep the yard looking nice. Weeds can get out of control if you don’t stay on top of them, but TripleStrike wipes them out.”

In spite of the success Busch had at Richmond last season, this weekend’s event was not originally on his schedule.

Last month, it was announced that Busch would drive the No. 57 for Hendrick Motorsports in three Busch Series events this season, with sponsorship from Lowe’s vendor partners. The schedule originally called for Busch to drive the No. 57 Spectracide Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway in April and Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October, and the No. 57 Shop Vac Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway in June.

So why did Busch, who is competing for the Rookie of the Year title in the NEXTEL Cup Series, choose to add the Richmond race to his already hectic calendar?

“We had the (No. 57) Spectracide Fire Ant Killer car in Texas a few weeks ago,” Busch said. “We were real fast in practice, and I thought we had a shot at the pole. I won the pole there last year, so I wanted to try and do it again for the team and the sponsor. I ended up wrecking and didn’t make the race.

“We wanted to make it up to Spectracide, so we sat down and looked at the schedule to see where we could run the No. 57 again. As soon as we saw Richmond, we all said, ‘That’s the one.’ We had such a great car here last year, winning the pole and leading so many laps, that I definitely wanted to come back here and see if we can do it again.”

The Spectracide TripleStrike product information features a phrase that Busch and his No. 57 team may well adopt for this weekend’s race: “Protect. Control. Conquer.”

“Those three words fit what we want to do,” Busch said. “Protect. You have to protect your line. Control . Car control is always important, and you kind of control your own destiny on pit stops and in how smart you are on the track. Conquer. That one’s self-explanatory.”

Busch and the No. 57 Spectracide TripleStrike Chevrolet will take part in qualifying for Friday’s 250-lap NASCAR Busch Series on Friday, May 13, at 4:35 p.m. EDT. Qualifying can be seen live on SPEED Channel. The race will air live that evening from Richmond International Raceway, on FX and MRN Radio affiliates, beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.