DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 9, 2005) – Adrian Fernandez (No. 5 Lowe’s/Shop Vac Chevrolet) has an unusual opportunity in front of him this weekend.

Arguably the most popular athlete in his native Mexico, Fernandez can lay claim to racing at two “home” tracks in NASCAR Busch Series races this year held in two different countries.

Fernandez finished 10th in the historic race in his hometown of Mexico City this past March, the series’ first points event held outside the United States. Saturday, Fernandez is entered in the Arizona 200 presented by Walk the Line at Phoenix International Raceway. He and his wife, Catalina, make Phoenix their home in America.

The open-wheel star continues to make strides in his first NASCAR season. His top-10 finish came on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course and since that event, the 42-year-old has competed in three other NASCAR Busch Series events. He was 28th at California this past September, finishing the race one lap down. But he had trouble in his last two outings at Charlotte and Texas, respectively, where accidents took him out of the running early.

Despite the difficult finishes, Fernandez remains positive about his NASCAR experience.

“It has been difficult but we knew it would be,” he said. “The competition in NASCAR is amazing. Just a few 10ths of a second separates the guys at the front, from the guys at the back. NASCAR is a lot more modern and sophisticated than I thought. Driving these cars is so different from what I have been doing in racing over the last 23 years. It’s a challenge.

“Phoenix is a very special place for me. The first time I came to America to race was in Indy Lights [in 1992]. I won the race. I had never been on an oval in my life. Phoenix is where I have lived for eight years. We love the city, we love the people there. It’s been a great home.

“We tested there last week and really had a good test. I’m starting to feel a little bit more comfortable each week in this car. I want to have a good run there. When you are used to running at the front of the pack, it’s hard to be at the back. But I am staying patient, trying to learn everything I can.

“This is going to take time, but I feel as confident about Phoenix this weekend as I have about any of the races so far.”

NEWS & NOTES, PART II

ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Greg Biffle is the only driver to win two NASCAR Busch Series races at Phoenix; he was victorious in 2001 and won the spring race last April. … No driver has won from the Busch Pole at Phoenix. … Biffle has the most top fives (four) and top 10s (five) of any driver at Phoenix. He also has led the most laps (409) and has the best average finish (4.0) among all NASCAR Busch Series drivers there. … Jason Keller is the only driver to have competed in the previous seven races at Phoenix. … Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 30 Smith & Wesson Chevrolet) has led the most races at Phoenix (three).

ETC.
With two races to go, the points leader has won the NASCAR Busch Series championship in 22 of the series’ previous 23 seasons. Scott Riggs led Ron Hornaday Jr. by 17 points with two races left in 2003, however Brian Vickers claimed the championship, coming from 23 points behind at the final race at Homestead. … Denny Hamlin is entered in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix on Sunday. Hamlin, who will run a full schedule in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch Series next season, has finished in the top 10 in three of his five premier series starts this year, including a career-best seventh at Texas last Sunday. Johnny Sauter (No. 1 Miccosukee Dodge) is also entered in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. … The inaugural O’Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday aired on TNT, registered 1,338,000 viewers and 1,076,000 households airing against other sporting events that included college football and the PGA Tour Championship. … Erin Crocker (No. 6 Ragu Dodge) is scheduled to compete in her final NASCAR Busch Series race of 2005 at Phoenix. She is also entered in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event and will attempt to make her debut in that series before running a fulltime schedule next season. … Scott Glynn is a resident of Chandler, Ariz. His drivers, Regan Smith (No. 58 Glynn Motorsports Dodge) and Clayton Rogers (No. 92 Glynn Motorsports Dodge), are entered at Phoenix. … The 2005 season marks the first time in the history of the Raybestos Rookie program where two drivers surpassed $1 million in earnings. Reed Sorenson ($1,243,466) was joined by Hamlin ($1,008,170) following Texas. Fellow rookie Carl Edwards needs to collect $4,815 to join the exclusive club. Only three other Raybestos Rookies have surpassed $1 million in single-season earnings since the program was created in 1989: Kyle Busch ($2,027,050), Greg Biffle ($1,623,546) and Riggs ($1,170,846).

QUOTEBOOK

FROM THE ARCHIVES
The first NASCAR Busch Series race held at Phoenix International Raceway took place in 1999. Featured in the field was the former series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Jeff Gordon. This would be the first NASCAR Busch Series start for Gordon since 1992.

Gordon qualified third and took the lead three times with his final run to the front coming on Lap 180. He battled the remaining 20 laps with Dale Earnhardt Jr., beating the second-generation driver and eventual series champion that year by 1.036 seconds for his fourth series win.

Ironically, Phoenix is one of only four tracks where Gordon, the four-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, has yet to capture a premier series win.

ON DECK: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
The 2005 NASCAR Busch Series season comes to a close next Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the 24th NASCAR Busch Series champion will officially be crowned following the Ford 300. Joe Nemechek, the 1992 series champion, leads all series drivers at Homestead with three wins. There has been a different winner at Homestead in each of the last five seasons, with 2001 series champion Kevin Harvick winning last year.

The NASCAR Busch Series championship has come down to the race at Homestead four times. Overall, 13 series championships have been decided at the final race of the season.