United Way 300 presented by Yellow and Sprint - Kyle Busch Notes

KYLE BUSCH
NO. 5 LOWE’S / SHOP VAC CHEVROLET
KANSAS PREVIEW

Q&A WITH DRIVER KYLE BUSCH
THERE’S ALWAYS DEBATE ABOUT CUP DRIVERS COMPETING IN THE BUSCH SERIES. NOW THAT YOU’RE A CUP DRIVER, HAS YOUR OPINION CHANGED? “No, my opinion hasn’t really changed. When I was a full-time Busch driver, I said I welcomed the chance to race against the Cup guys, because you get to test yourself against the best in the business. I believe there’s a lot of Busch drivers who feel that way. To race against legends like Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace is a dream come true for most drivers, and if you happen to beat them, that’s a heck of an accomplishment.

“I do think there is such a thing as having too many Cup drivers in a Busch race. I mean, 16 Cup drivers in a Busch field is a little much. I think NASCAR could look at some way of limiting it, but I don’t know what that would look like. Maybe you look at the Cup guys who are in the top 35 in Cup points. If a lot of those guys are trying to make the Busch race, maybe you only take the eight fastest qualifiers from that group or something like that.”

CAN YOU MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT IT MEANS MORE TO A YOUNG DRIVER LIKE YOURSELF TO GAIN EXPERIENCE IN THESE BUSCH RACES THAN IT DOES TO A VETERAN? “Yes and no. I mean, I can definitely use the seat time, because there’s still some tracks I’ve only been to once, like Kansas Speedway. But the setups on these cars are changing endlessly, so it’s beneficial to everybody to do these Busch races and see how the tires wear, how the changes affect the car and all of that.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF CHAD WALTER
DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO TEST AT KANSAS? “No, but we had this car in the wind tunnel last Friday and on the pull down machine earlier this week, measuring spring rates and shock rides, so we’ve put a lot of effort into getting this car to go fast. Kyle seems to like the 1.5-mile tracks, so hopefully this car will give him what he needs to get up front.”

NEW MEMBER TO THE TEAM LOWE’S RACING FAMILY: Congratulations are in order for the No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew chief, Chad Walter, and his wife, Sherry, who welcomed a new addition to their family on Friday, Sept. 30, at 12:29 p.m. EDT, with the birth of their son, Jackson Grant Walter. The youngest Walter weighed in at a healthy 10 lbs., 15 oz., and measured 23.5 inches when he was born. Mother, son (and dad) are doing well.

TEAM NO. 5’s HISTORY AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY: Kansas Speedway has not been the most successful track for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. In three events, the team has finished 38th (with driver David Green in 2002), 32nd (with driver Brian Vickers in 2003) and 29th (with driver Kyle Busch last season).

Last year, Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Lowe’s team came into this event trailing Busch Series points leader, Martin Truex Jr., and his No. 8 team by 152 points.

Truex was involved in an accident in the early going, giving Busch an opportunity to cut into Truex’s points lead with a decent finish. Just a few laps after Truex’s misfortune, the No. 5 Lowe’s Chevy suffered damage in a separate accident, sending Busch to the garage for repairs.

In the end, Busch finished one spot ahead of Truex, and shaved just three points off Truex’s championship points lead.

CHASSIS INFORMATION- Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 275- Chassis No. 275 is the same car Kyle Busch drove to a dominant win at Michigan International Speedway last season. Busch also drove this car to a pole position and a runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April, 2004. Most recently, Busch drove this chassis to the sixth pole award of his Busch Series career at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, but an accident left him with a 38th-place finish.

MULTI-DRIVER TEAM: The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew is competing for the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series owners’ points championship with seven different drivers.

Kyle Busch has driven the No. 5 in nine races, including a win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Boston Reid and Blake Feese have six starts apiece in the Lowe’s entry, with Reid’s best finish being a 17th-place result at Nashville Superspeedway in June, and Feese’s best finish being a 23rd-place result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March.

Jimmie Johnson drove the No. 5 in three races, scoring the team’s first pole position of 2005 at Darlington Raceway in May, and qualifying eighth the following weekend at Richmond International Raceway. Johnson’s best finish was a fifth-place result at Dover International Speedway in June.

Kyle Krisiloff made his Busch Series debut in the No. 5 at The Milwaukee Mile in June, and finished 40th in the Lowe’s Chevy at Michigan International Speedway in August. Krisiloff’s next start in the No. 5 is scheduled to come at Memphis Motorsports Park in October.

In his NASCAR debut, open-wheel star Adrian Fernandez finished 10th in the Mexico City Busch Series race, and drove the No. 5 to a 28th-place finish at California Speedway in Sept. Fernandez is also slated to drive the No. 5 in Busch races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway this season.

Brian Vickers’ only scheduled start in the No. 5 this season came at Watkins Glen International earlier, where he finished third.

POINTS STANDING: Rick Hendrick, owner of the No. 5 Lowe’s / Sta-Green entry, is 25th in the NASCAR Busch Series owners’ points standings after 29 events of the 35-race season.

STATS AND FACTS