Emerson Radio 250 - Kyle Busch Notes

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

Q&A WITH DRIVER KYLE BUSCH:

NOW THAT YOU’VE WON A NEXTEL CUP RACE, DOES IT GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND’S BUSCH RACE? “Yeah, absolutely. I’ve always had confidence in both of the (No.) 5 teams, but it’s nice to get that mark in the win column, for sure. We’ve been knocking on the door, but it takes everything lining up just right to finally get to Victory Lane. I’m glad we were able to do it, just so we can put the question of, ‘Are we ever going to win one of these?’ behind us.

“I’m also very confident because we’ve been real successful every time we’ve raced at Richmond. It will always have a special place in my heart since I got my first NASCAR win here. I’ve only finished outside the top-five here once, which is pretty cool, especially at a short track where it’s easy to get caught up in wrecks.

“We’re bringing the same car back that we won with here last May, and I also won at IRP with this car, so I’ve got one of my favorite cars at one of my favorite tracks. It’s going to be cool.”

CHAD WALTER WAS AN ENGINEER WITH THE NO. 5 CUP TEAM BEFORE HE BECAME THE CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 BUSCH SERIES CAR. DO YOU THINK THAT WILL HELP THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU? “Yeah, I’ve gotten to know Chad pretty well from working with him this year, so he and I already have a great relationship. From working on the Cup side, he already knows how I communicate and what my feedback means and we’ve learned each other’s ‘language,’ so we’re way ahead of the game as far as that goes. It’s cool to be able to jump right in with a new crew chief and already have that level of understanding and communication. Learning how to communicate with a crew chief usually takes awhile but with Chad, I feel like we’ll be able to contend for wins right off the bat.”

Q&A WITH CREW CHIEF CHAD WALTER:

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RICHMOND INT’L RACEWAY? “You can’t beat short track racing at night. It’s fun, with the beating and banging, sparks flying and sheet metal bending. I think it’s going to be great, especially with Kyle being on such a high from winning this past weekend. I think we could put him in the ‘Titanic’ and he’d still drive it toward the front.”

IS QUALIFYING UP FRONT AT RICHMOND THAT IMPORTANT? “Yeah, one thing I’ve learned since working in the Busch Series this season is that track position is half the battle. At a place like Richmond, where they’ve resurfaced the track, it’s hard to make moves. It’s so hard to pass on the outside, so it’s tough on restarts when you’ve got all the lapped cars on the inside. You’ve got to try and get underneath them and by them as quick as you can to get away from them and be able to race. You’ve got to manage your track position to win in this series.”

KYLE BUSCH’S HISTORY AT RICHMOND INT’L RACEWAY: Kyle Busch started 17th and finished 22nd in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond in Sept., 2001. In his first NASCAR Busch Series race at the facility last May, Busch started on the pole (setting a new Busch Series track qualifying record) and led 236 of 250 laps en route to the first Busch Series win of his career. Last September, Busch qualified second and finished fifth in his second Richmond Busch race.

This season, Busch finished 23rd in the No. 57 Chevrolet in the May Busch Series race, but returned to form with a top-five finish in his first Richmond Nextel Cup start the following night.

CHASSIS INFORMATION- Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 273 – Chassis No. 273 is a short track “work horse” for the No. 5 team. This is the same chassis Kyle Busch qualified in the pole position and led 236 of 250 laps with on his way to his first career NASCAR victory in the Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway in May, 2004. Last year in this event, Busch drove this chassis to a second-place starting spot and a fifth-place finish.

Brian Vickers and Busch drove this chassis to wins at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2003 and last year, respectively.

RECORD RUN: Kyle Busch’s victory in the 2004 spring Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway marked the first time since the inception of the Raybestos Rookie program (which began in 1989) that a rookie ever won a race after starting from the pole position.

Busch also tied Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s, record for most laps led in a Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway when he led 236 of 250 laps in May, 2004.

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 seven 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.

Open-wheel star Adrian Fernandez posted a top-10 finish in the Mexico City Busch Series race, and drove the No. 5 to a 28th-place finish at California Speedway last weekend. Later this year, Fernandez will drive the No. 5 in Busch races at Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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

POINTS STANDING: Rick Hendrick, owner of the No. 5 Lowe’s / Shop Vac entry, is 25th in the NASCAR Busch Series owners’ points standings after 27 events of the 35-race season.

STATS AND FACTS