Ford 300 - Kyle Busch Notes

PREVIEW: KYLE BUSCH (NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET)
VENUE: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 35 OF 35)
EVENT: SATURDAY, NOV. 18, 2006 (200 LAPS, 300 MILES)

SECOND TIME AROUND: Kyle Busch has raced in each of NASCAR's top-three circuits -- the NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series -- one time at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has posted top-10 finishes in Busch and Truck Series competition, but his lone NEXTEL Cup appearance netted only a 41st-place result due to an accident.

MIAMI HEAT: Busch has qualified no worse than 15th in his three NASCAR races at Homestead, posting top-five starts in his Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup appearances.

ONLY NBS START CAME IN '04: Busch made his sole Busch Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2004, when he qualified fifth and led three laps before coming in third. His top-three finish capped off a record-setting rookie season in which he finished second in championship points.

SEASON IN REVIEW: Entering this weekend's Busch Series finale, Busch is seventh in the standings, just 24 points behind sixth-place Paul Menard. In 2006, he has competed in 33 of 34 races, missing only Memphis, Tenn., and earned one victory, two pole positions, four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s.

CHASSIS 382: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 382 as the primary option for Saturday's Busch Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The car has never seen racing action.

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KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET: (ON HIS 2006 SEASON.) "We've worked really hard this year and I've seen a tremendous amount of improvement. The team has really come around in the past two or three months and that says a lot. We haven't given up and it shows. I'm definitely looking forward to a little vacation time and getting rid of the cell phone for a while. But, to be honest, I'm looking forward to some off-season testing and getting back at it in 2007."

BUSCH: (ON HIS PLANS FOR THE OFF-SEASON.) "Right now, I have plans set for a trip to Hawaii. There's some surfing planned and a little bit of fishing. We'll probably do some sight-seeing, too. It's definitely a trip to relax and just lay low."

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CHAD WALTER, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET: (ON HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY.) "Miami is its own race track. It's unlike every other track we go to. Aero is extremely important and track position plays a key role. There were two grooves in last year's finale, so passing isn't impossible. But qualifying will still be important, both for a good starting position and pit selection."

WALTER: (ON CUP TESTING.) "The Busch Series, unfortunately, doesn't get to test at Homestead like the Cup teams do. Hendrick Motorsports had a great test session and we did receive all of the teams' data. That being said, we have a lot to work to do from once we get there on Friday."

WALTER: (ON THE 2006 SEASON.) "I saw a big shift in this team's performance around late July. The entire Lowe's team has really come together well. When the season started, we had a lot of new faces and many familiar faces in new positions. We gained a lot of experience as a team over the past 10 months. Next year, we're going to try to keep the core group together with as minimal changes as possible. Overall, we're already gearing up for 2007 and we've got new cars ready to go. In fact, we're using one this weekend. We're much farther ahead in planning for next year than we were at this point last season."