Carfax 250 - Kyle Busch Notes

PREVIEW: KYLE BUSCH (NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET)
VENUE: MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 25 OF 35)
EVENT: SATURDAY, AUG. 19 (125 LAPS, 250 MILES)

BUSCH HOPING FOR '04 REPEAT: In his single NASCAR Busch Series start at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Busch started from the outside pole position and dominated the August 2004 event, leading 87 of 125 laps and winning by a margin of 3.861 seconds. It was his fifth of five Busch Series victories in 2004.

WELL-ROUNDED AT MICHIGAN: Busch has made at least one Michigan start in four different series. He has earned a Busch Series victory there, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole and one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series top-10 finish. He also earned the outside pole for the June 2003 Automobile Racing Club of America race.

UPCOMING TRACKS SOLID FOR BUSCH: Busch has scored either a NEXTEL Cup or Busch Series victory at each of the next four tracks on the Busch Series schedule. Busch has earned Busch Series wins at Michigan International Speedway (2004), Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (2006) and Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (2004). He earned his second career NEXTEL Cup victory at California Speedway last year.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Busch will have Hendrick Motorsports teammate Brian Vickers on the track with him at Michigan this weekend. Vickers will pilot a No. 57 Mountain Dew Chevrolet with a retro paint scheme commemorating the 25th anniversary of Darrell Waltrip's first Cup Series championship.

CHASSIS 312: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 312 as the primary option for Saturday's Busch Series event at Michigan. The car earned the pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and followed that performance with a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks later. This chassis was also tested at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY: Busch will compete in a 100-lap late model race at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich., on Wednesday. He will race a car owned by Craftsman Truck Series driver Johnny Benson, who is also co-owner of Berlin Raceway.

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KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET: (HOW IMPORTANT WAS YOUR 2004 WIN AT MICHIGAN?) "It was a big deal. We pretty much dominated that race, which was definitely cool. We were really happy to win it for Chevrolet with MIS being right in their back yard. I haven't raced there in the Busch car since that race, so I'm really hoping we can go back this weekend and find the same kind of success."

BUSCH: (WILL HAVING A TEAMMATE ON THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND BE A BENEFIT?) "I hope so. Any time we run two cars on the track, we're able to feed off each other and it helps both of us out. I think that between Brian (Vickers) and I we can work something out where it will be beneficial for both of us at the checkered flag."

BUSCH: (DO YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE GOING TO THE NEXT FEW TRACKS WITH THE SUCCESS YOU'VE HAD ON THEM?) "Not really. Anything can happen at Michigan and Bristol. Actually, at Michigan and California you're more worried about engine failures. At Bristol you're more worried about everyone else. If someone crashes in Turn 4 and you're in Turn 3, you're probably going to be in it. Richmond can bring along brake and gear problems. At all of these tracks, any of these tracks, even if you're confident at them, anything can happen."

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CHAD WALTER, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SPECTRACIDE CHEVROLET: (WHAT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF MICHIGAN?) "I'm quick to say aerodynamics, but I feel that too many people worry too much about aerodynamics at Michigan. The biggest concern I have is the car's handling. Everyone talks about how easy it is to pass at Michigan because it has four or five grooves, but if your car is too loose or too tight, you're not going to be able to pass anyone. So, while aero is important, if you're chassis isn't handling right you're not going to get a good finish."

WALTER: (THERE SEEMS TO BE A TENDENCY FOR ENGINE FAILURES AT MICHIGAN. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT?) "Hendrick Motorsports has an amazing engine department. These guys have given us tremendous horsepower, which is crucial at a track like Michigan. With the gear rules that the NASCAR Busch Series has issued, I feel that the cars are going to be under-geared for how big MIS is. But we've got possibly the best engines out there, so I'm not too worried about it."

WALTER: (CAN YOU TAKE WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM CALIFORNIA IN FEBRUARY TO THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND AND VICE VERSA?) "California is the most similar track to Michigan. With the Busch Series only going to Michigan once a year, we usually would look at our notes from California a lot. Unfortunately, we had a terrible weekend at California in February, so we won't be relying on those much. We will, however, take what we learn this weekend to California in a couple of weeks. We'll look carefully at our springs and corner entry, and take that information with us."