Kroger 200 - Kyle Busch Notes

PREVIEW: KYLE BUSCH (NO. 5 LOWE'S/PELLA CHEVROLET)
VENUE: O'REILLY RACEWAY PARK (.75-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 23 OF 35)
EVENT: SATURDAY, AUG. 5 (200 LAPS, 137.2 MILES)

2004 VICTOR: In August 2004, Kyle Busch fought off a late-race charge by Johnny Sauter to earn his fourth victory of the NASCAR Busch Series season at Indianapolis. It was the first in a six-race string of top-10 finishes for the No. 5 Lowe's team, including another win and four top-fives.

'5' HISTORY: Busch's August 2004 performance was the second consecutive victory at the .75-mile Indy short track for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. The previous season, Brian Vickers took the checkered flag there, earning his first career NASCAR win and jump-starting a six-race stretch that produced three first-place finishes. In 2002, Ricky Hendrick finished seventh at Indianapolis, marking his best result in 22 Busch Series races that year.

INDY SUCCESS: Busch has been successful racing in Indianapolis, posting top-10 finishes in all three of NASCAR's major touring series. At the former Indianapolis Raceway Park, he finished ninth in Craftsman Truck Series competition in 2001 and scored a Busch Series win in 2004. In his 2005 debut at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch finished 10th in NEXTEL Cup action.

CHASSIS 378: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 378 as the primary option for Saturday's Busch Series event at Indianapolis. The car finished 20th at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in July.

SHORT COMMUTE: Veteran driver Dennis Setzer will practice the No. 5 Lowe's/Pella Chevrolet on Saturday at O'Reilly Raceway Park as Busch fulfills his NEXTEL Cup commitments at nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch will attempt to run a portion of Busch Series final practice prior to qualifying and racing the car on Saturday evening.

* * * * * * * * * *

CALLING ALL CHEVY FANS: Kyle Busch will greet fans and sign autographs at "Chevy Fan Day" on Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The appearance will begin at 11 a.m. local time.

* * * * * * * * * *

KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/PELLA CHEVROLET: (ON BUSCH SERIES RACING AT THE INDY SHORT TRACK.) "Indy is fun for me. I really like going there. It's a pretty cool little race track. I won there two years ago, actually the last time I was there. I'm hoping we'll have the opportunity to win again this weekend. It's a fun place for me because it's somewhat similar to where I grew up racing. It's a track where you have to run up high, close to the wall. Then you have to dive to the bottom to pass, which makes it really hard."

BUSCH: (ON THE TRACK ITSELF.) "It's a momentum-based track. The corners are so wide and the straightaways aren't that long. You need to use as little brake as possible and try to keep the car 'free rolling.' That makes for a really good qualifying lap. To pass cars is pretty tough. You have to slow down and get to the bottom (of the track). You kind of have to dive to the bottom a little bit and get beneath them going in to the turn, roll with them through the center, then drive up off better than the cars around you. It's difficult to do that. You tend to race someone side-by-side for about five laps before you can actually get around them."

BUSCH: (ON THE HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS.) "It was definitely cool winning in Indianapolis back in 2004. I mean, you're excited every time you win, but to win in Indy was great. You feel the racing history, especially over at the Brickyard. But, come race time, you have to set that aside and treat it like any other race."