Emerson Radio 250 - Kyle Busch Notes

PREVIEW: KYLE BUSCH (NO. 5 LOWE'S/SHOP-VAC CHEVROLET)
VENUE: RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (.75-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 28 OF 35)
EVENT: FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 (250 LAPS, 300 MILES)

FIRST 'W' CAME AT RIR: Kyle Busch put on quite a show in his first appearance at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, earning his first career NASCAR Busch Series victory in September 2004. Busch started from the pole and led 236 of 250 laps en route to his first of five wins in his rookie season on the tour.

STRONG FINISHER: Busch has finished on the lead lap in all five Busch Series races he has entered at Richmond. He has led 250 of the 1,256 laps he has completed (19.9 percent).

TRACK RECORD: Busch's May 2004 pole-winning run of 20.874 seconds and 129.348 mph still stands as the Busch Series qualifying record at Richmond International Raceway.

JACK OF ALL TRADES: Busch has competed in 10 total NASCAR races at Richmond -- three in the NEXTEL Cup Series, five in the Busch Series and two in the Craftsman Truck Series. In total, he has posted one victory, five top-fives and six top-10 finishes there.

SHORT TRACK SUCCESS: In Busch Series competition, Busch has raced in 16 short track events, earning three victories, six top-five finishes and eight top-10s. His average short track finish of 13.1 is his best at any track configuration.

CHASSIS 345: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 345 as the primary option for Friday's Busch Series event at Richmond. The car has been raced four times this year, earning one pole and two top-10 finishes, including a ninth-place effort at Richmond in May.

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KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SHOP-VAC CHEVROLET: (WHAT'S THE KEY TO RUNNING WELL AT RICHMOND?) "The key to running well at Richmond is to get your car turning through the center, but have enough forward bite coming up off the corner. Richmond is a very tough track to get your car handling right. No race at Richmond is easy. It will be a tough race Friday night."

BUSCH: (YOU SEEM TO HAVE CLICKED WITH RICHMOND INSTANTLY. IS THERE ANY REASON FOR THAT?) "My crew chief in 2004, Lance McGrew, had a really good setup for Richmond. We ran well both races there that year. We won the May race and ended up fourth in the fall. The Lowe's Chevrolet was actually good enough to win the fall race, too, but we got hung up during a pit stop. Earlier this year at Richmond we had a pretty good car, so I guess this is just a good track for the Lowe's team. Hopefully we'll find the same magic in the Busch and Cup cars this weekend."

BUSCH: (IS THE BUSCH RACE AT RICHMOND A LITTLE CRAZIER THAN THE CUP RACE?) "There's a lot going on in the Busch race at Richmond, more so than the Cup race. There are a lot of guys dicing around for position Friday night that you don't normally see on Saturday. I think it's mostly because there's half the number of laps in the Busch race, so you have to get to the front twice as quickly. The biggest deal with Richmond is to get through in one piece, just like every other track. But that race is tough because the competition is so close. The motors are all pretty equal, so everyone is running together. You won't see a car blow by another one. It's tight racing there."

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CHAD WALTER, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 LOWE'S/SHOP-VAC CHEVROLET: (WHAT MAKES THE LOWE'S TEAM SO SUCCESSFUL AT RICHMOND?) "I think when Kyle walks into Richmond he has a little more confidence than normal because it's the site of his first NASCAR Busch Series win. For us as a team, it's a Friday night short track race, which is pretty much taking us back to where each of us started our career in racing. It's kind of like going back to the roots of the sport we work in. We want to win every race, but winning a short track night race is just a tad more exciting."

WALTER: (MANY SAY THAT RICHMOND IS THE PERFECT TRACK. DO YOU AGREE?) "It's pretty close. The best thing about Richmond is that it produces close racing on every lap back through the entire field. There are multiple racing grooves and you can pass without using your bumper, unlike other short tracks, like Bristol and Martinsville. If there are going to be more NASCAR tracks built, I think Richmond would be a great place to model them after."

WALTER: (WITH ALL OF THE FOCUS ON THE CUP POINTS RACE THIS WEEKEND, DO YOU THINK THE BUSCH SERIES SHOULD ADOPT THE SAME CHAMPIONSHIP SYSTEM?) "No. Not because I don't think it's a good system, but more because I just don't think it would work for the Busch Series. I think with all of the Cup regulars that run in the Busch Series and with guys switching rides and numbers from race to race, it would be hard to figure out who made the Chase and who didn't. In my mind, if the Busch Series wanted to change its point system, I wish that each team's three lowest points races would be eliminated. In a Busch race, if you have a mechanical problem or are involved in a wreck, it's hard to get back out there and get your points because the races are so short. If we could throw three of those out, I think it would be a benefit to all teams."