Stater Bros. 300 - Kyle Busch Notes

PREVIEW: KYLE BUSCH (NO. 5 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE TWO OF 35)
EVENT: SATURDAY, FEB. 24, 2007 (150 LAPS, 300 MILES)

LOVING CALIFORNIA: Kyle Busch claims California Speedway as one of his favorite tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Busch earned his first career NEXTEL Cup pole and victory at the speedway. He's also posted two top-10 Busch Series finishes there.

WEST COAST SPEED: Of the three West Coast ovals on the NASCAR circuit (California, Las Vegas and Phoenix), Busch has earned two Cup victories, two Cup poles, one Busch Series pole, 11 top-10 finishes (Cup and Busch Series combined), and a grand total of 341 laps led (Cup and Busch Series combined).

K.B. RIDES THE WAVES: Busch was presented with a custom-painted surfboard by California Speedway last year when he was inducted into the track's "Walk of Fame." He took it one step further during the off-season by taking surfing lessons while vacationing in Hawaii. The 21-year-old Busch managed to ride a wave on only his second attempt.

BLACK & BLUE: Busch will be racing a black and blue No. 5 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet in Saturday's Busch Series event at California Speedway. Hendrick Autoguard, a line of products available exclusively at Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships nationwide, will also be featured on the No. 5 Chevy in three Busch Series races with driver Mark Martin later this year.

TESTING, TESTING: Crew chief Mike Bumgarner has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 356 as the primary option for Saturday's Busch Series event at California Speedway. The car has not been raced, but was tested earlier this month at Busch's hometown track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

* * * * * * * * * *

PARTY ZONE ON SATURDAY: Kyle Busch will greet fans at the California Speedway "Party Zone" tent in the track's infield on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time.

* * * * * * * * * *

KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CHEVROLET: (YOU SEEM TO EXCEL ON WEST COAST TRACKS. WHY IS THAT?) "I love West Coast racing. Maybe the positive attitude has something to do with it. I don't know. It just seems like we run well every time we're in the Pacific time zone. California Speedway in particular really fits my driving style. I think it's because of how flat it is. The track just clicks for me personally and the 5 Cup team. So, I guess it's not expecting too much to think it will click for the Busch (Series) team as well."

BUSCH: (WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TIME SURFING LIKE?) "Learning to surf was great. I went to Hawaii over the off-season and spent some time with my friends at Electric Sunglasses. The first time we went out, which is the video they aired on TV, the waves weren't super big. The first time I actually got up, but I thought I was going to hit the guy recording it, so I went down on purpose. The second time I got up and rode through. It was great. A few days later we tried some bigger waves and had a great time. I really enjoyed it and hope I get the opportunity to do it again soon."