Sharpie 500 * Bristol Motor Speedway * Saturday, August 23, 2003
Kurt Busch
Team: No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford Taurus
Sponsors: Rubbermaid
Owner: Jack Roush
Driver: Kurt Busch
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis Number: 46 * won in the spring at Bristol
Kurt Busch on racing at Bristol:
"I'm glad to be getting back to Bristol with the success that this
Rubbermaid team has put together at this place. It's so tough to win
here and everyone wants it pretty bad. We just need to stay on our toes
for 500 laps and have some 'no mistake' racing and we can pull off
another great finish here."
Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Bristol:
"We've been beyond fortunate the last four races that we've come
here, but I think it's more the maturity of how Kurt has learned to get
around this place. He never fails to impress me here and if we get out
in front again this time around, I have no doubts about his ability to
finish up front."
ROUSH RACING FAST FACTS:
Mark Martin scored four consecutive poles at Bristol (1995-96).
Martin's seven poles at Bristol is a tie for the most ever.
Martin has won five of the last 17 poles at Bristol.
Martin has posted two victories at Bristol, in 1993 from the
pole and in the 1998 fall race.
Martin has posted 20 top-10 and 15 top-five finishes in 33 races
at Bristol.
Martin's last top-10 finish at Bristol came in 2000.
Martin scored 10 straight top-10 finishes from 1995-2000.
Greg Biffle earned his first top-five finish of the season at
Bristol in the spring.
Matt Kenseth now has 18 top-10 finishes in 23 starts, a
league-leading statistic. He also has nine top-five finishes; second
only to Bobby Labonte's 10 top-five finishes.
Kenseth's 2003 Winston Cup point lead is now 329 points over
second place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It is the widest margin of the entire
year for Kenseth.
If Kenseth wins the Sharpie 500 event, his Winston-leader bonus
payout would be a record $240,000.
Kenseth has completed all but two laps of competition in the
2003 season.
Kurt Busch won the Food City 500 at Bristol in March this year.
Busch's crew chief Jimmy Fennig is the winningest active crew
chief in the Winston Cup Series with 23 wins.
Jeff Burton has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes at
Bristol.
Jon Wood and Carl Edwards will compete in Wednesday night's
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Edwards has won the past two races
and the Roush teams have won four of the last six races.
