Ford 400 - Kyle Busch Notes

THE YOUNGEST YOUNG GUN: Driving the No. 60 ditech.com Chevrolet, Kyle Busch will attempt to qualify for his first-ever NASCAR Winston Cup Series event during Friday's time trials at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 18-year-old will become the youngest driver to make a qualifying attempt this season, supplanting teammate Brian Vickers, who was 19 when he made the field at Lowe's Motor Speedway last month.

BUSCH THE YOUNGEST SINCE '82: If Kyle Busch qualifies for Sunday's season finale, he will become the youngest driver to debut in Winston Cup since 1982 when Darryl Sage and Bobby Hillin Jr. each made starts at the age of 17. Busch was born on May 2, 1985, roughly three years after Sage, who was 11 months younger than Hillin Jr., started the first of his eight career Winston Cup races.

BUSCH GETS THIRD TOP-10 AT 'THE ROCK': After once again becoming eligible for NASCAR competition in May, Busch has raced in seven Busch Series events, earning five top-10 starting spots and three top-10 finishes, including Saturday's seventh-place performance at North Carolina Speedway. As a 16-year-old in 2001, the Las Vegas native started his first NASCAR-sanctioned event in the Craftsman Truck Series before the governing body raised the minimum age to 18.

LAST RACE COULD BE A FIRST: Homestead, the site of Sunday's season finale, is one of just two tracks on the Winston Cup circuit where Hendrick Motorsports has yet to score a pole position or race win (the other being Chicagoland Speedway). A victory would be the 118th Winston Cup triumph for a Hendrick-owned team since 1984.

BUSCH TO FINISH 'ABC' SCHEDULE AT HOMESTEAD: Along with his seven Busch Series races, Busch has also entered seven ARCA Series events since joining Hendrick Motorsports in February, earning two victories, three pole positions and one outside pole. If he makes the field, Sunday's race at Homestead will complete his 2003 "ABC" (ARCA, Busch and Cup) schedule.

QUITE THE QUALIFIER II: In all, Busch has competed in 14 events under the Hendrick Motorsports banner in the Busch Series (7) and ARCA Series (7) combined. Of those 14, he has started outside the top 10 on just four occasions, three of which because of qualifying being canceled due to inclement weather.

DELPHI FAST FACT: Since 1975, Delphi emissions control technology has prevented the release of an estimated 50 million tons of hydrocarbons, 229 million tons of carbon monoxide and 44 million tons of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.

KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 60 DITECH.COM CHEVROLET: (WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND AT HOMESTEAD?) "Our main goals are to keep the car in once piece and just do the best we can. Hopefully, we'll put the ditech.com Chevy in the show and make as many laps throughout the weekend as we possibly can."

BUSCH: (IF YOU MAKE THE RACE, WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH ON SUNDAY?) "I just hope to finish every lap and get as much experience as possible. If it comes down to it, maybe we can finish in the top 20, but the goals will probably change throughout the race, depending on how we're doing. The main things are to have fun, complete every lap and use it as a learning experience."

BUSCH: (IF YOU MAKE THE FIELD, YOU WILL BE THE YOUNGEST DRIVER TO START A WINSTON CUP RACE IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES. WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?) "That's pretty cool. I've been given a great opportunity at a young age, but I try not to think of it that way. We'll go out there with our goals, just like anyone else. First and foremost, we need to concentrate on making the race. After that, we'll just go out and do what we can."

BUSCH: (YOU'VE ONLY QUALIFIED OUTSIDE THE TOP 10 ON ONE OCCASION THIS SEASON. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO?) "I've always been pretty good on cold tires, but the equipment I'm in has really given me the chance to qualify up front. The qualifying efforts have been excellent, which always helps on race day. Hendrick Motorsports has been giving me great cars to drive, so that makes it easier."

BUSCH: (HOW DID YOU REACT WHEN RICK HENDRICK DELIVERED THE NEWS THAT YOU WERE GOING TO HOMESTEAD WITH A WINSTON CUP CAR?) "I was really surprised. I thought there might be some other things I could do to get more experience -- maybe additional testing or something along those lines. I'm excited, but at the same time, I feel ready for it. It's going to be a great experience."

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