California Speedway - Pop Secret 500, 4:30PM, September 5th
Kurt Busch
Team: No. 97 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford Taurus
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis: #59 (finished ninth at Las Vegas)
Kurt Busch on racing at California Speedway:
"I always enjoy heading out to the west coast for races. Earlier this year in our first trip to Fontana we got in the quick dry and I got behind on steering and ended up in the wall, but we were able to win here last year, and finished second the season before that, so it's definitely a welcome trip with only two races left in the 'Race to the Chase.' Hopefully we'll be able to go out and compete and get another solid finish out of the day.
"It will be interesting running here later on in the evening. It's our first fall trip out to this facility and with the lights being on it will be a pretty special event, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at California Speedway:
"We just gotta have a good finish this week. Until we're locked into this top-10 deal we are just looking for solid finishes. After that we can go racing, but right now it's all about finishing good in these last two."
Fast Facts
Kurt Busch posted his fourth consecutive top-10 finish with an eighth-place effort at Bristol last week. He remains sixth in the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings, 329 points behind point leader Jimmie Johnson with two races remaining in the 'Race to the Chase.' Busch needs finishes of 17th or better in Fontana and Richmond to mathematically clinch his spot in the inaugural "Chase for the Championship Cup."
Busch is running the IRWIN Industrial Tools paint scheme for the 15th of 19 events in 2004.
Busch won in Fontana in the April event last year, leading 102 laps on the way to his second win of 2003.
Busch has extra incentive to run well during the Pop Secret 500 to benefit low-income families. For a top-five finish, IRWIN will donate $10,000 in product to the charitable foundation Rebuilding Together, and $20,000 for a win.
