UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Kyle Busch Notes

FIRST CUP START FOR BUSCH: Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 84 CARQUEST Chevrolets, will attempt his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at his hometown track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7. The 18-year-old has competed in one NASCAR-sanctioned event at LVMS, starting third and finishing ninth in the 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race.

TWICE IS NICE: Sunday's NEXTEL Cup race will be the second event of the weekend for Busch, as he will also compete in Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series 300-miler in the No. 5 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports.

THOSE GUYS LOOK FAMILIAR: Busch won't be the only one pulling double duty for CARQUEST Racing on Sunday as the pit crew of the No. 84 Chevy will be the same group that services Busch's No. 5 ride on Saturdays in the Busch Series.

DOUBLE DEBUT: Busch will intro Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 310 at Las Vegas, a car that was unofficially one of the fastest in January testing at LVMS.

HENDRICK LOOKING FOR SECOND 'W': This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports will be shooting for its second-ever win at Las Vegas. Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont team went to Victory Lane in 2001, which is also Chevrolet's only win in six tries.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: Championship-winning crew chief Gary DeHart will be at the helm of the No. 84 Chevrolets in 2004. DeHart won a Cup Series title with Labonte in 1996.

KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 84 CARQUEST CHEVROLETS: (WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO TAKE YOUR FIRST-EVER NEXTEL CUP LAPS AT YOUR HOME TRACK OF LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?) "Personally, it means a great deal, not only to go out there to see all the family and friends, but to have the opportunity to race in front of the hometown crowd is pretty awesome. Being able to compete against my brother (Kurt) for the first time since the Legends Cars days in Las Vegas makes it pretty neat, too."

BUSCH: (WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR SUNDAY'S NEXTEL CUP RACE?) "Obviously, we want to first and foremost put the CARQUEST Chevy in the race. After that, our goals are pretty simple -- finish every lap and not complicate things for the guys that are running every week for points. I really just want to keep my nose clean and have a solid run. A top-15 finish would be something special."

BUSCH: (HOW MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WILL YOU HAVE ATTENDING THE RACE?) "I know of at least 20 that we've helped with passes and I think there might be another 30 that are going to be out in the stands watching the race, so there will be a good number of people that we know. There will be a lot of folks there that mean a lot to me. Each of them have helped me out along the way and I want them to all know how much I appreciate it. Hopefully, we can put on a good show for them this weekend."

BUSCH: (DO YOU HAVE ANY LAS VEGAS SUPERSTITIONS?) "Not really anything specific to Vegas. I pretty much go through the same routine every week. I always put on my right glove before my left. I don't ever want anyone to say stuff like, 'We're going there to win,' or, 'We have a meeting in Victory Lane after the race.' You go to every track to do the best job you can and if the man upstairs has it in the cards, then hopefully you'll have a good day."

BUSCH: (YOU CHOSE THE NUMBER "84." WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?) "I ran a Late Model race at Winchester (Ind.) with the '84' and had a bunch of problems, but still ended up finishing seventh. We had a tire go down, a motor problem and ended up three laps behind at one point. It wasn't necessarily lucky, but to have all those things go wrong, then fight to get back on the lead lap and end up seventh -- we felt pretty fortunate. Plus, I've always run 'fours.' I've had No. 4, No. 04, No. 44, No. 46, and No. 64. Why not throw in 84?"