Michigan International Speedway, August 20-22, 2004
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: GFS 400, August 22nd
Kurt Busch
Team: No. 97 Superman / Sharpie Ford Taurus
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis: #58 (finished sixth at Texas and 10th at Indy)
Kurt Busch on racing at Michigan International Speedway:
"My first couple of trips here weren’t all that successful for the No. 97 team, but other than that, I’ve always enjoyed coming to Michigan. It’s got multiple grooves and you can race two and three wide in the corners. Fuel mileage also seems to usually play a part in the final outcome so there is a strategy element involved that keeps everyone on their toes.
“We’ve got Superman on the hood of our Sharpie car this week, so hopefully we won’t run into any kryptonite during the weekend. But it’s a cool paint scheme, and Carl, Mark and Greg will be running them as well along with a couple of other guys, so hopefully we can all do well with them. Superman is a perfect fit for our Sharpie car this weekend because I’ve always got a big ‘S’ on my chest anyway for Sharpie, so it fits. And Sharpie makes a Super Sharpie as well, so hopefully we can take this car to victory lane.”
Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Michigan International Speedway:
“I’ve got a lot of knowledge about running well here from my past experiences, but anymore, it’s like you’re coming here for the first time, it seems. There’s always a lot of work and consideration to be done to get your car to handle good here. Lots of racing room for the drivers, too—the thing that usually bites the crew chiefs is the fuel mileage. We’re bringing our Indy car, so we’re looking for another top-10 finish with it.”
Fast Facts
Four of the five Roush Racing drivers will take part in the Justice League promotion this weekend that sees Mark Martin in ‘Batman’ paint schemes for both his NEXTEL Cup and Busch starts, Greg Biffle in ‘The Flash’ schemes for both starts, Kurt Busch in a ‘Superman’ paint scheme and Carl Edwards making his NEXTEL Cup debut with ‘The Green Lantern.’
Kurt Busch remains seventh in the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings following his 10th-place finish in Watkins Glen last week, 389 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. It was his third top-10 effort in his last four starts and 10th on the season.
Busch has been among the top 10 in points for the last 21 consecutive race weeks, including one week in first. He trails sixth-place Elliott Sadler by 38 points and has eighth-place Bobby Labonte just 37 points in back of him.
Busch has a pair of top-10 finishes at Michigan, including a victory in June of last season. His other top 10 was a 10th in June of 2002. He finished 18th in this event last year and 11th here in June. He has led 23 or more laps in four of his last five visits, the shutout coming in his most recent appearance.
