DARLINGTON CAR’S AN ALL-STAR:
Kyle Busch will pilot Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 344 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend in the NEXTEL Open. The car is the same No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy that ran in the top-five for much of the May 7 event at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
BUSCH GOIN’ TRUCK RACING AT LMS:
Busch will pilot a No. 15 ditech.com Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event Friday evening at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The 20-year-old Las Vegas native, who has two top-10 finishes in limited NCTS competition, will be driving an entry prepared by Billy Ballew Motorsports.
HENDRICK IN THE ALL-STAR:
Rick Hendrick, who founded Hendrick Motorsports in 1984 as “All-Star Racing,” has five NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge wins -- more than any car owner. He has earned those victories with three different drivers: Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001), Terry Labonte (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2003).
TWO CHANCES FOR DUO IN ALL-STAR RACE:
Busch and Vickers will each have two chances to make the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on Saturday night. They will attempt to race into the million-dollar event by winning the NEXTEL Open and fans can vote for the Hendrick Motorsports teammates by visiting www.nextel.com/allstar.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S CHEVROLETS:
(YOU FINISHED FOURTH ON SATURDAY AT RICHMOND. HOW DID IT FEEL TO RUN THAT WELL?) “I’ve been asked recently if the Kellogg’s team can win a race. I think we absolutely can win, and our performances have been good, but the finishes haven’t been there. I thought we really ran a smart race last weekend and just because we’re a rookie team doesn’t make a difference anymore. We just need the whole package to come together at once.”
BUSCH:
(WHAT “ROOKIE LESSONS” HAVE YOU LEARNED?) “There have been a lot of lessons learned this year, some harder than others. I feel like we’ve wrecked too many race cars and had one too many DNF’s (did not finish). The positive side is that we’ve been competitive and run well each week. This Kellogg’s team has been giving me strong cars all year long. I’m still learning how to drive these cars and how to tell the guys what I need in order to go faster, make myself comfortable and get up there to the front.”
BUSCH:
(ON RACING INTO THE ALL-STAR CHALLENGE.) “I really want to go out there and win the NEXTEL Open and be able to compete in the All-Star Challenge. This night isn’t about points -- it’s about beating the best and being the best. This is the night when teams and pit crews go all out in an effort to get all the glory. I think we have a real, real good shot at winning (the Open) and being in the All- Star Challenge. That would be a dream come true. If we get there, we have a shot to win it all.”
BUSCH:
(ON LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.) “I’m always asked which track is my favorite. It’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway and I can’t wait to get back out there. Now that they’ve ground the surface it’s going to be even faster. Raceweeks in Charlotte is my favorite time of year. ”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S CHEVROLETS:
(ON THE NEXTEL OPEN.) “I think we have a great chance of winning the Open. You can count on everyone to bring their most aggressive setups because we just have to go a short distance. The key to the Open will be track position. We need to qualify up front, have a good pit stop and stay up there, because the race is so short that there really isn’t much time to pass.”
