KYLE BUSCH NOTES & QUOTES
BUSCH READY FOR BULLRING WORKOUT:
When the checkered flag waves Saturday night, Kyle Busch will have logged up to 950 competitive laps (more than 500 miles) and made 3,800 left turns in one four-day stretch at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Busch will attempt NASCAR triple duty, driving Chevrolets in the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup Series.
JOHNNY BRAVO ON THE ‘5’:
Busch’s No. 5 Chevy will sport a special paint scheme featuring Johnny Bravo, as primary sponsor Kellogg’s kicks off its promotion for NASCAR Toon Racing and the Cartoon Network. Hot Wheels Rev-ups are featured on the packaging of select Kellogg’s products throughout the quarter.
HENDRICK AT BRISTOL:
Rick Hendrick has seven Cup Series victories at Bristol, tying him with Roger Penske for second on the list of active car owners. With eight wins, Richard Childress is the only active car owner with more.
RC RACING FOR CHARITY:
Busch will participate in a remote control car event, the Sharpie Mini 500, at 3:15 p.m. ET Saturday. The winner will receive $5,000 in cash and another $5,000 in school supplies, both going to charity. Busch will be racing to benefit the Hendrick Foundation for Children and the Jeff Turner Foundation for Education.
FIRST POLE CAME AT ‘BULLRING’:
Driving a No. 5 Chevrolet, Geoffrey Bodine earned Hendrick Motorsports’ first-ever Cup Series pole position in August 1984 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The team, then known as “All-Star Racing,” earned three poles and three wins that first season.
CHASSIS 251 FOR KELLOGG’S RACING:
Kellogg’s Racing crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 251 as the team’s primary option for Bristol. Busch drove the car to a pole position at California Speedway in February.
BUSCH & VICKERS AT FAMILY RACE NIGHT:
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers will sign autographs at Food City Family Race Night on Thursday. Busch will appear beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, with Vickers arriving 30 minutes prior. The event is held on State Street in Bristol, Tenn.
UP FRONT AT BRISTOL:
Of Hendrick Motorsports’ seven Cup Series pole positions at Bristol, four have come in the last 10 races held there -- all courtesy of Jeff Gordon. During that same stretch, Gordon has an average start of 3.5 and 1,264 laps led. His average starting position in 25 career races is an astounding 4.84.
SIGNIN’ FOR THE KIDS:
Busch will host his second “Kids Only” autograph session at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis when the gates open at the track that day.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S CHEVROLETS:
(ON RUNNING THREE RACES AT BRISTOL THIS WEEK.) “I love racing at Bristol, but it’ll definitely be a tough weekend. Running in all three races will be very physical because everyone beats and bangs on each other. It’s like a demolition derby in a cereal bowl [LAUGHS]. I hope the bad luck is out of our system because we really want to win a race this season.”
BUSCH:
(ON HIS “JOHNNY BRAVO” PAINT SCHEME AND RACING UNDER THE LIGHTS.) “We have a cool paint scheme this week -- Johnny Bravo -- and it’s always fun to have a different look under the lights. This race is definitely a fan favorite. There are 180,000 people who appear to be sitting right on top of you and I think it’s the only track I have been where the fans are louder than the motors.”
BUSCH:
(ON GOING BACK TO BRISTOL.) “Last race at Bristol I messed up in qualifying. We started in the back and got caught up in a wreck early. This time we’ll hopefully start higher in the field and be able to race up front. I expect the race to be wild, as Bristol always is. It should be fun.”
