Kurt Busch Advance
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 5th-7th 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Sunday 1:40PM
Kurt Busch
Team: No. 97 Crown Royal Ford Taurus
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis: #70 (new chassis – tested on July 5-6 at Indy)
Busch on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
"The new track surface is definitely more abrasive and will provide for greater speeds than what we’ve seen under race conditions at the Brickyard. We’re expecting it to be a little cooler than it was during our test, so we’ll probably see some quicker lap times. I’m excited about our Crown Royal Ford this weekend. Indy is a very special place, and it’s always a highlight of the season to come to this track with so much history.”
Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“We’re taking a brand new car this weekend for the Brickyard rather than the car that we won with at Pocono. A lot of teams will go with the same chassis, but this new one is one that we felt good with during our test last month, and Kurt likes it a little more than the one we took to Pocono, so we feel good about it. We’ve had good solid runs lately, and that’s what we need this weekend in the Crown Royal Ford.”
Fast Facts
Kurt Busch remained fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings following his win at Pocono before the off-weekend. Busch has closed the gap from point leader Jimmie Johnson to 262 points.
Busch has been in the top 10 for 19 of 20 race weeks thus far in 2005. Busch has four top-10 finishes in his last five races, including top-fives at Loudon and Sonoma and a win at Pocono.
Busch has three top-10 finishes in four career starts at Indianapolis. His best finish at Indy was fifth in 2001.
The No. 97 team brings the purple and gold of Crown Royal to the Brickyard for the fourth time this season.
The Crown Royal team brings chassis #70 in Indy, a brand new chassis that has only seen track time during a test at the Brickyard on July 5 and 6. Chassis #60 also participated in the two-day test, and will serve as the back-up car.
Busch turned 27 years old on Thursday, August 4th after spending the final remaining off-weekend on the NEXTEL Cup schedule in Europe to attend the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m intrigued by this sport, on how it looks and how the people operate, and just the excitement,” Busch said. “It is so different for me (compared to NASCAR). It is my only off weekend, and here I am at a racetrack halfway around the world.”
