KYLE BUSCH NOTES & QUOTES
‘5’ DONS DELPHI:
Kyle Busch’s No. 5 Monte Carlo will carry a special paint scheme at Indy featuring the red and white Delphi oval. Sunday will mark the second of four appearances of the Delphi design this season.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. GUSTAFSON:
First-year NEXTEL Cup crew chief Alan Gustafson will celebrate his 30th birthday on Friday. The Ormond Beach, Fla., native has led Busch and Kellogg’s Racing to five top-five finishes so far this season.
TESTING 1-2-3-4:
Four Hendrick Motorsports teams tested Indianapolis Motor Speedway in advance of Sunday’s 400-mile event. The Nos. 5, 25 and 44 crews prepared Chevrolets July 18-19. The No. 24 DuPont contingent was there July 19.
NEW RIDE FOR BUSCH:
Busch will be driving a brand new No. 5 Kellogg’s/Delphi Chevrolet in his first-ever event at historic Indy. Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 352 was tested at the 2.5-mile track last month, but has never been raced.
DRIVE FOR FIVE:
Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with four career victories at Indianapolis -- all by Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team. Gordon has led an incredible 433 laps in 11 starts -- more than twice the total of second-place Dale Jarrett (186).
‘5’ TESTS ‘THE GLEN’:
Busch and Kellogg’s Racing tested Monday and Tuesday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in preparation for the Aug. 14 event. The race will mark the rookie’s second appearance on a road course at the NEXTEL Cup level.
BUSCH ON ‘NASCAR NATION’:
Busch will join the cast of SPEED Channel’s “NASCAR Nation” as a special guest host on Wednesday, Aug. 10. The show airs Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/DELPHI CHEVROLETS:
(ON RACING AT THE BRICKYARD.) “Indianapolis is a good, fast, flat and narrow race track. It’s going to be a fun race. I think this is the type of track where the Kellogg’s team is going to be able to excel. We ran well at two other flat tracks -- Phoenix and New Hampshire -- and some of those strategies and setups translate over to Indy.”
BUSCH:
(ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING AT INDY.) “Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the few tracks we race where you see pretty much everyone test. The race itself is about as prestigious as the Daytona 500, and to win there means you’ve ‘made it.’ It’s really important to go there, have a good test and bring back your best car to race with.”
BUSCH:
(ON QUALIFYING AT INDY.) “I’m not so sure how hard it will be to pass with the new asphalt and the new tire at Indy, but qualifying is always important. We hope to qualify well and stay up front all day long. It would be pretty cool as a rookie to have my first NEXTEL Cup win at the Brickyard.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/DELPHI CHEVROLETS:
(ON INDY.) “We had an incredible test at Indy a few weeks ago. It’s a fast track and, of course, winning there means a ton. Hendrick Motorsports has done really well (at Indy) in the past and I hope we’re just as good this weekend. With the weekend break, I think a lot of the guys are rested and refreshed, so when we land in Indy it’s going to be back to business. It’s doubtful we’ll make the Chase, but we still want that first win.”
