KYLE BUSCH IN 'PEOPLE':
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolets, is profiled in the April 11 edition of People magazine. The issue, featuring Jennifer Aniston on the cover, is on newsstands this week.
HENDRICK GOES 3 OF 4:
A Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has won three of the four most recent NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Jeff Gordon accounts for two of those victories, while Jimmie Johnson owns one.
CATCH BUSCH & VICKERS ON CMT AWARDS:
On Monday, April 11, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers will travel to Nashville, Tenn., where the pair will be presenters at this year's Country Music Television Awards. Other attendees include Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Daniels, Gina Gershon, Dennis Hopper, Larry the Cable Guy, William Shatner and many more. The show will air live on CMT beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
CHASSIS NO. 263 FOR BUSCH:
Kellogg's Racing will field Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 263 at Martinsville this weekend. The car is no stranger to the .526-mile track, having raced there with driver Terry Labonte last season. It's also seen action at Richmond, Va., and Dover, Del.
MAKE IT A DOZEN:
A first-place finish at Martinsville would tie car owner Rick Hendrick for second in all-time wins at the Virginia short track. Alone in third-place with 11 victories, Hendrick Motorsports trails only Petty Engineering (19) and Junior Johnson (12).
HOMECOMING FOR WHITESELL, ELLINGTON:
Brian Whitesell, team manager of the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 Chevrolets, hails from Stuarts Draft, Va., roughly 140 miles from the Martinsville Speedway, while fabricator Eric Ellington is a native of nearby Greensboro, N.C. Ellington joined the No. 5 Kellogg's team prior to the 2003 NASCAR season.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLETS:
(HOW IMPORTANT IS STARTING UP FRONT AT A SHORT TRACK LIKE MARTINSVILLE?) "It's really important. We made that mistake (started 39th) at Bristol. We really want to get a good, clean lap in qualifying and get a good spot. Hopefully, starting up front will allow for a better day. That's all you can hope for there (at Martinsville). We know we might knock the nose in a little bit, but hopefully we can keep it on this week."
BUSCH:
(HOW DID YOUR MARTINSVILLE TEST GO?) "It went well. We worked on a lot of different setups and tried to get the car to handle well through the center and up off the corners. The main thing we worked on was logging laps because I'd never even seen the track before. It was really good to get some laps under our belts and learn all we could about the track."
BUSCH:
(YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PRESENTER AT THE COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION AWARDS ON MONDAY. HOW COOL IS THAT?) "I'm really excited about it. A lot of NASCAR fans are country music fans, so it's pretty cool that Brian and I have this opportunity. There are so many country music artists that sing the national anthem at our races, so I'm looking forward to meeting some of them and seeing what it's like on the 'other side.' I can't wait to mingle with some of the people we see on TV every week. Plus, it's something I've never done before and a great chance to meet people I never would've met otherwise. I'm looking forward to it."
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLETS:
(YOU TESTED MARTINSVILLE. HOW WAS IT?) "The test went really well and Kyle seemed to get around pretty well. This Kellogg's team has been working hard on our cars this year and we go to the track each weekend very, very prepared. There's no impound procedure this weekend, so it's business as usual. I feel like we have something to prove after last weekend (at Bristol). I don't think we need to prove that we're good enough, just go out there and be as good as we can be. Last week we had a car capable of being up front and, because of a bad qualifying position, got caught up in some unfortunate incidents."
GUSTAFSON:
(KYLE HAS NEVER RACED AT MARTINSVILLE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?) "We expect a decent finish. Running at Bristol last week is going to be an advantage for Kyle because he still has that short-track mentality. What we all have to learn is not to panic because these races are really, really long. If we get a lap down early on, we can capitalize on the 'Lucky Dog' rule and be up there with the leaders, instead of the back of the pack where things tend to get a little crazy. Kyle has the ability to do well anywhere, so I'm looking forward to the race."
GUSTAFSON:
(AFTER BACK-TO-BACK SHORT TRACKS, WILL YOU BE READY FOR TEXAS?) "Texas will be a lot easier. I really like racing there and think the Kellogg's team will be good right off the truck. We want to get through Martinsville with the fenders on the car and then move on to Texas."
