KYLE BUSCH NOTES & QUOTES
TWO RACES LEFT IN ROOKIE BATTLE:
With two races remaining, Kyle Busch maintains a 76-point edge over second-place Travis Kvapil in the NEXTEL Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle. The 20-year-old Busch has been Rookie of the Race in 22 of 34 races so far this season.
KYLE BUSCH TRUCKIN’ AT PIR:
In addition to driving his customary No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet in Sunday’s NEXTEL Cup Series event, Busch will get behind the wheel of Billy Ballew’s No. 15 Chevy Silverado in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the Chevy Silverado 150.
BUSCH SIGNING FOR FANS SUNDAY:
Busch will greet fans and sign autographs at the Kellogg’s Racing souvenir rig outside PIR beginning at 10:40 a.m. local time on Sunday. Tickets will be distributed Sunday morning when Phoenix International Raceway opens.
NEXT WIN WILL BE 140TH FOR HENDRICK:
Jeff Gordon’s first-place finish Oct. 23 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway gave Rick Hendrick his 139th Cup-level victory, tying him with legendary team owner Junior Johnson for second on NASCAR’s all-time list (1949-present). Hendrick, who leads all Cup owners in modern-era wins (1972-present), now trails only Petty Enterprises overall.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S CHEVROLETS:
(ON PHOENIX.) “Phoenix is a cool race track for me. I ran the Southwest Series there last year and learned a lot for our Busch Series car. A year ago in the Busch Series, we sat on the pole and should have won that race. I finished eighth in my first race in the Cup car. As a matter of fact, Phoenix was the track where I saw my first Cup race as a fan. Ironically enough, the winner was Terry Labonte. It’s pretty neat that I am driving the same car as the first driver I ever saw win.”
BUSCH:
(ON PHOENIX DINING AND BEING CLOSE TO LAS VEGAS.) “I love In-N-Out Burger, which is a place you can only find on the West Coast. I’ll eat there about five times over the weekend. Also, since Phoenix is a lot closer to Las Vegas than most of the tracks we race on, I will have some family and friends hanging out with us, so I’m looking forward to it.”
BUSCH:
(ON THE RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR COMPETITION.) “Travis Kvapil is a tremendous competitor who I have a ton of respect for. He was a champion in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and I know how tough that series can be. No matter who wins it, we both know it was a fun battle.”
