I AM YOUR FATHER, KYLE:
Kyle Busch’s No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet will sport a new look at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in advance of the May 19 release of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” Darth Vader will overpower the hood, while Yoda, Mace Windu, Chewbacca and a Storm Trooper will also hitch a ride. C-3PO and R2-D2 are featured on the deck lid, with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on the rear bumper.
HENDRICK POLE POSITIONING AT RIR:
A Hendrick Motorsports pole position this week at Richmond would mark the third consecutive year that one of the organization’s teams has started from the top spot in the spring NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. Vickers started up front last season and Terry Labonte earned the honor in 2003.
‘5’ & ‘25’ BRINGING PHOENIX CARS TO RIR:
Phoenix International Raceway may hold the key to Richmond success for the Nos. 5 and 25 NEXTEL Cup teams of Hendrick Motorsports. This weekend, both are fielding primary cars that scored top-10 finishes at PIR last month, when Vickers was a career-best fifth and Busch eighth.
BUSCH HAVING TWICE THE FUN AT RIR:
Busch will pull double duty at Richmond, where he will compete in a No. 57 Chevy in Friday evening’s NASCAR Busch Series event before running the NEXTEL Cup race Saturday. The 20-year-old Las Vegas native won last May at RIR in Busch Series competition, marking his first career NASCAR win.
HENDRICK GOING FOR EIGHTH RIR VICTORY:
Rick Hendrick has seven car owner wins at Richmond, tying him with Junior Johnson and Bud Moore for second on the all-time list. He trails only Petty Engineering, which has 15 victories there.
GOING TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’:
Troy Lee, a world-renowned artist based in Corona, Calif., has painted a special helmet for Busch to wear in Saturday’s Chevy American Revolution 400. A substitute for Busch’s traditional Kellogg’s-themed design, the IMPACT helmet will feature a “Dark Side” Star Wars-inspired concept.
ROOKIE RACE HEATING UP:
Busch has been the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in six of this season’s 10 races. He leads fellow first-year driver Travis Kvapil by 11 points with 26 races remaining on the schedule.
SIGN & DRIVE:
Darth Vader will join Busch as the NEXTEL Cup rookie greets fans and signs autographs Saturday at the Kellogg’s Racing souvenir rig. A limited number of tickets will be distributed that morning prior to the 4 p.m. ET appearance.
BUSCH AT ‘FAN ZONE’:
Busch will appear at the RIR Fan Zone on Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/STAR WARS CHEVROLETS:
(ON HIS STRONG SHOWING AT DARLINGTON.) “Any time you have a car that will run with the No. 24 (Jeff Gordon) you have to pat your team on the back. It was great to run so strong. It’s the confidence-builder this team needed after being involved in some wrecks earlier this year. We’ve had the cars this season, but we just haven’t had the finishes to prove it. Once we get the monkey off our back and get some luck on our side, I think we might turn some heads.”
BUSCH:
(ON RACING AT RICHMOND.) “My team is hungry for a win. The last time these guys visited Victory Lane was in 2003 with Terry Labonte at Darlington. That’s been a long stretch. For myself as a driver, it’s been since last August at Michigan International Speedway. It seems like an eternity ago.”
BUSCH:
(ON WINNING THE BUSCH SERIES RACE AT RICHMOND LAST MAY.) “The site of your first win in anything is always special. I will always remember last year when we won that Busch race. It set the pace for good things to come. Victory Lane was wild, and it would be cool to repeat, but this time in the Cup series.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/STAR WARS CHEVROLETS:
(ON GAINING GROUND IN THE STANDINGS AT RICHMOND.) “We’ve dug ourselves a bit of a hole here in the past few races and need to start making up ground. There are good teams just ahead of us in the points, but 27th certainly isn’t where we want to be. I know you can’t change the past, but I wish like crazy we had closed the deal in Darlington. Kyle drove that car like a 20-year veteran instead of a 20-year-old. He’s a smart, calculated driver, but we just haven’t had the finishes. This team has the potential to be in the top 15 right now. It’s a challenge we’ll just have to deal with and do what we can to make up these spots.”
GUSTAFSON:
(ON BUILDING MOMENTUM IN MAY.) “We tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and had a fast car. Kyle has a rocket ship for the All-Star Challenge Open race next weekend, and hopefully that will translate into a good run. We’ve made some strides here lately and I think all the elements are there to finish these races well. I know it’s a short track, but if we can stay out of trouble at Richmond, we’ll come out of there with some decent momentum on our side.”
