Texas Motor Speedway, April 16-17, 2005
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series:
Samsung/Radio Shack 500, Sunday at 1:20 p.m.
Kurt Busch
Team: No. 97 IRWIN Industrial Tools/
Sharpie Ford Taurus
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis: #65 (Finished 5th at
Miami-Homestead last year, where
Busch clinched the Nextel Cup championship)
Kurt Busch on racing at Texas:
"I know that at first glance this track looks a lot like Atlanta and Charlotte, but for the drivers it’s a completely different scenario than what you have at the other mile-and-a-half tri-ovals. Texas is very fast and smooth with a lot of grip in the corners. Over the years the racing surface has developed nicely, and the second groove should work its way in over the weekend. We’ve had terrific cars all season long. The IRWIN guys and Jimmy Fennig have done a great job building our racecars this year. These past three we’ve just had some circumstances take us out of contention, so we’re looking to get back on track in Texas.”
Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Texas:
“We’re bringing our Homestead car from last year to run at Texas. We’ve run pretty well there the past couple of trips, and we need a good finish this weekend too for our IRWIN team.”
Fast Facts
With his 19th place finish at Martinsville, Kurt Busch remains in the top 10 NEXTEL Cup Series competition for the 41st consecutive race week, currently the second-longest streak behind Tony Stewart.
Busch’s No. 97 Ford Taurus sports the colors of IRWIN Industrial Tools at Texas for the first time this season. The IRWIN car will run the next six events through the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte on May 21st.
The IRWIN Industrial Tools team brings chassis #65 to Texas, a car built for Homestead-Miami Speedway last year. Busch finished fifth in the event to clinch his first NEXTEL Cup Series title. Chassis #60 will serve as the back-up (finished fifth at Pocono in the spring of 2004 in its only start).
Busch will compete in the second of four events on the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series scheduled on Friday evening in Texas. The event will mark IROC’s second trip to the speedway. Busch finished 11th in the inaugural event at TMS last season after an early accident took him out of contention.
Busch (the 2003 IROC champion) is currently ninth in the IROC standings, 16 points behind leader Mark Martin following his ninth-place finish at Daytona in February.
