KYLE BUSCH NOTES & QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH MAKING 50TH CAREER START: When he takes the green flag Saturday evening at Phoenix International Raceway, Kyle Busch will become the youngest driver in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series history to reach 50 career starts. Brian Vickers, who was 21 years, 6 months and 7 days old at the time of his 50th start, currently holds the mark. Busch will turn 21 on May 2.

'5' GETS DIFFERENT LOOK: To commemorate Busch's 50th start, the No. 5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will sport a new color combination at Phoenix. The car, a joint venture between Hendrick Motorsports sponsors Kellogg's, CARQUEST Auto Parts and Delphi, will feature primary colors of blue, yellow and red. The CARQUEST shield will adorn the hood, with the Kellogg's logo on the quarter panels and Delphi oval on the deck-lid. The familiar Kellogg's paint scheme will return next week at Talladega, Ala.

KYLE'S BODY OF WORK: In 49 career NEXTEL Cup races, Busch has accumulated two victories, one pole position, 11 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes. Last season, he became the youngest winner, pole sitter and top rookie in Cup Series history. Busch has logged 13,186 laps in his brief career.

BUSCH MOST RECENT PHOENIX WINNER: Busch has an impressive track record at Phoenix. With three combined starts in the Cup Series (2) and Busch Series (1), he has never finished outside the top-10 at the desert track. In November 2005, he started 15th, rallied from a two-lap deficit (flat tire) and drove to his second career NEXTEL Cup victory.

HENDRICK AT PHOENIX: Car owner Rick Hendrick has earned two victories at Phoenix, each coming in a No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet and each with a different driver. More than a decade before Kyle Busch won there in November 2005, Terry Labonte took the checkered flag at PIR on Oct. 29, 1994.

'5' TAKING 'SISTER CAR' TO PIR: Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolets, has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 367 as the primary option for Phoenix. The car has similar characteristics to the one the team took to Victory Lane in November at PIR.

PIGEON RECOVERING: Rick Pigeon, jackman for the No. 5 Kellogg's team, had arthroscopic surgery last week to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee. Although Pigeon is optimistic about retuning this weekend at Phoenix, the team has Jason Hunt on standby. Hunt is the jackman for the No. 44 NEXTEL Cup team of Terry Labonte and the No. 57 NASCAR Busch Series team of Brian Vickers.

KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST CHEVROLETS: (ON MAKING HIS 50TH NEXTEL CUP START.) "It's hard to believe it's been that many races since I started in the NEXTEL Cup Series. I guess the coolest part is that I've driven all 50 for Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports. We've accomplished two wins in 50 starts, and that's definitely something to be proud of. Right now, we're in the top-10 in points and can't ask for much more than that. I drive for the greatest owner and sponsors in the world, so I feel very fortunate. It's cool to hit a milestone like this in your career. I can't imagine how Terry (Labonte) felt at 600 starts. That's amazing to me and I don't think we'll see many more milestones like that."

BUSCH: (ON RETURNING TO PHOENIX AS THE MOST RECENT RACE WINNER.) "The first Winston Cup race I ever saw as a fan was at Phoenix. Ironically, Terry Labonte was the winner in the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet. Every time I drive into that race track, I think back to that day, and it made winning there last fall even cooler because I put the same car in the winner's circle."

BUSCH: (ON HIS SPECIAL KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST PAINT SCHEME.) "The sponsors got together and did a combination deal for this race. We're going to check it out and see how it looks under the lights. I put my two cents into the design so I feel pretty confident the fans and sponsors will like how it looks."

BUSCH: (ON THE SETTING SUN PLAYING A FACTOR IN THE RACE.) "The spring race doesn't bother me too bad when the sun sets behind the grandstands. It must be the angle of the sun in the spring because it's blinding in the fall. We have to do tear-offs on our helmet shields in the fall and in the spring it doesn't bother us much."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST CHEVROLETS: (ON PHOENIX.) "We're taking Chassis No. 376 to Phoenix this weekend. It's a sister car to No. 323 we won the race with last fall. We just tested 323 at Richmond last week. The fall Phoenix race was a good turning point for the Kellogg's team. We didn't have the best car, went two laps down and got them back, and then won the race. It just goes to show that you can work on your car all race long and be there at the end when it counts."

GUSTAFSON: (CAN YOU MAKE IT TWO IN A ROW?) "Do we have a chance to win this one? Sure we do. This car is as close to the other car as we could possibly produce. Kyle is real comfortable at a flat one-mile track like Phoenix. Including the win, we had two top-10s there last season, so unless something out of the ordinary happens to us, I think we should have a great race."