KURT BUSCH HOPING TO INCREASE “CHASE BUFFER” AT MICHIGAN
Miller Lite Dodge Driver Now Within 126 Points Of 10th In NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Standings

BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 14, 2007) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch scored a hard-earned 11th-place finish on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., last Sunday and increased the distance between his “Chase-eligible” 12th position in the point standings to the drivers currently outside the Chase.

“That’s the hardest I’ve ever driven to just get an 11th-place finish out of it,” said Busch, who is now 96 points in front of Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman (13th) and 100 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (14th). “It was so frustrating to have a car capable of winning or at least a top-five car and have to hit pit road while running second because of the fuel mileage we were getting.

“Pat (Tryson, crew chief) did a super job in keeping me calm and focused because he has such a great grasp on the big picture,” continued Busch, who has won races on all the four tracks remaining to determine this year’s Chase competitors. “He had told me that the (No.) 8 car (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) had problems and was out of the race, but I was focused on trying to get around the (No.) 07 car (Clint Bowyer) and the (No.) 1 car (Martin Truex Jr.) because those are the guys in front of us in points.

“By the time we got home last night, it had really registered that the Glen was a great big-picture race for us,” Busch said late Monday afternoon. “I’m just so grateful to have Pat Tryson calling the shots. Just like I told him throughout the race yesterday (Sunday), I trust him to make the right calls and will do whatever he decides. He’s that good of a strategist. It’s a real confident feeling I have when I look back on the race now. While I was focused on nothing but moving forward, Pat had our backs covered all the way. That’s really cool.

“We have a great team -- one that’s definitely worthy of making the Chase -- and if we can keep everything clicking along, we can give it a strong run on down the line,” said Busch. “But we’re not counting any chickens just yet.

“We’re taking them one race at a time and Michigan is the next one on our radar screen. We’ve won at Michigan before and had a lot of super strong runs. We’re headed back in there looking to continue the competitive level we’ve shown during the last several races.”

“Kurt raced his tail end off yesterday at the Glen and if he didn’t prove to one and all that he’s one of the best road racers in NASCAR during the weekend, I don’t know what else he could do,” Tryson said on Monday night. “With us having to play the conservative route on fuel, we had to pit for the final time with 25 (laps) to go. They slapped us with a speeding penalty on Kurt’s exit, so he was way back in the 37th spot for the (Lap 66) restart.

“Kurt was able to scratch and claw his way all the way back up to 11th when it was over and it was an absolutely amazing piece of driving on his part,” said Tryson, who has led Busch from a 236-point deficit to “Chase eligibility” to the current 96-point “Chase cushion” during his seven-race stretch as crew chief for the No. 2 Penske team. “The way he was running there at the end of the race, if we’d had a couple of more laps, he’d probably have finished sixth or seventh.

“He was frustrated with the fuel mileage situation there at the Glen on Sunday and I understand that,” continued Tryson. “Our engine guys are really working hard on that end of the equation and I’m confident we’ll get better. Just like everything else in this business, there is no overnight fix. Chances are that we’ll see the fuel mileage come into play once again at Michigan this weekend because the track is notorious for that kind of race.

“One of the biggest things we’ll have going for us this weekend is the fact that we’re bringing out a brand new car, our (PSC-) 111 Miller Lite Dodge Charger,” said Tryson. “With the move to all COT cars next season, this will probably be the last of the old style cars to come through the shop. We’ve been spending a lot of time on this car getting it ready for Michigan and think it’ll be a strong ride for Kurt this weekend.

“We just have to keep focusing on the big picture,” said Tryson. “We have to play out the conservative strategy for the next few races, but that doesn’t mean we’re not looking to climb further up in the points. We’re only 58 (points) out of 11th, 126 out of 10th and 138 out of ninth. Like I told them after the race on Sunday, I’m so glad that I am working with a driver like Kurt who isn’t pleased with an 11th-place finish. I’d lots rather have to control the fire than to light the flame.”

Busch, who won the June 2003 race at M.I.S., has five top-10 finishes in 13 races on the 2.0-mile track. His fourth-place start in the June 2003 race rates as his best start to date. Busch started 10th and finished 25th in the most recent race at M.I.S., the June 17 Citizens Bank 400. He led laps early in the race and appeared to be headed toward a top-five finish before loose lugnuts during a pit stop with 40 laps remaining in the race forced him to pit under the green. He lost two laps and could never make them up.

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This weekend’s NEXTEL Cup action at Michigan International Speedway gets under way with practice on Friday from 11:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. Friday’s 3:10 p.m. single round of qualifying will allocate all starting spots for Sunday’s battle. Saturday’s action features practice sessions from 10:00 a.m. till 10:50 a.m. and from 1:50 p.m. till 2:50 p.m. Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 (400 miles/200 laps) has a 2:00 p.m. EDT starting time with live coverage provided by ESPN-TV and MRN Radio.

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Notes of interest:

--Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch and his Pat Tryson-led No. 2 Penske Racing Team will be debuting a brand new car this weekend at Michigan, their PSC-111. “With the move to all COT cars next season, this will probably be the last of the old style cars to come through the shop,” Pat said. “We’ve been spending a lot of time on this car getting it ready for Michigan and think it’ll be a strong ride for Kurt this weekend. We’re hoping it may just be as strong as the car we had for him at Pocono a couple of weeks back.”

--Kurt wanted more than 11th at the Glen last Sunday – “That’s the hardest I’ve ever driven to just get an 11th-place finish out of it,” said Kurt. “It was so frustrating to have a car capable of winning or at least a top-five car and have to hit pit road while running second because of the fuel mileage we were getting. Pat did a super job in keeping me calm and focused because he has such a great grasp on the big picture. By the time we got home, it had really registered that the Glen was a great big-picture race for us. While I was focused on nothing but moving forward, Pat had our backs covered all the way. That’s really cool.”

Added Pat: “He was frustrated with the fuel mileage situation there at the Glen on Sunday and I understand that. Our engine guys are really working hard on that end of the equation and I’m confident we’ll get better. Just like everything else in this business, there is no overnight fix. Chances are that we’ll see the fuel mileage come into play once again at Michigan this weekend because the track is notorious for that kind of race. Like I told them after the race on Sunday, I’m so glad that I am working with a driver like Kurt who isn’t pleased with an 11th-place finish. I’d lots rather have to control the fire than to light the flame.”

--Kurt will be a special guest at the Seventh Annual "The Chet" race at Johnny Benson’s Berlin Raceway, the famed 7/16ths-mile paved oval, on Wednesday night. While Kurt will not be racing in the late model classic, he will be signing autographs from his souvenir trailer and doing radio and public address interviews during the race. Tickets for "The Chet" are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Children 6-12 are half price and 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $30. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Berlin Raceway administrative office (2060 Berlin Fair Drive, Marne, Mich.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available by phone to Berlin Raceway at (616) 677-5000 or online at www.berlinraceway.com. Gates open for the Wednesday event at 12:15 p.m. and the first race begins at 7 p.m.

--Kurt is expected to announce an exciting new program for his Kurt Busch Foundation, possibly as early as this week at Michigan… stay tuned for details…

--Kurt is scheduled for his weekly “top-12 points” media interview opportunity/Q & A session on Friday at 1:40 p.m. in the conference room located adjacent to the M.I.S. media center. Kurt continues his effort in reaching out to the media rather than making them come to him at the team transporter.

--Kurt will be the special featured guest during the first segment of Friday night’s “Trackside” live on SPEED at Michigan. The popular live motorsports program will be held on the Speed Stage outside the track. At 7:00 p.m. EDT, Kurt will join hosts Steve Byrnes, Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond for the lively hour that always produces an animated, in-depth discussion of all the action along the NASCAR trail.

--Kurt will be back behind the bar, again raising money for charity, on Friday night. He will be celebrity bartending at the Artesian Wells Sports Tavern, located at 18711 US Highway 12 in Cement City, Mich. Kurt will be “tending bar” from 8:00 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.

--Kurt has always been proud of the fact that no driver puts forth more effort in making himself available to sponsors, media members and the fans. Take a look at his Sunday morning’s “extracurricular activity” schedule for M.I.S. this weekend:
Dodge Hospitality: 9:45 a.m.
Autographs at the souvenir hauler: 10:00 a.m. till 10:30 a.m.
Mobil 1 Hospitality: 10:40 a.m. till 10:55 a.m.
Miller Party Deck Hospitality Visit: 11:00 a.m. till 11:15 a.m.
Dodge Meet n’ Greet at team transporter: 11:20 a.m. till 11:30 a.m.

“I love doing the race day work with the sponsors and getting out to meet the fans at the souvenir trailer,” Kurt said. “It’s always been a good way to get the race day started, but there has to be a good balance and it needs to be organized well. With Kristy (Cloutier) and Cher (Nuckels) organizing my schedule and Pauly (Bostic) always on top of the logistics out in the field, we’re able to get in quite a bit in a relatively short period of time. We really have a lot of fun with it all.”

By the way, it is quite amazing to think that when Kurt comes through the back door of his souvenir trailer this Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. at M.I.S., it will mark the 232nd time in the last 235 races that he has been out on race day mornings to meet his fans and sign autographs. His continuing tradition began during his first full year on the Cup circuit back in 2001.

--Kurt’s “quick stats” for Michigan (courtesy of NASCAR PR):
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Light Dodge)