KURT BUSCH WANTS ELUSIVE “FIRST PLATE WIN” IN DAYTONA 500
Miller Lite Dodge Driver Cherishes The Thought Of Winning 50th Annual Stock Car Classic

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2008) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch cherishes the thought of winning Sunday’s 50th running of the prestigious Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. It is certainly easy to understand why.

“This one is more special than some of the years past, just because it is the 50th year and the trophy has got gold trim all over it,” said Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion who is starting his third season as a driver for Penske Racing. “That gets your eyes focused right away that this is something special. But to tell you the truth, that only begins to scratch the surface.

“When you think about all the firsts that would be involved with a win here on Sunday, to say that it would be monumental is an understatement,” said the 29-year-old Las Vegas native. “Roger’s never won it and I have been so close before. The idea of bringing home that first win in our sport’s biggest race is a tremendous motivation.

“A win here on Sunday would be the most spectacular and memorable accomplishment for me since I started driving for Penske Racing,” added Busch, who has three top-five finishes in seven career Daytona 500 starts, including runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2005. “It would be the biggest NASCAR win for Roger, for Miller Lite, for Dodge and for everyone involved with our team.”

“I finished second to Michael Waltrip here back in 2003 and we were right there on winner Jeff Gordon’s rear bumper in the 2005 Daytona 500,” offered Busch. “We’ve been so close before and just hope to be back up there in a position to win again this time around in our Miller Lite Dodge.”

Entering the 2008 season, 35 Penske-backed entries have competed in 23 editions of the Daytona 500 dating back to 1972 (Rusty Wallace in 15 races, Ryan Newman in six races, Jeremy Mayfield in four races, Busch in two races, Bobby Allison in two races, Dave Marcis in two races – and one race each for Gary Bettenhausen, Mark Donohue, Brendan Gaughan and Travis Kvapil. Allison’s runner-up finish in the 1975 edition rates as Penske Racing’s best finish to date. In that race, held on Feb. 16, 1975, Allison drove the Penske-owned and Coca-Cola-sponsored No. 16 AMC Matador from a third-place start to the runner-up finish behind the late Benny Parsons, who was behind the wheel of the L.G. DeWitt-owned Chevrolet.

Since Penske Racing returned to NASCAR racing in 1991 after a decade break from the sport, Wallace’s third-place finish in the 2001 edition of the Daytona 500 and Newman’s third in the 2006 racing classic rate as the team’s best marks to date.

It was also Allison who presented Miller Brewing Company with its lone Daytona 500 winning sponsor’s trophy, when he took the checkered flag in the race on Feb. 14, 1988. Allison started his Miller High Life-sponsored and Stavola Brothers-owned Buick in the third spot and led 70 laps en route to his third career Daytona 500 win. In one of the most dramatic finishes in the sport’s history, Allison was able to hold off his 26-year-old son, Davey, on the final lap to emerge with a two-car-length victory. The exciting finish rates high in every list of top-10 greatest moments in Daytona racing history.

“The biggest memory I have of racing in the Daytona 500 was in my first one back in 2001,” said Busch. “Just being here in the sport’s Super Bowl was such a thrill. But my first memory of the Daytona 500 and still one that made such a big impact on me was watching that 1988 finish with Bobby and Davey – father and son – and watching it at home with my dad by my side.

“Dodge has won the Daytona 500 only once since 1977 and it’d really be monumental to get them another big win here with this new-style Dodge Charger,” said Busch. “There are just so many reasons that a win here on Sunday would be so special.”

Crew chief Pat Tryson is quick to point out that even though his team may not be considered a favorite to win here on Sunday, seeing Busch in the Daytona 500 Victory Lane would certainly not be that big of a surprise.

“From what we saw in last weekend’s Bud Shootout and in qualifying, all the Dodges are struggling up against the Hendrick cars and some of the Toyotas,” said Tryson, the savvy veteran team leader who has made NASCAR’s championship “Chase” every year of its existence. “Our Miller Lite Dodge just seems to be able to power up just so far. We can draft well, but it seems like we just don’t have enough power to get up there and lead.

“But the biggest asset going for us on our side is Kurt,” continued Tryson, who’ll be logging his 22nd race as Busch’s crew chief in Sunday’s 500. “Kurt is the best-ever restrictor-plate racer yet to win one of these things. Given an equal playing field, I’d put him up against anybody out there. Even if you come in with a slight disadvantage, Kurt is so good in these races that his talent can make up for a lot of what might be lacking.”

Tryson is certainly right about Busch’s restrictor-plate racing prowess. He finished third in his first-ever Cup restrictor-plate race at Talladega on April 22, 2001, and has been a threat to win ever since. Last year, Busch trailed only Jeff Gordon in picking up the most points in the four plate races. He led almost twice as many laps as Gordon (147 to 81), yet Gordon scored two wins.

In the four plate races during the 2007 season, Busch scored two top-five finishes and three top-10s. His overall restrictor-plate record sports 12 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 28 races. He has a 22.0 average start and a 15.3 average finish. He was running at the finish in 26 of those races.

Sunday’s 50th running of the Daytona 500 – the most anticipated battle in racing history – carries a record purse of $18,689,238. The winner of this year’s Daytona 500 will collect a minimum of $1,445,250. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum of $1,044,400, $752,400, $598,450 and $471,500 respectively. The last-place finisher in the Daytona 500 will also be well compensated with a minimum of $233,865. The winner for the inaugural Daytona 500 back in 1959 – Lee Petty – collected $19,050 and the last-place finisher – Ken Marriott – earned $100.

“That’s a heck of a lot of money for the winner in Sunday’s Daytona 500, that’s for sure,” said Busch. “But to put the Miller Lite Dodge in Victory Lane and to be celebrating the big win holding that special gold winner’s trophy with Roger would be priceless.”

Sunday’s “Golden Anniversary Edition” of the Daytona 500 has a scheduled 3:20 p.m. EST starting time here at Daytona International Speedway. FOX-TV and MRN Radio will provide live coverage of all the action from the “World Center of Racing” beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Notes of interest:

--Kurt, Pat & crew’s Daytona 500 car is their PSC-522 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. It is the car that debuted last October at Talladega, where Kurt started 41st and finished seventh. “It’s a really good race car and Kurt liked the way it drove at Talladega last fall. At the end of that race, he and Ryan (teammate Newman) hooked up and went to the front. We repackaged the car as a new Miller Lite Dodge Charger for this season and put her back through the wind tunnel since we were down here testing last month. We have a lot of faith in this car and nobody out there should ever doubt Kurt’s abilities in restrictor-plate racing. We’re hoping for a great weekend.”

--Pat certainly has high praise for Kurt’s restrictor-plate prowess. “Kurt is the best-ever restrictor-plate racer yet to win one of these things,” Pat said. “Given an equal playing field, I’d put him up against anybody out there. Even if you come in with a slight disadvantage, Kurt is so good in these races that his talent can make up for a lot of what might be lacking elsewhere.”

--The statistics certainly back Pat’s bold statement. Last year, Kurt trailed only Jeff Gordon in picking up the most points in the four plate races. He led almost twice as many laps as Gordon (147 to 81), yet Gordon scored two wins. In the four plate races during the 2007 season, Kurt scored two top-five finishes and three top-10s. His overall restrictor-plate record sports 12 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 28 races.

…and in NASCAR’s Driver Rating at Daytona, Kurt stacks up third on the chart:

--Driver Rating at Daytona (courtesy NASCAR PR):
Tony Stewart 109.0
Jimmie Johnson 98.1
Kurt Busch 96.8
Ryan Newman 96.6
Matt Kenseth 94.1
Jeff Gordon 93.1
Jamie McMurray 91.4
Kyle Busch 89.1
Clint Bowyer 88.0
Jeff Burton 86.4
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Daytona.

--Perhaps what makes Kurt among the top competitors in restrictor-plate racing is his true love for the white-knuckled, three and four-wide by 10-deep, nerve-racking type of competition always associated with the four races staged every season on the mammoth tracks at Daytona Beach, Fla., and Talladega, Ala.

“The truth is that I really enjoy plate racing,” said Kurt, who finished third in his first-ever Cup restrictor-plate race at Talladega on April 22, 2001. “It’s a different kind of challenge than what we do during the other 32 races of the season. There’s a big mental demand and it’ll wear you out, but the biggest thing about that type of racing is it truly is a total team effort.

“I’ve heard plate racing referred to as a high-speed chess match on wheels and that’s a pretty good description, I think,” Kurt offered. “But at the same time, I have enough experience at the track and respect for the other competitors that I realize it can also turn into a scene that could be depicted as 190-mile-per-hour Russian roulette.”

--While Kurt and Penske Racing are both looking for their first Daytona 500 wins, Kurt has recorded two runner-up finishes (“03 & ’05) in his seven Daytona 500 starts.

“We finished second to Michael Waltrip back in 2003 and we were right there on winner Jeff Gordon’s rear bumper in the 2005 Daytona 500,” Kurt said. “We’ve been so close before and just hope to be back up there in a position to win again this time around in our Miller Lite Dodge.”

Penske Racing’s best Daytona 500 finish to date was Bobby Allison’s runner-up finish in the 1975 edition. In that race, held on Feb. 16, 1975, Allison drove the Penske-owned and Coca-Cola-sponsored No. 16 AMC Matador from a third-place start to the runner-up finish behind the late Benny Parsons, who was behind the wheel of the L.G. DeWitt-owned Chevrolet. Parsons was the only driver on the lead lap and Allison was the only driver running one lap down. Indicating just how much the competition has changed since then, James Hylton finished 10th that day and was running 11 laps down to Parsons.

Since Penske Racing returned to NASCAR racing in 1991 after a decade break from the sport, Wallace’s third-place finish behind the wheel of the Miller Lite Dodge in the 2001 edition of the Daytona 500 and Ryan Newman’s third in the 2006 racing classic rate as the team’s best marks to date.

--Kurt hopefully returns to Daytona at 100 percent and ready to go for this weekend. Hit by the flu bug while attending the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., he was bedridden much of last week. He arrived in Daytona last Thursday, only to be ushered straight to the infield medical center and put under the resident physician’s care. The first time Pat saw him here at the track, Kurt was laid out on the hospital gurney, being administered intravenous fluids.

Although extremely weak the rest of Thursday and throughout last weekend, Kurt fulfilled his media obligations, including NASCAR Media Day, a Dodge satellite media tour and the drawing for starting positions in the Bud Shootout.

“He raced his rear end off in the Shootout on Saturday and got sick again during the night,” Pat explained. “He either had a relapse or an allergic reaction to the medicine he was taking. He was in terrible shape here on Sunday, but shook it off long enough to get through qualifying. Doctor’s orders had him out of here and back home in bed as soon as possible. He spent the rest of Sunday, all day Monday and most of Tuesday in bed recuperating. That’s a bad bug going around, but Kurt is as tough as they come. Thank goodness that the schedule here allowed him that much time to relax and get better. We’re confident he’ll be ready to get after it here this weekend.”

--Kurt’s hectic media schedule this week calls for a slot on Wednesday night’s Fast Talk radio show on PRN at 6:15 p.m., followed by an appearance on NASCAR Live on MRN with host Eli Gold at 8:00 p.m. The special PRN broadcast will originate from the center of Volusia Mall and will be hosted by Kyle Petty and Mark Garrow. The special MRN broadcast will originate from the auditorium of the Daytona 500 Experience.

--Kurt’s visit to his souvenir trailer at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday will mark the 246th time in the last 249 races that he has been out on race day mornings to meet the fans and sign autographs. His continuing tradition began during his first full year on the Cup circuit back in 2001. Kurt is tentatively scheduled to be at his souvenir trailer from 11:35 a.m. till 12:05 p.m. on Sunday. Please verify that time by visiting the trailer in advance and picking up the free tickets for the autograph line.

--Kurt is scheduled for his “top-12 points” media interview opportunity/Q & A session on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the Daytona International Speedway media center. Kurt continues his effort in reaching out to the media rather than making them come to him at the team transporter.

--“Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don’t necessarily understand, just decides to momentarily leave us and head to the store for a quart of milk.” –Andrew Schneider