‘Busch’s Confidence in the Team Keeps Him Upfront’

After a rainy start to the weekend at the Auto Club Speedway, Kyle Busch brought home the first win of the 2008 season for Billy Ballew Motorsports in the No. 51 Opportunity California, San Bernardino County, Toyota Tundra NASCAR Craftsman truck.

Busch who was fast in both practice sessions on Thursday at the 2-mile intermediate track, had to start in the 20th place position after rain forced the grid to be set by 2007 owner points.

Busch immediately made his way through the field and had the seventh place position on the track when the first caution flew on lap five. Busch who had complained that the truck was a little tight in the center of the corners but loose off pitted on lap 14 under the second caution of the day taking on four tires with an air pressure and track bar adjustment on the Tundra. Busch went back out onto the track shuffling to the 8th place for the restart on lap 17. Busch like the rocket he was had already cleared four trucks picking up the fourth place position on lap 18. By lap 23, Busch had taken the lead from fellow Toyota driver Todd Bodine keeping that position until lap 57.

Busch was beginning to lap the field and get closer to the 50 lap pit window when the caution flag flew on lap 44. Busch came down pit road again for wedge adjustments, four fresh tires and a new windshield tear off due to the "sandy" conditions on the track. The pit crew had a phenomenal stop putting Busch back out on the track with the lead but the team knew they had to make one more stop. Busch and crew chief Richie Wauters discussed stretching the run as long as they could so they would have one more set of sticker Goodyear tires for the end of the race.

Busch reported in that the truck was starting to get really loose in the corners and wanted to tighten up the truck with air pressure adjustments but also felt the overcast conditions that appeared on the track was playing with the handling. Deals up and down pit road were being made for green flag pit stops and Busch came down pit road on lap 80 taking on the four tires and fuel. Busch shuffled out to the 10th place position but regained the lead on lap 90 where he held it for the final 10 laps of the race. Busch lead the most laps with a total of 51 laps.

"It was definitely a great truck," Busch said. "We had a lot of fun. What else can you say about Billy Ballew (owner) and Ritchie Waters (crew chief)? The Toyota Tundra that we had today was just awesome out there and (Todd) Bodine had a good run through the middle part of the race. He ran us down there a little bit and took the lead, but we were able to fight back and regain it. It was fun racing with Todd and coming up through the field there in the beginning, and overall it was a great day."

Busch’s win marks his seventh victory in 38 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races matching Mark Martin for the most wins in the series by an active NASCAR Sprint Cup driver. Busch has had four years with consecutive wins in the series and his first win in a Craftsman Truck at the Auto Club Speedway. Team owner Billy Ballew has picked up his eighth win in the series and the sixth win in the chassis No. 11. The first win in this truck chassis was in 2004 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Shane Hmiel behind the wheel. The five other victories were scored by Kyle Busch. Ballew has eight total wins in the series seven belonging to Kyle Busch. Busch has picked up the lead in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship points leading Todd Bodine by 20 points.

"My worst finish in the last seven truck races was second and we almost had three in a row there at the end of last year," Busch said. "(Johnny) Benson beat us there at Homestead and we finished second there. Our worst finish before that was at Texas where we blew up and I think we finished fourth in the race before that. We’ve had some great success in the truck series and the Nationwide series has been the same way."

"I knew our truck was good and sometimes in the beginning of these races, guys are a little skeptical about what their truck is going to feel like -- how their truck will handle or how it will come through traffic. I have a lot of confidence in that truck and in the team guys that I’ve got with Ritchie and everybody. I know I can pretty much put the thing where I want to put it and it will stick sometimes. It will stick most of the time anyway. It was neat to drive through there like that and I just kept my nose clean and came up through steadily. I didn’t rush anything and I think we were up to seventh or sixth by lap five. The truck would also draft really well down the straight-away so it was easy to pick up some spots down the straight-away."

This was Busch’s first start in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck since he was declared ineligible to race in 2001 due to his age.

"It’s pretty special and pretty cool to be able to come back here and win this race," Busch said. "This is the first NCTS race back for me since that incident back in 2001. A lot of things have changed in my life since then and I’m in the NSCS now so it’s definitely still means a lot to be able to come back like this and win this one today."

The No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports team is still looking for sponsorship for the remainder of the 23 races in the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is off next week but will return March 7th at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch however will head home to Las Vegas for not only the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race but to also participate in the first NASCAR Foundation Track Walk. The walk is slated for Sunday morning prior to the March 2 UAW-Dodge 400. Proceeds from the walk will benefit Speedway Children's Charities, the NASCAR Foundation and the Kyle Busch Foundation. All money raised by the Kyle Busch Foundation will be donated to Boys Town of Nevada.

Race fans who want to participate in the walk in Las Vegas, may register at www.lvms.com. The cost to participate is $30 in advance or $35 on the day of the event. There will be a registration area at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend. Children under 14 are free with a paying adult. 

For more information on Billy Ballew Motorsports and Kyle Busch visit www.BillyBallewMotorsports.com and www.KyleBusch.com.

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