Team looks for third win in three starts with Busch at AMS

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team owner Billy Ballew heads home this week to the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) for the first time in the team’s 13-year history as the point’s leader after Kyle Busch scored the team its first win of 2008 at the Auto Club Speedway (formerly known as the California Speedway).

Busch’s points lead over former Craftsman Series Champion Todd Bodine by 20 points marks the second time a current NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor has headed the points coming to Atlanta (Mark Martin 2006). Both Busch and Martin have won seven races a piece; a record for a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Busch found victory lane at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in both his starts in the Craftsman Truck Series (2005, 2007) for Billy Ballew Motorsports. He also holds the widest margin of victory in the seven races the series has run at .971 seconds over Ron Hornaday Jr., (Oct. 27, 2007). The track’s total margin of victory is 3.165 seconds. Busch holds the best driver rating at AMS in the trucks at a rating of 141.2; just less than eight points shy of perfection. Ballew is the only owner to win more than one race at the 1.54-mile quad-oval.

Busch holds the current consecutive races led streak in the NCTS with six races beginning in Atlanta on Oct. 27, 2007. Busch failed to finish outside the top two only once, at Texas where engine failure left him 29th.

"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."

The team will bring the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota Tundra, chassis number 11, which has six prior visits to victory lane including at the Auto Club Speedway in February. 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. 

"I picked two of the trucks for myself and Billy is ok with that," Busch said. "Truck No. 11 is one of the trucks I picked in our stable. We ran that truck when we won in the fall Atlanta race and in California a few weeks ago as a Toyota. We will return to Atlanta this week with the same truck and hopefully pull off another win. I know I have a chance to win a championship in all three series but I know I won’t be able to, but hopefully we’ll be able to set it up for Billy Ballew to take home the owners championship."

Atlanta will be Busch’s 32nd start in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports. He has posted seven wins, 16 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes and 1 pole position for the independent team. Billy Ballew Motorsports will make its 132nd consecutive start in Atlanta in the NCTS with a total of 209 starts in the series.

"All the guys on this team work so hard," Busch said. "It is unbelievable the dedication they put in. It is great racing and it is fun to be able to go out there and run with these guys in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Anytime I can race with Billy Ballew, it is a lot of fun. We race to try to win of course every time we come out. It’s great to be able to go out there and have fun, race for points and for wins. The track time is good, any time you can get out there and see what the trucks do on the long run and see what I might be able to learn for the Cup race."

Busch is the only driver expected to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman truck, Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races this weekend.

Miccosukee Resorts will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 51 Toyota Tundra with Cartersville, Georgia based RedTop Auto Auction as the major associate sponsor in the American Commercial Lines 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The American Commercial Lines 200 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway is slated for Friday, March 7th at 9:00pm ET. The 130 lap, 200.2 mile race will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8:30pm ET. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio coverage begins at 8:45pm ET. SPEED will also televise the Craftsman Truck Series final practice beginning at 11:00am ET Friday.

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