Kyle Busch and Team 5 Complete Gateway Test

MADISON, Ill. (April 15, 2004) – Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew are back in North Carolina after completing a two-day test session at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. Busch and his Hendrick Motorsports team spent Tuesday and Wednesday, April 13-14, testing at the 1.25-mile oval in preparation for the May 8 NASCAR Busch Series event at that facility. “Everything went fairly well,” Busch said of the test. “The first day, we were kind out in left field as far as our setup, but we slowly made adjustments and made notes of what worked and what didn’t, and we were able to get ourselves pretty good by the end of the second day.” The test session was somewhat unique, in that crew chief Lance McGrew did not elect to spend any time focusing on a qualifying setup. With the recent announcement that all on-track activities for the Busch Series competitors at Gateway will occur on Saturday, May 8, the No. 5 crew was able to focus solely on getting its car ready to race. “We worked all on race setups, since it’s a one-day show,” Busch said. “You unload, practice, and then qualify with your race setup, then they impound your car. “Over a 50-lap run, we feel like we have a pretty strong car. Lance has a couple of changes he wants to make before we go back, but we’re in good shape.” The test session not only marked the first time Busch had seen Gateway, but it was also the first time a stock car had been on the track since work was done to the racing surface. “They ground the track and put a new sealer on it,” Busch said, “and I guess we were the first team to get to try it out. “When we first got out there, the car had no grip. The front wouldn’t turn and the rear wouldn’t bite, but that had to do with our setup and the fact that the track had no rubber on it. Once we got our setup closer to what we needed and we got some rubber on the track, everything was cool.” The unique design of the track reminded Busch of his “early” racing days in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series -- all the way back in 2001. “It reminds me a little bit of when I ran trucks at Chicago Motor Speedway,” Busch said. “The straightaways are long, and the corners are kind of tight. Turns 1 and 2 are a lot different than 3 and 4, so you have to drive the ends of the track differently. “I had a lot of fun with the place, though. The surface should make for some great racing.” The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew returns to Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, May 8, for the Charter 250 NASCAR Busch Series event. That race will air live on the FX Network and MRN Radio affiliates, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.