Kyle Busch Scores Second Bristol Top-Five

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 27, 2004) – Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew scored their third top-five finish in as many races with a third-place result in Friday night’s 250-lap NASCAR Busch Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 5 Lowe’s/Briggs & Stratton Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch stayed near the front of the field and avoided a number of incidents to post his second third-place finish in as many starts at the .533-mile facility. "We had an awesome car all night long,” Busch said. “We were just a little bit tight and a little bit loose leaving (the turns), so we had to work with it a little bit there at the end. “I'm glad we came out third. Two wins in a row (at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Michigan International Speedway) with a third place here at Bristol -- that's something to be proud of and we're ready to go on to California." The result marks the 15th top-10 finish and the 11th top-five finish of the 2004 season for the rookie and his Team Lowe’s Racing crew. For the 17th time in 24 races, Busch was named the Raybestos Rookie of the Race, and he continues to expand his lead over Paul Menard in the running for the title of Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Busch and the No. 5 team also gained ground on Martin Truex Jr. in the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series championship hunt. Busch has closed the gap on Truex by 48 points in the past three events, and is now just 78 points out of the top spot with 10 races remaining. Busch and the No. 5 team now head to California Speedway for the second time this season. After damaging his primary car in practice, Busch drove his backup to a seventh-place finish in the Busch Series event there in May. The 300-mile NASCAR Busch Series event will air live from California on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and MRN Radio affiliates.