Busch Wins Fifth Race of 2004 at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 21, 2004) – Kyle Busch and his Team Lowe’s Racing crew turned in a dominant performance on their way to winning Saturday’s 250-mile NASCAR Busch Series event at Michigan International Speedway. Busch and his No. 5 Lowe’s/Gladiator Garageworks Chevrolet not only led 88 of the event’s 125 laps, but also managed to pull away from the rest of the field by a margin of nearly four seconds by the time the checkered flag was displayed. “We really had a great car today and that's thanks to Lance McGrew (crew chief) and the whole team of Hendrick Motorsports,” Busch said. “It also takes great horsepower to run around this race track and Hendrick Motorsports is known for that. “It was great to be able to come out and have a great run at Michigan Speedway and back up our last performance at IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park, where Busch won two weeks ago) again here.” The victory marks the second win in as many races for Busch and brings his total to five during the 2004 Busch Series season. The 19-year-old is now tied with Greg Biffle for most wins by a Raybestos Rookie in a single season. Biffle visited Victory Lane five times as a rookie in 2001. The strong showing also helped Busch close the gap on leader Martin Truex Jr. in the Busch Series championship standings. Busch, who came into Saturday’s event 117 points behind Truex Jr., now sits just 97 points back with 11 races remaining. Busch not only finished ahead of the regular field of Busch Series competitors, but also bested a number of NEXTEL Cup veterans, including Rusty Wallace and runner-up Mark Martin. “Mark Martin, he's a great racer and any record that you look at in the NASCAR Busch Series record book, pretty much his name's under it or next to it,” Busch said. The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew now has 10 top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes in 2004. Busch has led the most laps in six races this season, and his five wins are the most of any Busch Series competitor in 2004. Busch, who became only the second rookie to win a Busch Series event at Michigan, was named the Raybestos Rookie of the Race, and expanded his lead to 132 points (302-170) over Paul Menard in the competition for the title of Raybestos Rookie of the Year. The No. 5 Team Lowe’s Racing crew will next head to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for the second time this season. In the March Busch Series race at the half-mile facility, Busch and his Hendrick Motorsports team scored a third-place finish, their first top-five result of 2004. The 250-lap NASCAR Busch Series event will air live from Bristol on Friday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and PRN Radio affiliates.