but first, these notes of interest:

--By winning his sixth pole of the 2006 season in last Friday’s Martinsville qualifying, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch now leads in the season-long battle for the most poles.  Dodge-driving Kasey Kahne is second with five entering this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Jeff Burton has four.  KB’s best career start at Atlanta in his 11 races has been fourth, his starting spot for the March 2002 race.

--KB’s starting average is again under 10th with his Martinsville pole.  He has the best in the sport with his 9.781 average start.  Jeff Gordon rates second with a 9.813 average start.  They are the only two drivers with starting averages under 10.  Had his third-place qualifying effort on 10/12 at Lowe’s not been disallowed, his average start would equate to 8.562.  KB has amassed 22 top-10 starts, more than any other driver, and has started in the top five in 11 races. 

--How does KB stack up against Kasey Kahne and Jeff Burton, his closest rivals in the season-long battle for most poles in 2006, in qualifying consistency?  Kahne has a 13.625 average start, with 17 top-10 starts, but he has started outside the top 20 in nine races.  Burton has a 13.844 average start, with 15 top-10 starts.  He has started outside the top 20 in six races.

--KB says last weekend “typical” for his team during 2006 season.  “This past weekend at Martinsville was so typical of what we’ve gone through this season,” KB said of the Subway 500, a race where he started on the pole and finished 27th.  “We had a top-five car, that’s for sure.  We started up front, lead laps and saw the day go up in smoke by getting taken out by a lapped car.  It’s really frustrating, but all you can do is plow ahead.”

--KB’s Atlanta career Cup record boasts one win, one top-five finishes and three top-10s in 11 starts.  He has an 18.5 average start and 24.1 average finish on the Atlanta track.  He started ninth and finished 37th in the March race there.  He led laps and was running third when he got pinched into the wall and lost four laps while making repairs under green flag conditions.

--KB claimed a victory at A.M.S. in his fourth career Cup start on the 1.54-mile layout, which came on Oct. 27, 2002.  In that race, he started eighth and was up to fourth, before adverse weather temporarily stopped the action.  He took the lead for the first time of the day on Lap 49.  He went on to lead four times for a total of 84 laps (led most laps) en route to his third career victory.  He took the lead for the final time on Lap 206 and had a healthy advantage over second-place Joe Nemechek when rain forced NASCAR officials to call the race after completing 248 of the schedule 325 laps.  The win marked the first victory for Ford on the new track configuration at Atlanta.

--KB and his Matt Gimbel-led Penske Racing Team will use their PRS-080 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend at Atlanta.  The car has not been raced on the intermediate-sized (1.5-mile) tracks this season.

-KB scheduled to be testing the Penske Racing Car of Tomorrow Dodge on Wednesday at the new Iowa Speedway.  Construction of the new COT Dodge is being led by Kent Day, head engineer at Penske, with three new cars currently in preparation.

--This is getting tremendous response…Kurt’s No. 1 Fan for 2006?  Since the formation of the Official Kurt Busch Fan Club is still in process, KB and Animink, his award-winning web development team, have created an exciting new addition to his site, utilizing the cutting edge of web technology.  A special new area has been launched for fans which will offer monthly and yearly prizes.  It has moderators and is a safe place for young and old alike.  KB himself is a user and perhaps the best part…it’s all FREE!  By signing up and earning points, you'll gain access to special content on the Kurt Busch website, and be in the running for great prizes each month.  Three winners will be randomly chosen each month from all Kurt's #1 Fan members for a special prize. At the end of the season, one person will be chosen at random from the top 25 scores to win a special grand prize.  In addition, as a Kurt's #1 Fan member, you'll have your own unique profile where you can post messages, view comments, check your score against others, and create your own buddy list.  For additional information, please visit KB’s official site at http://www.kurtbusch.com/fan/kurtfan_info01.php.

--You are cordially invited to participate in the 22nd annual Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Award for Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin.  The program, independently judged by the Indiana University School of Journalism, seeks to recognize and encourage outstanding motorsports coverage.

The categories for the 2006 Miller Lite Racing Motorsports Journalism Awards are:

Please remember that any motorsports coverage from 2006 is eligible to win.  We encourage you to send your best motorsports work from this year.  The judges' only consideration is the quality of work and its ability to generate interest and excitement, not the type of racing covered.  A Rolex watch and special commemorative plaque will be awarded for the judges’ selection in each of the seven categories.

Entries must be postmarked by December 8, 2006.  Winners will be announced in early 2007.

Entry blanks are now available in media centers during the remaining races on the Cup schedule and are available by special request to TR.  They are available for downloading on several web sites, including Lowe’s Motor Speedway at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/catlinaward.pdf.

--“Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.” –Barry Switzer

KURT BUSCH LOOKING TO ENJOY MORE “BLUE DEUCE JUICE” AT ATLANTA
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Hoping To “Close The Deal” In Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 At A.M.S.-

HAMPTON, Ga. (Oct. 24, 2006) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch enters this weekend’s Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the 33rd of 36 races along the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup circuit, sporting a 9.8 average start and a 19.6 average finish for the season.  He is hoping to lower both of those numbers in this weekend’s action at A.M.S.

            “The spring race at Atlanta is pretty representative of the way our entire season has gone,” said Busch, who currently leads in the year’s battle for the most pole positions, after claiming his sixth top qualifying spot last Friday at Martinsville.  “We’ve been having a lot of fun Fridays leading up to sad Sunday’s out there.  That was certainly the case back in the spring race at Atlanta.

            “That’s the way the season has gone for us this year,” Busch said in recalling the March Atlanta race.  “We had a strong car there in that race, maybe even a car capable of winning – or at worst, a top-five car – and there we were at the end with another terrible finish.  It’s really sad because just looking at all the numbers doesn’t explain the entire story.

            “Just like we did last weekend at Martinsville, we had a good starting spot, led laps and showed plenty of potential, only to fall victim to something out of our control,” said Busch, who won at Atlanta in the October 2002 race in only his fourth career start on the 1.54-mile high-banked track.  “All we can do is keep plugging along and hope the racing luck changes for us.

            “We just have to keep the blue deuce juice flowing and sooner or later be able to finally close the deal and get back to Victory Lane,” Busch offered.  “The way we look at it is there are four races left in 2006 and the first of those is this weekend at Atlanta.  We’ll attack each weekend with everything we have and see what shakes out.”

            Busch started the rain-delayed March race (raced on Monday, March 20) from the ninth spot, but wasted little time making his way to the front.  He was third after 20 laps and in second after 27 circuits.  A 12.755-second pit stop under the second caution period of the day helped put him into the lead for the Lap 48 restart.  Busch would go on to lead on three occasions for a total of 22 laps.

            The No. 2 Dodge Charger was a fixture among the top three through the fourth caution period of the race.  However, while running third after the Lap 126 restart, Busch got booted into the outside wall while running three abreast out of Turn 4 and heading down the front stretch.

            The incident was spurred when rookie David Stremme got under the lapped car of Kevin Harvick, who was running to the inside of Busch.  The chain-reaction contact saw Stremme push Harvick up the track and into Busch.

            After the impact, Busch limped around the track, hoping to get a caution to work on the car under yellow.  That break never came and he was forced to pit under green on Lap 154.  Adding insult to injury, the fifth yellow flag of the race flew only 10 laps later.  Busch fell to 38th in the running order and was four laps down. 

            Busch certainly knows what it takes to win on the Atlanta track and he is hoping that the team’s PRS-080 Miller Lite Dodge will be the car that helps him win his second race of the 2006 season and the 16th of his career.

             “It’s the fastest track we race on, so that means you have to stay on your toes,” said Busch, who has the one win and three top-10 finishes in 11 career Atlanta starts.  “Our deal has been that we’ve always been a threat when we’ve been around at the finish of the race.  We’ve been plagued with more than our share of engine problems and tire problems.  Penske-built engines are known for their durability and we’ve had almost no engine problems this season.  We didn’t have tire problems there in the spring race and it’ll likely continue that way this weekend.  Like I said, Atlanta is the next race where we hope to have a fun Friday and see the fun continue on through Sunday.”

            Busch claimed a victory at A.M.S. in his fourth career Cup start on the 1.54-mile layout, which came on Oct. 27, 2002.  In that race, he started eighth and was up to fourth, before adverse weather temporarily stopped the action.  He took the lead for the first time of the day on Lap 49.  He went on to lead four times for a total of 84 laps (led most laps) en route to his third career victory.  He took the lead for the final time on Lap 206 and had a healthy advantage over second-place Joe Nemechek when rain forced NASCAR officials to call the race after completing 248 of the schedule 325 laps.  The win marked the first victory for Ford on the new track configuration at Atlanta.

* * *

This weekend’s Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 schedule begins on Friday afternoon with practice from 3:35 p.m. till 5:05 p.m.  Qualifying for the race is scheduled for Friday night at 7:10 p.m.  Saturday’s schedule calls for Cup practice sessions from 10:30 p.m. till 11:30 p.m. and from 12:05 p.m. till 12:50 p.m. Sunday’s 500-mile, 325-lap race has a 2:55 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by NBC-TV and PRN Radio.

# # #

ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY QUALIFYING/RACE SPEED DATA:

-Last year’s event pole winner:  Ryan Newman, lap of 193.928 mph (28.588  seconds)
-Last year’s race winner:  Carl Edwards (146.834 mph average – 3:24:31 time of race)   

-Track qualifying record:  197.478 mph (28.074 seconds) by Geoffrey Bodine on 11/15/97   
-Track race record:  159.904 mph set by Bobby Labonte on 11/16/97