but first, these notes of interest:

-- Kurt Busch and his Roy McCauley-led Miller Lite team will again be racing their PRS-078 Dodge Charger in this weekend's Coca-Cola 600.  It's the same car they raced in last Saturday night's NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.  "We think it's capable of getting the job done," said Kurt.  "We just never had a chance to really get going last weekend because of the engine problem."

KB exited Saturday night's All-Star race with a blown engine 33 laps into the first segment.

-- KB doing "double duty" once again this weekend as he will drive the No. 39 Penske Truck Rental Dodge in Saturday night's CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in Sunday evening's Coca-Cola 600.   "This is definitely one weekend where I'm so grateful to be racing in the Saturday race," said KB.  "That experience will certainly be beneficial for the 600 on Sunday."

-- Roy's "little ditty" about who'll win Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 -- "We've learned this from factual data," Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Roy McCauley said with a smile and slight chuckle.  "He who can best master the swing from loose to tight will be the winner at Lowe's on Sunday night."

-- KB featured on race "promos" during Saturday's Cubs vs. Braves game - Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch filmed some promotional spots for FOX Sports last Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway that will air in Saturday's broadcast of the Chicago Cubs/Atlanta Braves MLB game.  "They knew what a big Chicago fan I am and I enjoyed shooting those spots," KB explained.  "It was pretty simple.  They shot me in my Miller Lite uniform and I invite the FOX baseball viewers to tune in on Sunday for the FOX coverage of the Coca-Cola 600."  The Cubs/Braves game coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. EDT Saturday on FOX-TV.

-- KB scheduled at Penske Racing FanFest on Friday -- From noon until 1:00 p.m., KB will be greeting his fans at the Penske Racing shop in Mooresville, N.C.  Tickets for the autograph line will be given, beginning at 7:45 a.m., on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only 200 tickets will be given.  A $10 donation is required to have Busch sign two items with all proceeds going to the Kurt Busch Foundation.  For more information on Busch's foundation, go to www.kurtbusch.com.  Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman is scheduled to sign autographs from 11:00 a.m. till noon.  To obtain Newman's autograph, a person must have a copy of the book "Pit Road Pets." Anyone who doesn't have a copy of the book may purchase one in the Penske Racing gift shop. In addition to the book, Newman will sign two other items. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Ryan Newman Foundation.   The daylong FanFest will also raise money for the Friends-In-Need Animal Rescue.  Based in Lexington, N.C., it provides unwanted animals with loving homes, either permanently or until they are adopted. For more information, go to www.friendsinneednc.com.

-- KB a busy man this weekend -- Weather permitting, Kurt is expected to spend the night in Charlotte on Saturday night and travel up to Indianapolis early Sunday morning.  "I've never been to the Indy 500 and really want to be there Sunday morning to show my support to Roger (Penske), Helio (Castroneves), Sam (Hornish) and their teams," KB said.  "They're off to a great start with their qualifying efforts and I plan on being there, at least for the start of the race.  With Miller just announcing their extension with the track as the Official Malt Beverage, it's the perfect place to be on Sunday morning.  Of course, I'll have to hustle and make it back in time for the 3:30 p.m. drivers' meeting.  It would be a great day in the history of Penske Racing if Sam or Helio can win up there and Ryan or our team win the 600."

-- "Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

BUSCH “THRILLED” TO BE RUNNING BOTH L.M.S. RACES THIS WEEKEND -Miller Lite Dodge Driver Expects Knowledge Gained On Saturday Will Be “Invaluable” In Coca-Cola 600-

CONCORD, N.C.  (May 23, 2006) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch will be pulling “double-duty” this weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  He is scheduled to compete in both Saturday night’s CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 NBS race and in Sunday evening’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup battle.  

          “This is definitely one weekend where I’m so grateful to be racing in the Saturday race,” said Busch, who will drive the No. 39 Penske Truck Rental Dodge on Saturday and his familiar blue No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in Sunday’s 600.  “The experience we get on Saturday will certainly be beneficial for the 600 on Sunday.

          “We got in enough laps last Saturday night to make it a learning experience in preparation for the Coke 600,” said Busch, who exited last Saturday night’s All-Star race with a blown engine 33 laps into the first segment.  “With the new surface and super hard tire that Goodyear has there, you can honestly consider every lap as being invaluable test time leading up to Sunday’s race.

          “The bottom line is that it’s a situation of surviving the first 10 laps of a run, because you gotta’ have your car set up so loose,” Busch noted.  “The cars start tightening up and it’s a challenge to get and keep a handle on it all.

          “Someone told me earlier this week that there are more than 20 full-time Cup drivers who are entered in Saturday’s race and I can easily understand why,” said Busch, who has a win and a fourth-place finish entering Saturday’s event, only the third NBS race of his career.  “It’s a big race and it’s in front of a home crowd, but everybody is looking at gaining everything they can in preparation for the 600.  You can learn from every run you make out there.”

          Busch and his Matt Gimbel-led Penske Truck Rental team will be debuting a brand new car in Saturday’s CARQUEST Auto Parts 300.  “It’s the same car we tested back a couple of weeks ago,” Gimbel said of their PBC-008 Dodge Charger the team tested at L.M.S. on May 10.  “Kurt turned in the third-fastest lap (183.306 mph/29.459 seconds) in the test and we have high hopes for another great performance by our team on Saturday night.  Anything we can learn during the race to help the guys on Sunday will certainly be passed along.

          Busch and his Roy McCauley-led Miller Lite team will again be racing their PRS-078 Dodge Charger in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.  “It’s the same car we raced in last Saturday night’s NEXTEL All-Star Challenge,” said Busch.  “We think it’s capable of getting the job done.  We just never had a chance to really get going last weekend because of the engine problem.”

          Perhaps it is crew chief McCauley who best sums up the challenge the upcoming racing weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway presents.  “We’ve learned this from factual data,” McCauley said with a smile and slight chuckle.  “He who can best master the swing from loose to tight will be the winner at Lowe’s on Sunday night.”

          Entering Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, Busch has two top-five finishes in 11 career L.M.S. races, those coming in the last four races.  His L.M.S. career record shows a 26.0 average start and an 18.7 average finish.  His best career performance to date at L.M.S. was in the most recent race, last fall’s UAW-GM Quality 500, when he started seventh and finished second.

          “That was a great race for us and pretty different than I’d been accustomed to,” Busch said of the race that featured 15 cautions for 81 laps, mostly due to tire issues.  “I was just rolling through most of the night worried about which tire was going to blow out - the right-front or right-rear.  We were able to run the entire race without anything out of the ordinary happening.  We were able to survive and be there at the end.

           “It’ll be about survival again in the 600 on Sunday,” said Busch. “With the hard tires and the smaller fuel cells, it’ll be extremely challenging for the pit crews.  With all the stops we’ll be making, their role in winning the race will be incredibly important.”

          Thursday’s schedule calls for NBS practice from 12:00 noon till 1:00 p.m. and 1:50 p.m. till 2:50 p.m.  NEXTEL Cup practice is set from 3:00 p.m. till 4:30 p.m.  Cup qualifying will roll off at 7:10 p.m. and will be followed by NBS qualifying at 8:45 p.m.  Both garages will be closed on Friday.  Saturday’s schedule calls for Cup practice sessions from 4:30 p.m. till 5:30 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. till 6:50 p.m.  The CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 (200 laps/300 miles) gets the green flag at 8:10 p.m. and features live coverage by FX-TV and PRN Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.  Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 has a 5:40 p.m. start with live coverage provided by FOX-TV and PRN Radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

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