but first, these notes of interest:

--Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch is excited about driving a gold car in this weekend’s Bud Shootout.  “Gold is a color long-associated with great achievements,” Kurt said.  “Gold always signifies the best in class, and that’s what we’re constantly striving for on the track.  And I know the folks in Milwaukee take great pride in the unmatched quality of Miller Lite.  We’d love to kick off the 2007 season by putting this awesome looking car in Victory Lane.”  Until recently, Kurt was not aware of the great competitive history of Miller-sponsored gold cars at Daytona.  “Someone pointed out that Bobby Allison was driving a gold-colored Miller car when he won the ’88 Daytona 500 in that super-exciting battle with his son, Davey,” Kurt said from Las Vegas last Saturday (2/3/07).  “It’s nice to know that there is such good fortune associated in the past with the gold color scheme at Daytona.  Man, wouldn’t it be cool to follow in Bobby’s footsteps and win the Shootout in another gold Miller car?”  The record book also shows that Allison claimed Daytona wins in the 1987 Pepsi 400 and his 1988 “Twin-125” qualifying race behind the wheel of gold Miller-sponsored cars.

--Talk about confidence in his driver entering Daytona Speed Weeks ‘07…here’s Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Roy McCauley on K.B.:  “We can win any restrictor-plate race we go to with Kurt Busch, period.  No questions asked. I think if Dale Earnhardt Sr. were around today, one of the people he’d choose to draft with would be Kurt Busch. I don’t think there’s anybody better in the garage area in the draft. I’d take him over anybody else.”

--Although Kurt has yet to win in restrictor-plate competition, that initial win has to be just around the corner.  Kurt was in contention in last year’s Daytona 500, before getting crashed out with 13 laps remaining.  He bounced back to finish third in the July Pepsi 400.  He finished second in the 2003 and 2005 editions of the Daytona 500.  As a matter of fact, Kurt finished third in the first restrictor-plate race of his Cup career on 4/22/01 at Talladega. 

--“I don’t know why, but Kurt doesn’t get the recognition he deserves as being among the best restrictor-plate drivers out there,” Roy adds.  “I’m sure things will change when he gets that first plate win under his belt – and it’s coming soon, no doubt about that.”  Stats galore back up Roy’s claim.  Kurt was fourth overall in points earned in restrictor-plate racing in 2006.  As a matter of fact, K.B. is fourth overall over the past five years in that same category.  He has earned more plate-racing points during that period than Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick or Mark Martin.  Only Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett have earned more points in the last five years on the Daytona and Talladega tracks.

--Kurt and Roy will be racing their No. 66 chassis Miller Lite Dodge in this weekend’s Bud Shootout.  The team raced the car in both Talladega races last season, starting fifth and finishing seventh in the May event and finishing third from a 29th-place start in the October race.  The chassis for the Daytona 500 is their No. 68.  Its record will be covered in the 2/12 Daytona 500 advance.

--Thursday’s (2/8) drawing for starting positions for Saturday’s Bud Shootout will begin at 8:00 p.m. and features live coverage by SPEED-TV.  Friday’s (2/9) schedule calls for Shootout practice sessions from 4:15 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. till 7:30 p.m.  SPEED-TV will provide live coverage of both sessions.  Saturday’s (2/10) schedule presents Daytona 500 practice from 10:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. till 3:00 p.m.  SPEED-TV will provide live coverage of both sessions.  The Bud Shootout has a scheduled 8:30 p.m. starting time, with FOX-TV and MRN Radio providing live coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. (All times listed are EST.)

--“When you've got something to prove, there's nothing greater than a challenge.” -Terry Bradshaw

KURT BUSCH’S #2 MILLER LITE DODGE CLAIMS THE GOLD
Shootout Makeover Celebrates Miller Lite’s Fourth World Beer Cup® Gold Award

MILWAUKEE (February 5, 2007) – Miller Brewing Company today announced it will paint Kurt Busch’s #2 Miller Lite Dodge with an all-gold scheme for the February 10 Bud Shootout.  The one-race re-design honors Miller Lite’s fourth gold award in the American-Style Light Lager category at the World Beer Cup.

The car will be painted from front to back in gold paint and will feature the World Beer Cup logo and “World Beer Cup Winner” on the hood, spoiler and rear quarter panels.  Miller Lite won its fourth gold in the prestigious bi-annual competition in 2006.

“Gold is a color long-associated with great achievements,” Kurt said.  “Gold always signifies the best in class, and that’s what we’re constantly striving for on the track.  And I know the folks in Milwaukee take great pride in the unmatched quality of Miller Lite.  We’d love to kick off the 2007 season by putting this awesome looking car in Victory Lane.”

The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup series champion is in his second year behind the wheel of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, which will return to its normal blue color for the first race of the season February 18 in Daytona Beach.

The 2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup is the world's largest and most diverse international beer competition for commercial breweries, this year touting 2,221 entries from 540 breweries in 56 countries, including all other major breweries.  The World Beer Cup has been held every other year since 1996 and is presented by the Association of Brewers, a not-for-profit educational and trade organization founded in 1978 that is dedicated to the promotion of quality beers and brewing throughout the world.  The Association also hosts the annual Great American Beer Festival® and is based in Boulder, Colo.

About Miller Brewing Company:

As one of America’s oldest brewers, Miller Brewing Company continues the commitment of founder Frederick J. Miller to brew “confoundedly good beers” with “uncompromising quality.”  Through more than 150 years of innovation and brewing excellence, Miller has built a broad portfolio of award-winning beers that capture approximately 18 percent of the U.S. beer market.  In the past decade, Miller beers have won 105 medals – more than twice as many as its major competitors – at the biannual World Beer Cup and annual Great American Beer Fest. An unprecedented four-time gold award winner at the World Beer Cup, Miller Lite is the great tasting, less filling beer that has defined the American light lager category since 1975.  Miller also brews smooth, golden rich Miller Genuine Draft using a unique cold-filtering process introduced in 1985. The company’s oldest brew is Miller High Life, the champagne of beers.  Miller imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Foster's, and it offers regional craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  Near-premium beers include Milwaukee's Best Light, Steel Reserve, Olde English 800, Mickey's Malt Liquor, Icehouse and Sharp's, a non-alcohol brew.  Miller also offers the Sparks line of caffeinated alcohol beverages.  Miller is a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller plc, one of the world's leading brewers with a global footprint spread across six continents.  For more information, visit www.MillerBrewing.com.

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