but first, these notes of interest:

--Kurt Busch and his Pat Tryson-led Penske Racing Team will be racing their “PT Special” Miller Lite Dodge Charger this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.  The car, in its “former life,” was the “PSC-078” that the team raced at TMS on April 15.  Little did Kurt and crew realize at the time that the strange set of circumstances that Friday the 13th dished out back in April helped the “evolutionary process,” turning their “PSC-078” into the “PT Special,” a winning intermediate track workhorse for the team today.  Check out the release for all the details.

--Kurt was quick with his own keen sense of humor when asked about returning to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Dickies 500 after his strange racing experience there back in April.  “Thank goodness Halloween is Wednesday night and that will be all over and done with before we even start to head out to Texas this time around,” Kurt said with a chuckle on Tuesday afternoon while reminiscing the spring race at TMS.  “Hopefully, about the only weird thing we’ll be facing this weekend is the end of daylight savings time early race day morning.”  Remember to “fall back” this weekend and turn your clocks back one hour as the time officially changes at 2:00 a.m. Sunday.

--While Kurt may be ninth in points and a whopping 419 points behind leader Jeff Gordon with three races remaining to determine the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion, positions 4 through 12 certainly are up in the air.  “Right now, we’re 158 points out of fourth (Jeff Burton), but we’re only 94 ahead of 12th (Martin Truex Jr.),” said Kurt.  “There’s a lot on the line out there during the final three races and we’ll be looking to climb as far as possible.”  Kurt now trails fifth-place Tony Stewart by 97 points; sixth-place Kyle Busch by 91 points; seventh-place Kevin Harvick by 27 points and eighth-place Jeff Burton by 19 points.

--Kurt will be racing for a $100,000 bonus contribution to “Operation Homefront” if he can pull off the win in Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.  It’s all part of an engaging statewide promotional campaign that sponsor Miller Lite launched several weeks back.  The campaign recognizes, celebrates, honors and rewards military veterans, both past and present, for their commitment to serving our country.  Miller Lite is teaming with Operation Homefront (see www.operationhomefront.net/texas.) to support Texas troops and their families.  Miller Lite is donating financial support to the cause and consumers have the opportunity to visit the special web site and vote how to apply Miller Lite’s contribution.  Consumers can also make donations on their own through the site.  For additional information, we invite you to visit www.MillerThanksVets.com  and log in.  

--Did you know?  Texas Motor Speedway has also been known as Texas International Raceway.  For a short time during construction in September 1996, the track's name was changed to Texas International Raceway. Owner SMI’s customary track naming convention had planned to have the "Motor Speedway" as part of the name. However, in August 1996, a small quarter-mile dirt track located in Alvin, Texas (now known as Texas Thunder Speedway) had filed suit to use the name. On December 2, 1996, a settlement between the two tracks saw the "Texas Motor Speedway" name reinstated to the 1.5 mile oval, and the small amount of Texas International Raceway merchandise in existence instantly became collectibles.

--Kurt’s strong run at Atlanta in last Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500 (started second and led four times for a total of 98 laps en route to an eighth-place finish), has the team looking to alter their original game plan.  After Pat had indicated that last Sunday’s race would likely be the last race that the team used that particular chassis (PSC-111 named “Roger”), now there is a “full-court-press-type” effort under way to get the car prepared for the season finale at Homestead, Fla., on Nov. 18.  “Kurt really loved the way the car handled at Atlanta and wants to race it again at Homestead,” explained Pat.  “It really makes a lot of sense in the long run.  The original plan was to run the same car at Texas and at Homestead.  This will give us a big cushion in case something happens to that car at Texas.  Besides, wouldn’t it be a great and fitting story to put the car named ‘Roger’ back in Victory Lane again in its final race.”

--Kurt is scheduled for his weekly “top-12 points” media interview opportunity/Q & A session on Friday at 10:15 a.m. in the Texas Motor Speedway infield media center.  Kurt continues his effort in reaching out to the media rather than making them come to him at the team transporter.

--After the very successful initial offering at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 17, Kurt and the Kurt Busch Foundation will stage another fundraiser in the 2004 champ’s hometown of Las Vegas on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  For complete event information, please visit www.kurtbusch.com, or send an email to ridewithkurt@kurtbusch.com, or call 704-799-2428. For those who cannot attend but would still like to make a donation to the Kurt Busch Foundation, please visit www.kurtbusch.com.

--Kurt’s visit to his souvenir trailer at Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday will mark the 243rd time in the last 246 races that he has been out on race day mornings to meet his fans and sign autographs.  His continuing tradition began during his first full year on the Cup circuit back in 2001.  Kurt is tentatively scheduled to be at his souvenir trailer from 9:15 a.m. till 9:45 a.m. on Sunday.  Please verify that time by visiting the trailer in advance and picking up the free tickets for the autograph line.

--You are cordially invited to participate in the 23rd 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 2007 Miller Lite Racing Motorsports Journalism Awards are:

• ·        writing entries for daily newspapers.
• ·        writing entries for other forms of written media.
• ·        broadcast entries for local television.
• ·        broadcast entries for national television.
• ·        photojournalism entries.

Please remember that any motorsports coverage from 2007 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 7, 2007.  Winners will be announced in early 2008.

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 www.trpr.com  and several other sites.

--TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FAST-FACTS: (Courtesy of TMS PR)

Oval: 1.5 miles
Width: 58 feet (minimum)
Turns: 750-foot radius
Banking: 24 degrees in turns, five degrees in straightaways
Frontstretch: 2,250 feet long
Backstretch: 1,330 feet long
Pit Road: 45 pit stalls for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, 35 pit stalls for IRL

Seating Information:

Front straightaway grandstand: 66 rows, 112,945. Includes: PSL seats (36,000 w/armrests); and Handicapped Seating (1,595- Row 28 at portal entrances)
Back straightaway grandstand: 35 rows, 30,877
Luxury Suites: 144 with seating for 9,992
Victory Lane Club Suites: 50 with seating for 3,200
Condominium Seating: 2,571
Infield Capacity: approximately 53,000
Grandstand Seating: 143,822
Total Permanent Seating: 159,585
Total Estimated Capacity: 212,585

The Big Show: Eight Texas Stadiums will fit in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Texas Track Records:

Fastest Race: 3 hr., 19 min., 0 sec./155.055 mph — Carl Edwards (Fall 2005)
Slowest Race: 4 hr., 0 min., 17 sec./125.105 mph — Jeff Burton (1997)
Qualifying Record: 196.235 mph/27.518 sec. — Brian Vickers (2006-F)
Most Lead Changes: 29 (2000)
Most Leaders: 17 (2000)
Fewest Lead Changes: 18 (2001)
Fewest Leaders: 7 (2001)
Most Caution Flags: 12 (2000)
Most Caution Laps: 73 (1997)
Fewest Caution Flags: 6 (Fall 2005)
Fewest Caution Laps: 27 (Fall 2005)
Most Cars Finishing on Lead Lap: 21 (Spring 2005)
Fewest Cars Finishing on Lead Lap: 8 (1997)
Closest Winning Margin: 0.028 of a second (2004)
Largest Winning Margin: 5.920 seconds (2000)
Winner's Best Starting Position: 1 — Kasey Kahne (Spring 2006)
Winner's Furthest Starting Position: 31 — Matt Kenseth (2002)
Most Laps Led by Winner: 278 — Tony Stewart (Fall 2006)
Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 37 — Mark Martin (1998)

--“Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” -Vince Lombardi

KURT BUSCH & “PT SPECIAL” READY FOR RETURN TO TEXAS
-Miller Lite Team Owes “Bizarre Circumstances” In Spring Race For “Finding” Strong Dodge Charger-

FORT WORTH, Tex.  (Oct. 30, 2007) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch returns to Texas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Dickies 500 hoping to wrap up some unfinished business from his last trip to the 1.5-mile Denton County, Tex., quad-oval.  His Pat Tryson-led Penske Racing crew will be racing the same car that Busch drove from a 17th-place start to an 11th-place finish.

            Well, that statement is not entirely true.  Busch will be piloting that same chassis, but it positively should not be viewed as the exact same Miller Lite Dodge Charger.  It was the car in its “former life” during the April 15 Samsung 500 at TMS and the story of the spring race weekend and what has transpired since is certainly worth revisiting.

            Busch and crew arrived at TMS with a new team leader.  Crew chief Roy McCauley had gone on leave of absence to spend time with his ailing wife (Amy, who has since been successful in her battle with Leukemia).  Troy Raker, the team’s chassis engineer, stepped into the role as interim crew chief for the No. 2 Dodge Team.

            The team came to Texas armed with their strongest car at the time, their “PSC-090” chassis they had named “Rusty” after winning the March 2005 Bristol race with that chassis.  NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, former driver of the Miller Lite Dodge, had driven the same car in his final two races at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Busch paid tribute to Wallace, his popular predecessor, by naming his winning Dodge “Rusty” in the Bristol Victory Lane.

            What Busch, Raker and “Rusty” experienced was almost worthy of labeling science fiction.

            The spring race qualifying day at TMS went into the record books as one of the strangest days in the sport’s history.  Appropriately, it was officially Friday the 13th.  Even renowned racing promoter Eddie Gossage, who heads the Texas facility, could not have scripted what transpired that day.

            The day began with adverse weather conditions in the forecast, but they were slow to materialize.  It was evident all day long that NASCAR officials were determined to get in the scheduled practice and qualifying sessions if at all possible.  Practice was scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. and did occur only slightly behind the time posted.  However, only 25 minutes into the session light showers hit the area and brought an end to the action.  Hard precipitation then hit the track just after 1:30 p.m.  A lull in the moisture saw NASCAR put the jet dryers on the track to get the surface prepared for additional practice.

            The track was dried sufficiently to allow the cars back onto the track at 4:15 p.m. for another 30 minutes of practice.  Only 10 laps into the session, something appeared to go wrong with the right-front corner of Busch’s Dodge Charger and he plowed straight into the Turn 2 wall.

            “I don’t know, something just broke on the right-front,” Busch said on the team radio when his demolished car known as “Rusty” came to rest down on the apron.  It was a violent impact, but the 2004 NASCAR champ climbed out of his mangled mount uninjured.  Meanwhile, Busch’s team members were already rolling out the backup Miller Lite Dodge and getting it prepared for potential track time.

            After making the mandatory trip back by the infield medical center for a checkup, Busch returned to the garage area.  Only 20 minutes after the time that the crash had occurred, he was able to climb into his backup car, the “PSC-078” Miller Lite Dodge, and turn in four laps of practice before the session was over.

            Busch was listed officially as only 49th-fastest in practice.  NASCAR officials made known the revised plan to get the cars through the technical inspection line immediately and qualifying was to begin at 6:30 p.m., some two-and-a-half hours later than schedule.

            That was not to be, however, as the severe weather that had been holding all around the track closed in just after 5:00 p.m.  Officials directed teams to take their cars out of the technical inspection line and return them to their garage stalls.  Under a scenario that included hard rain, hail and a tornado warning in the area that sent fans scurrying for shelter, NASCAR finally pulled the plug on time trials some 30 minutes later and the starting field for Sunday’s race was set by the rule book (car owner points, etc.)

            “Heck yeah, I was pulling for the rain to come,” Busch said at the time about the track activities’ conclusion.  “With as few laps as we had on the backup car, it was the best thing that could have happened to us.  We get to start up in 17th and can work during both practice sessions to get the car dialed in for Sunday.  This car (PRS-078) may not be as strong as the one we crashed, but it’s still a pretty good piece.  We were strong all day last fall at Dover with it and finished fourth.  We’ll be okay.”

            Little did Busch and crew realize at the time that the strange set of circumstances that Friday the 13th dished out back in April helped the “evolutionary process,” turning their “PSC-078” into the “PT Special,” a winning intermediate track workhorse for the team today.

            Busch started the Texas spring race from the 17th spot and patiently worked his way up to the front.  He appeared to be on his way to victory before a late-race caution put a halt to his potential winning run, relegating him to an 11th-place finish.  Busch had worked his way into the top 10 after only 24 laps and was into the top five for the first time on Lap 102.

            The Miller Lite Dodge passed Jeff Burton for the fourth spot on the 128th lap as the team continued to make minor adjustments of a half-pound here and a half-round there.  The car continued to get stronger and stronger as the day went on.  After a 13.740-second pit stop on Lap 239 under the fifth caution period of the race, Busch lined up second behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the Lap 244 restart.  He was able to get underneath Earnhardt to take the lead on Lap 249.

            Tony Stewart had pitted under the green and was trying to use his fresh tires to get a lost lap back from Busch when he spun himself out on Lap 252.  Earnhardt and a challenging Kyle Busch crashed in the plume of smoke Stewart left behind, ending their chances for a win.

            After the race went back to green on Lap 259, it appeared that Busch was headed toward his first win for the Miller Lite Dodge Team since he won the spring Bristol race of 2005.

            That would not be the case, however, as the waning laps unfolded.  Busch was getting the worst fuel mileage of any of the leaders, having to hit pit road several laps before the rest of the lead lap cars.  He pitted for what was to be the final time on Lap 291 for four tires and fuel.  Only two laps later, the seventh caution flag of the race fell, this one for debris in Turn 4.

            Instead of enjoying the healthy lead he had only three laps earlier, Busch found himself running 14th and a lap down to leader Jeff Gordon.  He did receive the “Lucky Dog” free pass and was returned to the lead lap.  But forced to restart at the tail end of the longest line and with only 36 laps remaining in the race, Busch was only able to make it back up to the 11th spot when the laps ran out.

            “That was a real tear-jerker in the spring Texas race,” Busch recalled.  “We had as much as a full straightaway lead before we had to pit for fuel.  That was the way our luck seemed to always go back then.  It was like if you ever wanted to see a caution, just let the No. 2 car hit pit road and, bam, there the caution flag would fly.

            “But the great thing that came out of the spring Texas race was that Pat saw such great potential with that particular car and it’s the first one he selected to take and do his magic on,” Busch said.  “He rebuilt the car for the August race at Pocono and everybody knows the rest of that story.  We started outside pole and led all but 25 laps, which is the record for dominating and winning a Pocono race.  It was only appropriate to name the car the ‘PT Special’ in honor of Pat after winning that one.”

            “I didn’t join the team until the end of June and we started looking at the inventory of race cars,” Tryson explained.  “We knew that the (PSC-0) 78 car was really strong from the way it ran at Texas.  But what really sold us on rebuilding that particular car was what happened with Kurt racing it in the (May 27 Coca-Cola) 600 at Charlotte (Lowe’s Motor Speedway).  Kurt started second and dominated the first third of the race.  He led the most laps and was in a zip code of his own.  I know, because I was working with another team that was watching in amazement at the time.  He just got too loose as the race went on and crashed out of it with 100 laps to go.

            “The bad luck there in that race gave us the opportunity to take what had already proven to be a strong car and rebuild it from the ground up,” said Tryson.  “We were certainly pleased with it when we brought it back out at Pocono and it’s been a potential winner everywhere since.

            “We ran the car last at Kansas (in the Sept. 30 LifeLock 400) and had the car to beat before the bad weather came in,” Tryson said of another dominating performance (led three times for 76 laps – led most laps) before rain and darkness forced officials to call the race 57 laps shy of the scheduled distance.  “It’ll be a great car for Texas this weekend and wouldn’t it be great to get back out there and take care of the unfinished business from the last visit this time around.”

            Busch will be racing for a $100,000 bonus contribution to Operation Homefront if he can pull off the win in Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.  It’s all part of an engaging statewide promotional campaign that sponsor Miller Lite launched several weeks back.  The campaign recognizes, celebrates, honors and rewards military veterans, both past and present, for their commitment to serving our country.  Miller Lite is teaming with Operation Homefront (see www.operationhomefront.net/texas.) to support Texas troops and their families.  Miller Lite is donating financial support to the cause and consumers have the opportunity to visit the special web site and vote how to apply Miller Lite’s contribution.  Consumers can also make donations on their own through the site.  For additional information, we invite you to visit www.MillerThanksVets.com  and log in.  

            This weekend’s schedule at Texas Motor Speedway calls for practice on Friday from 12:00 noon until 1:30 p.m.  The single round of qualifying on Friday at 3:40 p.m. will allocate all 43 starting positions for Sunday’s battle around 1.5-mile oval, billed as “The Great American Speedway.”  Saturday’s schedule features practice from 11:00 a.m. until 11:50 a.m., with the final “happy hour” session scheduled from 12:50 p.m. till 1:50 p.m.  Sunday’s Dickies 500 (501 miles/334 laps) has a scheduled 2:30 p.m. local time (Central Standard Time – note time change at 2:00 a.m. Sunday) and the race features live coverage by ABC/ESPN-TV and PRN Radio.

# # #