All-Star: Kurt Busch preview

Busch Ready For "All-Out Serious Fun" at All-Star Race

CONCORD, N.C. - Miller Lite Dodge Driver Kurt Busch and his Pat Tryson-led Penske Racing No. 2 Team plan on going all out in their bid to win Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. They are even rolling out a special color scheme along the way.

"It will be all-out serious fun for our Miller Lite Dodge Team in this weekend's All-Star battle," said Busch, who will be making his eighth career All-Star race start on Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "That may sound like an oxymoron to some, but the fact is that we're taking this race very serious, but because there are no points involved, we know we're going to have a lot of fun this weekend.

"First of all, we're coming in there with an absolutely knock-out paint scheme on our Miller Lite Dodge," said Busch, whose runner-up finish in the 2003 edition rates as his best to date in All-Star race competition. "We're calling it our 'taste protector' ride and once you see it, you'll immediately know why. If there has ever been a rolling billboard, this one is it.

"Our friends at Miller Lite have gone the extra mile in the detail work that went into this unique color scheme," Busch added. "Our goal was to promote the new 'taste protector' feature found on Miller Lite cans and bottles that locks in Miller Lite's great pilsner taste. This car does a real phenomenal job of doing that.

"The car is gold from the front quarter-panels down the side," explained Busch. "The hood, rear quarter-panels, deck lid and rear bumper areas are blue. We're featuring Miller Lite's gold 'taste protector' lid on the hood and rear quarter-panels. It really is a sharp-looking race car and I think all the fans will be buzzing about what they see this weekend."

The race car that Busch, Tryson and crew chose to race this weekend is their "PRS-579" chassis, the car last raced in March at Las Vegas. The "579" debuted at Michigan last August and has been used in five races to date. The sixth-place finish recorded at Atlanta last October is the car's best finish to date.

"We've always had a test session leading up to the All-Star and the (Coca-Cola) 600 in past years," Busch said about his team's approach to this season's "Charlotte Speed Weeks" at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "We don't have that this year, so we have limited track time to get our cars prepared and dialed in, ultimately for the 600. That's why we chose to use the Vegas car in this weekend's All-Star race and save the car that we won the Atlanta race with ("Hot Rod," the "PRS-594") for the (Coca-Cola) 600.

"This year, we're bringing the best race cars that we possibly can for both weekends and really look to do well in both races," Busch explained. "I think we're going to be super strong. We're definitely going to go all out for the All-Star race, but run our conservative and smart approach for the 600."

"You jump into the All-Star and it's just a whole different atmosphere and attitude," Busch said. "This race is just an entirely different animal. It's a 10-lap shoot-out at the finish, with a cool million dollars on the line. You can bet that things will surely get heated up and there will be fireworks for sure.

"I've never raced under this format, but I certainly have seen all the videos from the past races," said Busch. "Who could ever forget that finish when Davey Allison and Kyle (Petty) fought down to the wire, with Davey winning it, but crashing wildly at the line? Or, what about the race when Rusty (Wallace) spun DW (Darrell Waltrip) out to win? There will likely be another classic finish to add to the list in this Saturday's race.

"I've told my engine department, 'Bring the biggest horsepower you can.' If we go up in a ball of flames, we go up in a ball of flames. I want to do it while we're leading with all the horsepower that we can get," boasted Busch. "With no points on the line, it's just about the million bucks and of course, that big trophy and the bragging rights.

"If there's ever been a situation where we're up front in saying that we're bringing an expendable race car and race engine to the track, well, dude, this is it," said Busch. "With all the pressure we live under week in and week out, worried about the points and having to get the best finish possible out there, this weekend will be a refreshing change for everyone involved.

"We're coming in there this weekend with nothing but winning on our minds," concluded Busch. "Second-place is just the first loser. If we have nothing left but the steering wheel, that's cool because we'll all be popping open those special 'taste protector' lids and celebrating the big win with great tasting Miller Lite. I can't wait."

-credit: pr