but first, these notes of interest:

--Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch may still be looking for his first win in the prestigious Daytona 500, but he has amassed an impressive record in only five career starts in the "Great American Race."  Entering the Feb. 19 48th annual edition of the race, Busch has recorded three top-five tallies, including second-place finishes in 2003 and 2005.  "We finished second to Michael Waltrip back in 2003 and we were right there on winner Jeff Gordon's rear bumper last February at Daytona," offered Busch.  "We've been so close before and just hope to be back up there in a position to win again this time around in our Miller Lite Dodge."

--Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch is well aware of just how significant a win in the Feb. 19 Daytona 500 would be.  "It would be an incredible achievement and a monumental win, that's for sure," said Busch.  "There would be no better way to officially open up this exciting new era of my career than to bring home a win in our biggest race to Roger (Penske, team owner), our Penske Team, Miller Lite and all our other great sponsors."

--If Kurt Busch could pull off a victory in the Feb. 19 Daytona 500, it would hold special meaning for car owner, Roger Penske, and major sponsor, Miller Brewing Company.  "Roger and his stock car teams have yet to make it into Victory Lane in the Daytona 500 and it's been 18 years since Bobby Allison put the Miller car into the Daytona Winner's Circle," said Busch. "With that considered, I probably don't have to say how hard my Roy McCauley-led team will be trying to win and how much it would mean if we can pull it off." (Much more on this in release.)

--After spending his entire Cup career thus far behind the wheel of Ford entries, Miller Lite driver Kurt Busch looks to make history for Dodge during the 48th annual running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19."Dodge has won only once in the Daytona 500 in the last 20 years and it'd really be special to get them another big win," said Busch.  "We were kind of behind the eight ball in the pre-season testing at Daytona, but I think we made tremendous progress and we expect to be even stronger when we get down there to race.  I still think that the Chevrolets will probably be fastest in practice and they'll probably sit on the front row, but I look for our Penske Dodges to run really well in the draft and be solid contenders in the race."

--Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Roy McCauley has tremendous faith in his car and driver entering the 48th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 at Daytona International Speedway.  "The 84 car is a totally different Dodge than it was in 2005," offered McCauley of their PRS-084 Dodge.  "It's been
completely re-bodied and we've had it in the wind tunnel numerous times. It's a great car and a good match for Kurt, who has proven himself to be a tremendous competitor on the (restrictor-) plate tracks at Daytona and Talladega.  We went back to the shop after the Daytona testing was over and worked hard together with our teammates on the 12 car (Newman) to return to Daytona with the best possible package we can have for our Dodges.  I am confident we have been able to do that."

--Miller Brewing Company's official marketing kick off for the 2006 season will see Kurt Busch as the face of Miller Lite Racing.in more ways than one. Sure, the 27-year-old Las Vegas native and 2004 driving champion will be serving as a brand ambassador both on and off the track.but consumers in the Daytona area will also find limited edition Miller Lite bottles that feature Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge.

--"Never let what you can't do get in the way of what you can." -Nancy B. Gibbs

Contact:            Tom Roberts
Scott Bussen   

KURT BUSCH HOPING HE CAN DELIVER VICTORY IN DAYTONA 500
-Twice A Runner-up, Win Would Be “Incredible Achievement” To Present Owner, Team & Sponsor-

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2006) – With three top-five finishes in only five career Daytona 500 starts, including runner-ups in 2003 and 2005, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch is fully focused on winning this year’s edition of the “Great American Race.”

            “It would be an incredible achievement and a monumental win, that’s for sure,” said Busch, the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion, who took over the driver’s seat of the No. 2 Penske Racing South entry when racing legend Rusty Wallace retired at the end of the 2005 season.  “There would be no better way to officially open up this exciting new era of my career than to bring home a win in our biggest race to Roger (Penske, team owner), our Penske Team, Miller Lite and all our other great sponsors.

            “Roger and his stock car teams have yet to make it into Victory Lane in the Daytona 500 and it’s been 18 years since Bobby Allison put the Miller car into the Daytona Winner’s Circle,” said the 27-year-old Las Vegas native.  “With that considered, I probably don’t have to say how hard my Roy McCauley-led team will be trying to win and how much it would mean if we can pull it off.”

            Entering the 2006 season, 31 Penske-backed entries have competed in 21 editions of the Daytona 500 dating back to 1972 (Rusty Wallace in 15 races, Ryan Newman in four races, Jeremy Mayfield in four races, Bobby Allison in two races, Dave Marcis in two races – and one race each for Gary Bettenhausen, Mark Donohue, Brendan Gaughan and Travis Kvapil). Allison’s runner-up finish in the 1975 edition rates as the best finish to date.  In that race, held on Feb. 16, 1975, Allison drove the Penske-owned and Coca-Cola-sponsored No. 16 AMC Matador from a third-place start to the runner-up finish behind Benny Parsons, who was behind the wheel of the L.G. DeWitt-owned Chevrolet.

            Since Penske Racing returned to NASCAR racing in 1991 after a decade break from the sport, Wallace’s third-place finish in the 2001 edition of the Daytona 500 rates as the team’s best mark.

            Interesting enough, it was Allison who presented Miller Brewing Company with its lone Daytona 500 winning sponsor’s trophy, when he took the checkered flag in the race on Feb. 14, 1988.  Allison started his Miller High Life-sponsored and Stavola Brothers-owned Buick in the third spot and led 70 laps en route to his third career Daytona 500 win.  In one of the most dramatic finishes in the sport’s history, Allison was able to hold off his 26-year-old son, Davey, on the final lap to emerge with a two-car-length victory.

            “We finished second to Michael Waltrip back in 2003 and we were right there on winner Jeff Gordon’s rear bumper last February at Daytona,” offered Busch.  “We’ve been so close before and just hope to be back up there in a position to win again this time around in our Miller Lite Dodge.”

            Busch started the No. 97 Roush Racing Ford in the 13th spot in last year’s Daytona 500.  Although he was not credited with officially leading a lap, he was a frontrunner all race long in what turned into the first-ever green-white-checkered finish at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway.  Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion Tony Stewart had led the most laps going into the final stages of the 2005 race.  Gordon got between lead duo Stewart and Dale Earnahardt Jr. to take the lead on the 198th lap (of scheduled 200 lap), as the 11th caution of the race came out the following lap, due to debris on the track. 

            The caution period allowed the field to bunch back up for a final single-file green-white-checkered finish with Gordon on the point.  In a last-lap dash to the flag, Busch cleared Earnhardt to challenge, but came up 0.158 seconds shy of overtaking Gordon for the win.

            “Jeff and I raced each other clean all day long and we had a pretty good read that both of us had really strong cars,” recalled Busch of last year’s 500.  “We were able to run up front and were able to be in a great position to win the race. 

            “On the restart for the green-white-checkered, I got a rearview mirror full of the 10 car (Scott Riggs) and he pushed me,” Busch continued.  “He was going to go by me if I didn't block him, so I blocked him and he pushed me by the 48 (Johnson) and the 8 (Earnhardt).  I remember him catching me again coming off of turn two.  He gave me another bump, but that momentum, when I broke away from him, wasn't enough to get me past Gordon.  I wouldn't have cleared him coming off of turn four.  It would have probably been three-wide, four-wide, there probably would have been a six-car pileup at the start-finish line and I wouldn't have ended up in the position that we were in.  I just didn't have that 10 car behind me to help me clear Jeff.  Then the 8 car got in there on the low side and I knew I had to hold the bottom groove so that we could finish second. 

            “It was a great run, but we’re here now, still looking for our first Daytona 500 win,” Busch offered.  “I’m young and we still have several years ahead for us to try to win this thing.  I’m really excited about our chances this time around.”

            Busch started the 2003 Daytona from far back in the field, but he rallied to finish second to Waltrip in the rained-shortened event.  Busch’s climb toward the front was gradual, but once he got there, he was a challenger till the end.   Busch started 36th, but was 17th by lap 10 and 11th by lap 20. He fell back to 17th on lap 50, but he jumped into the top-five by lap 70 – running fourth behind then defending Cup champion Tony Stewart.   Reaching the front and taking the lead, however, was nearly impossible, especially with the favored Dale Earnhardt Inc. duo of Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. up front.

            “Things were a lot different then than they are now in the (restrictor-) plate racing,” Busch offered.  The DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) cars had such a threshold on the front of the competition back then.  They were able to do things to help one another maintain the lead, and the other to maintain second, and we were all racing for third.  That day, I ended up in second place just due to the fact that there was a mechanical issue on that 8 car.” (Earnhardt’s threat to win ended on the 89th lap when he experienced electrical problems.)

            After competing in Fords during his entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career entering 2006, Busch is aware of what a Daytona 500 victory would mean to his new manufacturer, Dodge.

            “Dodge has won only once in the Daytona 500 in the last 20 years and it’d really be special to get them another big win,” said Busch.  “We were kind of behind the eight ball in the pre-season testing at Daytona, but I think we made tremendous progress and we expect to be even stronger when we get down there to race.  I still think that the Chevrolets will probably be fastest in practice and they’ll probably sit on the front row, but I look for our Penske Dodges to run really well in the draft and be solid contenders in the race.”

            Busch and his Roy McCauley-led team will be racing their PRS-084 Miller Lite Dodge at Daytona.  The chassis came out of the No. 77 team stable from last season. 

            “The 84 car is a totally different Dodge than it was in 2005,” offered McCauley, a first year crew chief in NASCAR’s highest division, after leading Penske Racing’s Ryan Newman to six wins and four poles in nine races in 2005 Grand National competition.  “It’s been completely re-bodied and we’ve had it in the wind tunnel numerous times. 

            “It’s a great car and a good match for Kurt, who has proven himself to be a tremendous competitor on the (restrictor-) plate tracks at Daytona and Talladega,” McCauley continued.  “We went back to the shop after the Daytona testing was over and worked hard together with our teammates on the 12 car (Newman) to return to Daytona with the best possible package we can have for our Dodges.  I am confident we have been able to do that.”

            Busch’s overall Daytona career record boasts four top-five finishes in 10 races.  He started 34th and finished second in his only Daytona NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.  He also has runner-up finishes in two of his three Daytona career IROC races.  Busch’s overall career restrictor-plate race record sports eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes in 20 races.  He finished third in only his second career plate race, on April 22, 2001, at Talladega Superspeedway, his first career Cup start on that mammoth 2.66-mile Alabama track.

            Daytona 500 action gets under way this Saturday (Feb. 11) with practice sessions scheduled from 10:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. till 3:00 p.m.  Sunday’s 12:10 p.m. qualifying session will set the front row for the Daytona 500.  The remainder of the starting field will be determined in Thursday’s twin Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races, which begin at 2:10 p.m.  The 48th Annual Daytona 500 (500 miles/200 laps) has a scheduled 2:30 p.m. EST starting time on Sunday, Feb. 19, at Daytona International Speedway.  The 2006 NASCAR season-opening race will feature live coverage by NBC-TV and MRN Radio.

KURT BUSCH CAREER TRACK RECORDS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
(2.5 miles)

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