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OCTOBER 16, 2001

BUSCH LOOKS AHEAD TO RACING IN THE DESERT

(HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.) For many Winston Cup drivers heading to Phoenix is many 
miles away from home. But for rookie Kurt Busch driver of the No. 97 Sharpie Rubbermaid 
Ford, heading to Phoenix is returning to a track that is very familiar and not far from his hometown of Las Vegas.

"I'm looking forward to returning to Phoenix for a little West Coast racing in the desert,
" Busch said. "Phoenix is a track that I became familiar with when I was racing in the 
Southwest Series, and then last year I raced there in both the truck series and in Winston 
Cup. We ran really well there in the truck and finished fourth, in the Cup car we didn't have nearly as good of a showing, but we were able to get some great notes which will come in 
real handy next weekend."

For Busch, having raced there in a couple of different series affords him the luxury of 
some solid experience on the racetrack, something that rookies don't have too often. 
Having the knowledge of different set-ups is definitely a bonus when heading to a track, 
and the No. 97 Sharpie Rubbermaid Ford team is hoping that that knowledge will give them 
a bit of an edge.

"Understanding the track is key," Busch said. "We travel to so many different tracks 
throughout the season so it sure is nice to head somewhere that is familiar. The track at 
Phoenix is unique in the fact that both corners are different. Turns one and two are totally different from turns three and four. That means the car the needs to be set up with that in 
mind. The asphalt compound is also different, and it has a lot of grip in the morning but it 
usually gets slick in the afternoon. That's something we need to keep in mind as we practice early in the morning but race later in the day. You drive this place different in the morning 
than you do in the afternoon, and I think that's one area where experience pays off here."

Busch and the No. 97 Sharpie Rubbermaid team head to Phoenix following the race at 
Talladega on October 21, where Busch has already exhibited his talent on the Superspeedways.