Mooresville, NC | 11-09-2005

Billy Ballew Motorsports currently sits fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Owners’ Points Standings, eight points out of third place.  This is quite a feat for an under funded team that has had eight different drivers in their No. 15 Chevrolet.  Not to mention, following the first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, the team sat a disheartening 35th in their quest for the championship.  Kyle Busch has driven the Billy Ballew Motorsports entry in nine events this year and will finish the season behind the wheel of the No. 15 ditech.com/National Land Liquidations Chevrolet.

Busch’s next outing is this Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway for the Silverado 150.  In Busch’s previous nine races, he has an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 6.1.  He has three victories (Lowe’s, Dover, Atlanta) in those nine starts and one pole award coming at Michigan International Speedway.  With two races remaining in the 2005 season, Busch also has the chance to tie or beat his brother Kurt’s record of capturing four victories in one season.  His next shot may come on Friday night at PIR.

“I haven’t raced at Phoenix in the truck but we ran well in New Hampshire,” said Busch.  “Hopefully, it will be a better race than New Hampshire was for us, because we had a better truck than the finish showed. Everything I learn on Friday will help me in the Cup car for Sunday. I am looking forward to having a little fun.”

Although Busch has never competed in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at PIR, he has competed in the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.  His statistics in both are quite impressive, gaining the pole in his Busch Series debut at PIR last year and finishing in second position.  In this past April’s NEXTEL Cup event, Busch started 27th and came home in the eighth position.

Last season at PIR, the Billy Ballew Motorsports team qualified in 13th place and finished in the fourth position.  With just two races left in the 2005 season, the team is optimistic about capturing the third place positioning in the owners standings, but know there is competition behind them within reach.

The Silverado 150 gets underway at 6:15 p.m. MST from Phoenix International Raceway.  The race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel and MRN Radio.