Kyle Busch in the No.51 Flanders Beef Patties Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado looked to capture his second win Friday night at the Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series until a flat tire took the team out of contention. This is the second year in a row that Busch nearly had the win at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware. In 2006, loose hood pins kept him from victory lane.

Busch’s Silverado was fast straight off the trailer posting top times in practice and placed the Craftsman Truck in the fourth place position on the starting grid after running a time of 23.329 seconds at a speed of 154.314 mph.

Busch and the Billy Ballew Motorsports team were confident they would be able to bring the truck to the lead after the green flag waved in the AAA Insurance 200, but the point position was delayed by two multi-truck accidents. Busch prevailed and took the top spot away from pole sitter Mike Skinner on lap 25 and drove away from the field.

Busch radioed in for air pressure adjustments at the pit stop because he was a tick free on the entry thru the center of the corner. When the caution flag dropped again, the No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties team opted to stay on the track after having only run about 20-laps under green flag conditions.

Busch kept the lead for 76 laps until he and other leaders were forced to pit under the green loosing valuable track position and a lap to the leaders. Having a good stop was crucial and when Busch came down pit road on lap 100 to take on four tires and fuel, the team prevailed getting the truck back out in the twelfth position. Busch advanced positions to ninth place when a yellow came out on lap 130. This caution gave Busch the “Lucky Dog Award” putting him back on the lead lap.

Indecisive about using the last set of sticker tires in their stable and knowing it was a gamble, Busch decided to take on fuel only not expecting the race to run green for the rest of the 67 laps left in the race. After the restart again, Busch was able to drive by Ron Hornaday, Jr. but after only two laps more, he couldn’t drive into the corners as fast as he had previously because he lost grip in the tires.

Although Busch’s times at points of the green flag stretch were faster than the leader, the caution the team needed never would come. On lap 173, Busch brought the truck down pit road for two right side tires giving up the opportunity for the win, but made the right decision after discovering the right front tire had gone flat. The team made gallant strides during the race but after the two-tire pit stop under green, the race win was not going to happen. Busch still brought home a great day with a 12th place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series AAA Insurance 200.

“What a frustrating end to a good day,” Busch said. “We definitely had the Silverado to pass (Ron) Hornaday if we would have had some fresh Good Year tires. The truck was super fast but who would have thought that the race would go that long without a caution. There were two pretty good size accidents right out of the starting gate and we had only run 20 laps of green flag racing when the next caution came out, so we stayed out for position. I wanted to save the sticker tires for a late run and I made the call not to take any tires, only fuel. We were able to regain the lead but I just didn’t have the grip to hold on. I knew the tires were gone and hated to give up the second position that close to the end. I had a lot of fun out there and look forward to hopping back in the truck again.”

Kelly Sutton will take back the wheel from Busch in Texas when she pilots the Team COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) Silverado. Busch makes his next start in the No.51 Flanders Beef Patties Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado NASCAR Craftsman Truck in Michigan at the Michigan International Speedway, Saturday, June 16, 2007.