Kurt Busch brings hot streak to his home town

LAS VEGAS -- Kurt Busch can attest to one thing -- there is no place like home.

Busch, driver of the No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford, is one of a handful of Winston Cup Series drivers who gets the opportunity to race in front of friends and family. Sunday's UAW-GM DaimlerChrysler 400 will mark his second Winston Cup race on the 1.5-mile track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Does it add extra incentive to the 23-year-old son of Sin City? If his qualifying effort of third is any indication, the answer is a solid "yes."

"Oh yeah, it sure does make you want to do better," Busch said. "Last year we qualified ninth, so we just stepped up a bit. If we keep putting ourselves in these positions we're going to get ourselves some poles this year.

"That was just a step in the right direction with Jimmy Fennig's (crew chief) experience."

Fennig teamed up with the sophomore driver in the off-season after many successful years calling the shots for Busch's teammate, Mark Martin. During his tenure with Martin, Fennig sat atop the pit box for 14 of the driver's 32 victories.

Busch brought his own set of impressive credentials to the table, as well.

He was the Hobby Stock champion at LVMS in 1996 and, at age 21, was the youngest champion in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series in 1998. Busch was snagged by Jack Roush to drive for him in the Craftsman Truck Series.

During the 2000 season in NCTS, he won four races as a rookie and finished second in points to teammate Greg Biffle.

His rookie year in Winston Cup produced one Bud Pole and five top-10 finishes. However, he started the season with four finishes of 30th or worse in the first six starts.

Fast forward to this year. Busch finished fourth at Daytona and 12th at Rockingham to place him third in points. He trails the top man of Sterling Marlin by 35 points and is three markers ahead of defending champion Jeff Gordon.

Now, he's bringing the show back to his home town.

"I just want to go out there and do it for the local fans," Busch said. "This is a big thrill. We're going to have 130,000 fans and I know I have a little bit of edge here when it comes to cheering for one person."