Kurt Busch and crew chief Roy McCauley are the happy new faces behind the No. 2 Dodge. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Busch finds comfort level on and off track

Move to Penske gives 2004 champ new outlook on racing, life

Life in the Nextel Cup Series begins anew for Kurt Busch in 2006.

For the first Chase champion in 2004, last season was marred by driver-owner animosity after Busch announced he had signed a deal with Penske Racing South beginning in 2007. A run-in with an Arizona sheriff's office and subsquent suspension from owner Jack Roush for the final two races of the year tainted the season.

Inside the Numbers Kurt Busch in 2005 Wins 3 Top-5s 9 Top-10s 18 DNFs 3 Poles 0 Laps Led 957 Avg. Start 13.7 Avg. Finish 15.3 Earnings $6,320,915 Note: Started 34 of 36 races SUPERSTORE •   Get Kurt Busch gear!

"I was very surprised that it got that personal," Busch said of the reaction to his defection. "With the way everything came about, maybe I could have done it a different way, but I thought the best approach was to notify [Roush] early on so they could get their sponsors lined up and do the things they had to do. It just kinda gets weird over there every now and then."

As it turned out, Busch's departure from Roush Racing was expedited a year early when Chip Ganassi released Jamie McMurray from his contract, allowing McMurray to step into Busch's car (previously the No. 97, now the No. 26) and freeing Busch to take over the retired Rusty Wallace's No. 2 Dodge.

"I am very happy," Busch said. "I just look forward to driving the Miller Lite Dodge. It's fun to smile and walk around with a Miller Lite suit on knowing the guy in charge is Roger Penske ... and I'll be known as the Penske guy and move on from there."

ACCELERATION 2006 There's more to the new season than just driver changes. Read more about what to watch for as we rev toward Daytona.  •   Testing archive,  click here •   Complete coverage, click here Change for the betterKurt Busch on his move to Penske Racing and the No.2 Dodge Fresh startKurt Busch tells Shannon Wiseman how Penske differs from Roush Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Not only will those on the Nextel Cup circuit find Busch with a different team, but he'll also have a different attitude.

"There are so many new things, things that I look forward to," Busch said. "Roger calls me three or four times a week, and I have that relationship open ... having that rapport, it's been great. I feel comfortable with it, but yet there's so much to learn.

"All the time I'm meeting the people and developing relationships with them, whereas before it was just race the car, get in the car, make sure the sponsor is happy and go to the next race. Now I'm realizing there's more to it than just going around in circles and going fast."

But Busch still plans on going fast. Question is, can he go as fast in Penske's Dodge as he once did in Roush's Ford, when he compiled 14 victories, 40 top-fives and 73 top-10s in the past four years?

"Dodge didn't have the success it wanted to last year, whether it was the lack of rear downforce or too much front downforce," said Busch, who won as many races in '05 (three) as all the Dodges. "Going to Atlanta doing a tire test for Goodyear was very beneficial for our team. We'll make adjustments for that and do what we think we need to do for a full 500-mile race."

Beginning at Daytona.

"At Daytona, I believe the Charger is going to be the car to beat when we show up for race time at Speedweeks," Busch said. "The Chevrolets might be fast in practice and they might sit on the front row, but I believe the Chargers, the way the Penske cars have been racing on the plate tracks ... is going to be pretty tough as well."

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Busch doesn't buy into the theory that Penske is a notch below the Roushes and Hendricks of the NASCAR world.

"I think I know computers," he said. "The programs I've seen created to help race cars and technology I've kept up with. I've got 'em downloaded on my laptop so that I can tinker with them and understand and try to throw in equations, but I am behind with the times with the way Penske operates."

Busch will be teamed with veteran crew chief Roy McCauley, who helped Penske teammate Ryan Newman win six of nine Busch Series races with eight top-fives last year.

"Now it's time to see what we can do on the Cup level. It'll be a challenge," Busch said. "I think Roy is a great guy, and I look up to him and his experience level.

"I just can't have him stretching me on fuel and tires like he did in the Busch Series in the Cup Series. I have to help with some of the experience level I have to balance him out and make him a better all-around crew chief."

He already believes he is a better all-around Busch.

"People ... have helped me understand you don't have to be so uptight," Busch said. "It's definitely an eye opener to know you can have a relationship with the team as well as race competitively."