Busch Ready for Busch Series Debut

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 20, 2003) - After watching from the sidelines for almost two years, Kyle Busch is finally ready to make his return to NASCAR. Busch, who joined Hendrick Motorsports in February, will make his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24 driving the No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet. “I’m looking forward to Charlotte,” Busch said. “In my opinion, it’s really my first big-time race in NASCAR. I’m trying to look at it like any other event. I just want to get out there and be competitive.” Busch will pull double duty this weekend at Lowe’s as he is also scheduled to run in the ARCA Series on Thursday, May 22. While the Las Vegas native knows both races are important, he understands that Saturday’s event will receive top billing. “I think there’s a lot of people who are interested in seeing how I’m going to perform in the Busch Series after having some success running the ARCA Series,” Busch said. “More than anything, I think people realize the Busch race is going to be a good measuring stick, knowing the caliber of competition in the series and the fact there will be several Winston Cup drivers entered in the race.” Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, Busch and his No. 87 ditech.com team have dominated the last two ARCA events they have entered -- at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway -- winning both in decisive fashion. After competing in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2001 at age 16, Busch was forced to sit out the 2002 season after NASCAR implemented a rule requiring drivers to be at least 18 years of age. He spent 2002 polishing his skills and gaining seat time in the American Speed Association (ASA) Series in 2002, finishing eighth in the championship standings. Busch is scheduled to compete in seven Busch Series events in 2003 while driving Chevrolets provided by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Joe Nemechek and his NEMCO Motorsports operation. He is scheduled to join the Busch Series on a full-time basis in 2004. Together, Busch, who turned 18 on May 2, and his 19-year-old teammate Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet, will form the youngest tandem in NASCAR history. Founded in 1995, ditech.com is a direct mortgage lender and business unit of GMAC Mortgage. The company has grown into a full-service corporation that provides home loans with competitive rates and the highest level of customer care to consumers nationwide. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., ditech.com is part of the General Motors family, offering the strength and stability that comes from one of the world’s largest corporations. ditech.com is an Equal Opportunity Lender.