Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Busch makes return to trucks in Milwaukee

Tuesday, June 19, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Kurt Busch, who earned his first of four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories last season in Milwaukee, will return to the Truck Series next weekend to defend his title at The Milwaukee Mile.

Busch, a Las Vegas native, will take advantage of the off weekend in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule June 30 and will drive the No. 99 Roush Racing truck in the GNC Live Well 200. Busch captured last year's truck race at Milwaukee en route to winning the series' Rookie of the Year award and finishing second to teammate Greg Biffle in the championship.

"I am looking forward to the chance to run my old No. 99 truck again and defend my race title," Busch said. "The Roush truck development program is a great one, and it seems like this is a good opportunity to check out the program, help our rookie drivers understand the trucks better and help the program continue to develop."

Busch, who trails Kevin Harvick by 23 points in the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year standings, was the highest finishing rookie in Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway despite starting 41st. In his first visit to the 2.5-mile track, Busch was running as high as ninth before a late-race caution period. Busch lost four positions when he was forced to pit twice under caution because his crew sent him out with loose lug nuts on his No. 97 Ford.

"This was the kind of day that the Sharpie Rubbermaid team needed," Busch said of his 13th-place finish. "Throughout the race ... our car really seemed to gain momentum, which really helped us work our way through the field. We really needed this ... to help us get back on track after our finishes the last couple of weeks."

Sunday's race marked the fourth time this season that Busch was the highest finishing rookie in a Winston Cup event but his first since April 29 at California Speedway.

Dallenbach will make his debut with play-by-play announcer Allen Bestwick and analyst Benny Parsons at the Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Speedway on July 7.

Although Huffman started from the pole in his No. 37 Celica, he needed a last-lap pass to beat Cam Strader to the finish line by .024 seconds.

Toyota runs the only overhead cam, multi-valve engine in NASCAR.

"The car is great -- really good. But hang on because I'm sure I'll think of something to start bitching about sometime soon."