Kyle Busch set for Busch debut

Thursday, April 10, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

Kyle Busch of Las Vegas will make his NASCAR Busch Series debut May 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., in a Chevrolet that already has won two races this season.

Busch, who turns 18 on May 2, will drive the No. 87 Chevrolet that NASCAR Winston Cup driver Joe Nemechek has piloted to two Busch Series wins and two poles in five races this season. Hendrick Motorsports, which employs Busch, has formed an alliance with Nemechek's NEMCO Motorsports to campaign the No. 87 Ditech.com-sponsored car for Busch in six races this year.

"This is just amazing to me," Busch said. "To have a sponsor like Ditech.com and support from not only Hendrick Motorsports but NEMCO as well -- it's just awesome. This is really a great situation and I'm very grateful to everyone that worked so hard to make it happen.

"I'm looking forward to showing everyone what we've got."

Busch, the younger brother of Winston Cup star Kurt Busch, already has opened some eyes among the folks at Hendrick Motorsports. In a recent ARCA test at Nashville Superspeedway, Busch posted the fastest lap (154.253 mph) among the 17 teams that participated.

Busch, who will make his Hendrick Motorsports debut Friday night in the ARCA race at Nashville Superspeedway, jumped from Roush Racing to Hendrick Motorsports this year.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by everything that's been going on," Busch said. "It's nothing like I thought it would be; everything has exceeded my expectations from top to bottom.

"People treat me like a veteran driver when, in reality, I've got to prove myself just like anyone else would."