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Fast start has Busch ready for trip home

Kurt Busch knows the other side of Las Vegas.

Away from the strip. Away from the neon lights. Away from the casinos.

When the Winston Cup circuit heads to Las Vegas for Sunday's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400, Busch will be going home.

"Everybody wants to know where the hot spots are or where to cheat the slot machines," said Busch, 23, second-year driver of the No. 97 Ford. "You pretty much tune that stuff out when you live there. There is a town outside of Las Vegas, and it's a great place to grow up, a well-rounded community that doesn't have anything out of the ordinary.

"Except for that gaming strip."

After two races, Busch seems anything but ordinary.

He is third in the standings after finishing fourth in the Daytona 500 and 12th at Rockingham, where, as the first victim of NASCAR's new one-engine rule, he started last after switching engines before the race.

"And we look at 12th place as being a bad finish for us," said Busch, paired this season at Roush Racing with veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig. "That's the confidence Jimmy Fennig puts in me and all the people around him. He's a great character."

Frankie Stoddard, crew chief for Roush teammate Jeff Burton, said Busch's fast start is no fluke.

"He's the real deal; he's a really talented kid," Stoddard said. "Now he's got his year of experience in Winston Cup and I look for him to be a strong racer all year."

As a rookie in 2001 Busch finished 27th in the standings after failing to record a top 10. He came closest at Las Vegas, where he qualified ninth and finished 11th.

"The atmosphere of being at home and being familiar with everything makes you feel more comfortable, and it showed because we had a great effort there last year," Busch said. "Not many people are from Las Vegas, so it would be the ultimate win."

PETREE RECANTS: Owner Andy Petree will not enter the unsponsored No. 33 Chevrolet with driver Mike Wallace at Las Vegas.

"A couple of things came up early this week that we weren't anticipating on the sponsorship side," Petree said. "We just figure we'll do better working in the shop this week."

Petree's No. 55, driven by Bobby Hamilton, will race. REUNITED: David Pearson, who parted ways with the Wood Brothers team after a botched pit stop at Darlington in 1979, will rejoin the team as an adviser next month at the track they dominated in the late 1970s. Pearson, 67, will tutor 20-year-old Jon Wood, grandson of team founder Glen Wood, before the third-generation driver's Darlington debut March 15 in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

"When you think about driving at Darlington, David Pearson is the first person that comes to mind," said Eddie Wood, Jon's father. "He's helped Jon in the past, and they seemed to really hit it off."

Pearson, who retired in 1986, leads all driver with 12 poles and 10 victories at the track "Too Tough to Tame." Six wins came with Wood Brothers.

CART FILLS GAP: Championship Auto Racing Teams will rent Chicago Motor Speedway and promote its own June 30 race, the Chicago Tribune reported. Less than a month ago the track suspended its auto racing operations, canceling CART and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events scheduled this summer.

IF IT AIN'T BROKE: Michael Schumacher begins his Formula One title defense, and the quest for a record fifth championship, in the same car he drove last season.

Ferrari will start the season, which opens Sunday with the Australian Grand Prix, with its 2001 car rather than the 2002 model.

"We know that last year's car is very good and it was still making an excellent impression during the winter tests," Schumacher said. "Why should we take an unnecessary risk?"

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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