Busch gets the OK from Roush

Las Vegan Kurt Busch is two phone calls away from getting The Call.

Busch, 21, has been selected by Roush Racing to replace Mike Bliss as the driver of the No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Before a formal announcement is made, however, Busch first must get the approval of Exide Batteries and its public relations firm, according to Paul Mecca, Exide Batteries' director of racing.

"He passed the test on the Roush end, but he still has to pass muster on the Exide end," Mecca said. "We're going to attempt to schedule some conference calls in the next couple, three days."

Mecca said he hoped to have an official announcement by the middle of next week.

"It's still up in the air," Busch said of his status with Roush Racing. "I haven't heard anything (official) yet. I heard they're supposed to make an announcement (this week), so I guess we'll know something then."

If Busch is tabbed to replace Bliss, he would become the first Las Vegas driver to get a full-time ride in one of NASCAR's national touring series.

Bliss got out of his contract with Roush to seek a ride in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. On Friday, Bliss was named by team owner A.J. Foyt to drive Team Conseco's No. 14 Pontiac next season.

Busch was one of five drivers to go through a second test with Roush Racing last Monday at Phoenix International Raceway. Also auditioning for the job were Robert Huffman, Gary Lewis, Tim Sauter and Brandon Ash.

"All the guys were great and we feel like any one of them could do the job," Roush truck team manager Max Jones told NASCAR Online. "We're pretty comfortable with whoever we choose. We almost feel like we could throw a dart at the group we have and go with whoever it hits."

Busch, the 1999 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series champion, had tested late last month with Roush Racing in Ohio -- apparently after impressing officials from the team during the past two Southwest Series races at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Last year, Busch drove from the back of the pack to a third-place finish on the demanding road course. This year, he won the race en route to setting a series record with four straight wins. Both Sears Point races were held on the same weekend as the Winston Cup race.

"I really don't know how it came about," Busch said of his first test with Roush. "I'm sure they saw my results from the Southwest Series this year and it might have sparked something.

"It was quite an honor to be chosen just to take part in the test."

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