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2005 Season Final Points Standing 20th After First 26 Races 19th Earnings $4,730,471 Starts 36 Poles 1 Wins 2 Top 5 9 6-10 4 Laps Led 354 Lead Lap Finishes 19 Bonus Points 55 Races Led 10

2005 Performance Below is the ranking of the team on each type of track along with the driver's best finish. Track Type Ranking Flat Tracks 3rd Best Finish 1st, Phoenix Intermediate Tracks 17th Best Finish 1st, California Plate Tracks 40th Best Finish 31st, Daytona Road Courses 38th Best Finish 33rd, Watkins Glen Short Tracks 18th Best Finish 4th, Richmond (2)

While Busch and crew chief Alan Gustafson have done an admirable job thus far, much of the credit for this team's success falls to team owner Rick Hendrick. By upgrading his junior varsity teams — the 5 and 25 — to a varsity level, Hendrick has given Busch the opportunity to be successful right away. And with Busch's nine top 5 runs in '05, he has already shown that he's the man for the job.

What may limit the team is the lack of seat time by the driver. There is a learning curve associated with any jump to the Cup level, and while Busch is slightly ahead of that curve, there is still much left to learn. His performances on the road and plate tracks were abysmal, although that is the norm for a rookie. His showings on the flat tracks, however, were a pleasant surprise. He finished in the top 10 at six of the eight events, including a win at Phoenix late in the season. Look for him to continue this trend, but not be stout enough for a run at the title.

His runner-up finish to Jimmie Johnson at Dover may have been his best race all season. He raced his Hendrick teammate clean, but pushed him until the end. That run proved to many that Busch had the temperament and style required of a Nextel Cup participant.

An early-summer run of four top 10s in five events was promising, but it gave way to a dreadful stretch in July and August.

The team rallied, beginning with a win at California in September, and kept the momentum going through the end of the season. Six top 12 finishes in the last 12 events completed an above-average rookie campaign.

• The Good: Busch raced Greg Biffle for the win at Phoenix, making a clean pass to collect his second trophy of the season. The emotional win showed that Busch has the patience and talent to win races in adverse situations.

• The Bad: The engine blew at Michigan after only 81 laps due to a hot dog wrapper plugging the grill. The team waited too long to pit, which proved to be a costly mistake.

• The Ugly: It's not advantageous to get testy with the press. Busch's post-race comments at Phoenix did not earn him any goodwill with the media.