READY TO FLASH HIS NIGHT MOVES.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Kurt Busch isn't looking past the Bristol Motor Speedway race Saturday night, but he has a lot to say about California Speedway and the first night race at the Fontana track coming up in two weeks.

It's safe to say Busch has found a comfort zone at Bristol, the tiny Tennessee track where he has won three races in a row and four of the past five.

California Speedway also has been kind to Busch. The Roush Racing driver won the Cup race there in 2003 and a Craftsman Truck Series race in 2000.

Unlike most drivers, Busch is pretty secure in his position in the Nextel Cup Series standings but he is hardly comfortable. He is in sixth place and only needs to be in the top 10 when the Chase for the Championship begins in three weeks to have a chance to win the title.

``So we're one of those teams that can't afford a bad day,'' said Busch, the driver of the No. 97 Ford Taurus for Roush Racing. ``We've got some cushion in case we miss the setup that we'll still run competitively enough to gain points.

``But Bristol is by no means a track that we're going to miss the setup on as well as California Speedway, the race after it, and then of course with preparations for Richmond, that's the final race where we get locked in for this chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.''

When asked to comment on running a night race at California Speedway, the first ever at the 2-mile oval on Labor Day weekend, Busch had something to say about everything, down to the track surface and the national anthem.

``It is a different element that we have to make sure we take care of the right way,'' Busch said. ``With tracks cooling down at night, the temperatures going down, you're usually given faster speeds. The track gives you more grip, and the numbers keep going in different directions.''

California Speedway has a reputation for producing high-speed affairs. Qualifying records regularly fall, and not by one or two drivers, but sometimes by as many as seven or eight. Fuel mileage is always a concern as well, with plenty of green-flag, top-speed racing.

Busch said he has an ace in the hole though when it comes to racing on tracks in the West Coast desert heat. That's saying something from a driver who learned to race on tracks in Las Vegas.

He said he's noticed a difference in the asphalt used on West Coast tracks compared to those in the Southeast. Apparently, the track surfaces out West hold up better in the heat, so when they cool down, there isn't much difference in traction.

``So that's an advantage that I believe I can bring into California Speedway and try to look for in the asphalt to make sure that we don't get too aggressive on one specific tire versus another and to make the car to where it can adjust,'' Busch said.

``I believe the race starts late enough in the evening to where the sun will be down and the temperatures will be cool. It will be a whole different aspect for us than what we've normally seen.''

And when it comes to the national anthem, Busch said he would like to see something different, similar to the time a trumpet player performed ``The Star Spangled Banner'' before a NASCAR Southwest Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

But his favorite rendition comes from pop princess Britney Spears.

``We've had some great talent, male and female, country artists, rock stars, rock 'n' roll bands,'' Busch said. ``I'm a little biased to Britney Spears, before all this marriage stuff and all her issues behind the scene. She's pretty hot and did a pretty good job singing it.''

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