Kyle Busch surprised by early success

The 23-year-old has already won more races in one year than he did in three seasons driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and his five victories thus far are more than the total that the drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing achieved last season.

"It doesn't surprise me that we've gelled this quickly, but it does surprise me that we already have five wins," Busch said. "When you switch teams and come to a new organisation, and working with a new crew chief, it can be challenging.

"When Steve (Addington, crew chief) and I first started working together, I was really descriptive about telling him what the car was doing. I was telling him what the right front was doing and all, getting into a lot of detail.

"Now, I've toned back and just tell him it's tight and he fixes it. He gets what I mean, so we've come a long way as far as chemistry."

Busch claims to feel more comfortable this year at Joe Gibbs Racing and says that has made things easier, allowing them to start getting results immediately rather than having to take time for their relationship to deliver.

"I just feel a lot more at ease and comfortable in my own skin this year," Busch added. "I've just gelled with everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing so much quicker than I expected. Obviously, running well hasn't hurt, either, since it's made it even more fun to be at the racetrack with these guys.

"I can be a pretty miserable person if I'm not running well. I think the communication between all three crew chiefs and drivers has really been important, too. When you can have three guys and teams that work together with somewhat similar setups, it shows on the race track."

The JGR driver expects to run well next weekend at New Hampshire, a track where he won in 2006 and one he claims to enjoy.

"New Hampshire is a fun track for me as a driver," he said. "It's flat like Phoenix and Milwaukee, but it's a little bit tricky. In order to do well there, you need a car that works on all the different kinds of asphalt the tracks seem to be putting down.

"You need a car that has a lot of side bite in the rear and front grip to turn easier. At New Hampshire, it seems like I've always been loose into the corner and tight in the centre, which is hard to fix, sometimes. I think the team that can fix that the best will have the best car."

Besides his Sprint Cup Series commitments, Busch will also compete next Saturday in the Nationwide Series event driving the No. 18 JGR Toyota, and in the NASCAR Whelen Series Modifieds Tour event.