Team Roush Racing Car/Make No. 97 Ford Sponsor Rubbermaid Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	11	3*
Wins	4	8
Top 5	9	24
Top 10	14	40
DNFs	8	19
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: The first half of the season. With three of his victories and six of his top fives coming in the season's first 18 races, most of which time he hovered around the top five, Busch picked up where he left off in 2002. After storming from 12th to third at the end of 2002, Busch was a preseason title contender. But around the halfway mark this team started having a problem with finishing races and fell all the way out of the top 10 by season's end.

The bad: An engine problem, a wreck and another engine problem led to finishes of 40th, 41st and 39th as the season came to a close and knocked Busch out of the top 10. It was a fitting end to a year in which his teammate won the title while the rest of the Roush Racing crew struggled to find consistency.

Key stat: 32. That's how many weeks Busch spent in the top 10 of the points standings in 2003. Next season, his goal isn't just to get back in. It's to get back to the top and give Jack Roush a repeat owner's title.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Busch has found a comfort zone behind the wheel of a Cup car and knows how to find Victory Lane. The question is whether he'll get the equipment to keep contending and whether he'll find the patience to race with consistency.

Key change: The new cylinder heads will be a key change for all Ford teams, but especially the Roush crew and, particularly, its rising star -- Busch.

Prediction: As competitive as the top of the Cup class is, it's hard to say for sure who's going to mix that talent with the luck it takes to finish in the top 10. Busch is a pretty safe bet, though.

Did you know: Busch is a lifelong Cubs fan who struggled to get rest for race day while his Cubbies made a run at the World Series.

Your take
Can Busch keep the big trophy at Roush Racing -- or at least find his way back into the top 10 of the points standings? Or is the competition to tough and crowded for him to share the spotlight? Here are your thoughts on Busch's prospects for 2004.