Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Busch was being promoted to the Winston Cup Series to replace Chad Little in Roush's No.
97 Ford for the 2001 season.
Little ended up being released early, and Busch took over the No.
97 John Deere-sponsored Ford at Dover in September 2000.
Busch ran seven of the final eight races (Little drove at Talladega) with crew chief Jeff Hammond.
Busch's best finish was a 13th-place finish at Charlotte.

Busch took over the No.
97 full-time in 2001, and ran for Rookie of the Year honors.
After John Deere left the team, the No.
97 began the 2001 season unsponsored.
After the team signed Rubbermaid to a multi-year contract later in the spring, Busch scored three Top 5’s and six Top 10’s that year.
He and Dale Earnhardt made contact in the 2001 Daytona 500 on lap 85.
Earnhardt promptly flipped Busch the bird at 185 mph or as described by lap-by-lap commentator Mike Joy in the Fox Sports booth, he simply was telling him "Kurt, you're number one."
To this day, Busch recalls this as the only time he encountered Earnhardt on the track (it was also the last time he and Earnhardt competed in the same race as a result of Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap).
Busch finished 27th in the point standings and runner-up for the Rookie of the Year honor's, and earned more than $2 million in winnings.
Busch's best finish was third at the spring Talladega race, which was three weeks after scoring his first career Top 5 finish at Texas (fourth), and he added a fifth-place in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
He also won the pole for the Southern 500 at Darlington, where he led 74 laps before a late-race brush with the wall took him to the garage.
A month later, he led 38 laps at Martinsville before contact with Ricky Rudd cut his left-rear tire; heavy traffic behind him made matters worse, as Busch had to complete a lap and a half before he could get to the pits.
During the delay, the tire carcass wrapped itself around the axle, costing him several laps.
Overheating problems halted a strong performance at Rockingham in October, where he led 45 laps.
Busch then failed to qualify at Atlanta in November.

The 2002 season was Busch's breakout year in the Winston Cup Series.
He won his first victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol, after battling hard with rival Jimmy Spencer on worn tires.
Busch added a second win at Martinsville in October and then won at Atlanta the next week and in the season finale at Homestead.
This gave Busch four wins, 12 Top 5’s, 20 Top 10’s, and one pole, all of which would allow him to finish third in the final standings for the year.
He finished the season particularly strong, winning three of the final five races and finishing third and sixth and leading many laps in the next two.
As well as his finish in the point standings, he also collected $5,105,394.
The 2002 season saw Kurt Busch become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the most races in his first-ever winning season with four.
He is one of only two drivers to accomplish this feat, along with Carl Edwards, who did it three years later in 2005.

Busch had an "up and down" year in 2003.
He once again recorded four wins, including a season sweep at Bristol, making him the first driver to do that since Rusty Wallace accomplished the feat in 2000).
However, inconsistent results later in the season resulted in Busch falling out of the top ten in points; he finished in eleventh place with nine top fives and fourteen top tens.
although he collected over US$5,000,000 again that year.
Busch was also involved in a bit of NASCAR history during the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, held at Darlington on March 16 of that year.
In the closing laps of the race, Busch and Ricky Craven were engaged in a tight battle for the lead.
Both drivers battled loose race cars as well as each other to the finish.
Busch held the lead heading into the final corner but Craven managed to pull almost even exiting turn four.
With the finish line approaching both cars made contact and bumped each other repeatedly headed to the checkered flag.
When i
Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Busch was being promoted to the Winston Cup Series to replace Chad Little in Roush's No. 97 Ford for the 2001 season. Little ended up being released early, and Busch took over the No. 97 John Deere-sponsored Ford at Dover in September 2000. Busch ran seven of the final eight races (Little drove at Talladega) with crew chief Jeff Hammond. Busch's best finish was a 13th-place finish at Charlotte.
Busch took over the No. 97 full-time in 2001, and ran for Rookie of the Year honors. After John Deere left the team, the No. 97 began the 2001 season unsponsored. After the team signed Rubbermaid to a multi-year contract later in the spring, Busch scored three Top 5’s and six Top 10’s that year. He and Dale Earnhardt made contact in the 2001 Daytona 500 on lap 85. Earnhardt promptly flipped Busch the bird at 185 mph or as described by lap-by-lap commentator Mike Joy in the Fox Sports booth, he simply was telling him "Kurt, you're number one." To this day, Busch recalls this as the only time he encountered Earnhardt on the track (it was also the last time he and Earnhardt competed in the same race as a result of Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap). Busch finished 27th in the point standings and runner-up for the Rookie of the Year honor's, and earned more than $2 million in winnings. Busch's best finish was third at the spring Talladega race, which was three weeks after scoring his first career Top 5 finish at Texas (fourth), and he added a fifth-place in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. He also won the pole for the Southern 500 at Darlington, where he led 74 laps before a late-race brush with the wall took him to the garage. A month later, he led 38 laps at Martinsville before contact with Ricky Rudd cut his left-rear tire; heavy traffic behind him made matters worse, as Busch had to complete a lap and a half before he could get to the pits. During the delay, the tire carcass wrapped itself around the axle, costing him several laps. Overheating problems halted a strong performance at Rockingham in October, where he led 45 laps. Busch then failed to qualify at Atlanta in November. 
The 2002 season was Busch's breakout year in the Winston Cup Series. He won his first victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol, after battling hard with rival Jimmy Spencer on worn tires. Busch added a second win at Martinsville in October and then won at Atlanta the next week and in the season finale at Homestead. This gave Busch four wins, 12 Top 5’s, 20 Top 10’s, and one pole, all of which would allow him to finish third in the final standings for the year. He finished the season particularly strong, winning three of the final five races and finishing third and sixth and leading many laps in the next two. As well as his finish in the point standings, he also collected $5,105,394. The 2002 season saw Kurt Busch become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the most races in his first-ever winning season with four. He is one of only two drivers to accomplish this feat, along with Carl Edwards, who did it three years later in 2005.
Busch had an "up and down" year in 2003. He once again recorded four wins, including a season sweep at Bristol, making him the first driver to do that since Rusty Wallace accomplished the feat in 2000). However, inconsistent results later in the season resulted in Busch falling out of the top ten in points; he finished in eleventh place with nine top fives and fourteen top tens. although he collected over US$5,000,000 again that year. Busch was also involved in a bit of NASCAR history during the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, held at Darlington on March 16 of that year. In the closing laps of the race, Busch and Ricky Craven were engaged in a tight battle for the lead. Both drivers battled loose race cars as well as each other to the finish. Busch held the lead heading into the final corner but Craven managed to pull almost even exiting turn four. With the finish line approaching both cars made contact and bumped each other repeatedly headed to the checkered flag. When i
Kurt Busch