Kyle Busch to replace Labonte.

Kyle Busch will contend for the 2005 Nextel Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year Championship in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as the younger brother of current Nextel Cup points leader Kurt Busch steps into Terry Labonte's shoes.

Although he will still be a teenager when he makes his first full-time Nextel Cup start in the 2005 Daytona 500, Busch, like his elder brother, finds himself in one of the most coveted Nextel Cup seats of all with one of the series' premier organisations.

"The fact that I have this opportunity is amazing," says Busch, who in his rookie NASCAR Busch season is battling for the title with Martin Truex Jr. "I'll never be able to fill the shoes of Terry Labonte, but I'm proud to follow in his footsteps. He's an icon in our sport and a great role model for young drivers like myself."

As the youngest full-time competitor in any of NASCAR's top three divisions, the Las Vegas native has claimed four pole positions, five victories, 12 top-five finishes and 18 top-10 results through 28 of 34 races in his first full season with the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Busch Series team.

Busch will attempt to make his fifth career Nextel Cup start this weekend at the Lowe's Motor Speedway for the #84 Hendrick CarQuest team. Although he has failed to qualify on several occasions and has made several rookie mistakes, he showed his promise in the Labor Day weekend event at the California Speedway, where he finished on the lead lap in 24th position.