BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) – Kurt Busch loves Bristol Motor Speedway.

And why not? He’s won two straight NASCAR Nextel Cup races and three of the last four on the oval – nearly half of his career total of eight victories.

“It’s a fun place to race and you have to come here with a different mindset, more so than any other race track,” Busch said. “It’s just a matter of trying to keep the fenders and the doors on.”

A victory on Sunday in the Food City 500 would put Busch in select company. Only three other drivers have won as many as three in a row on the treacherous Bristol half-mile.

Three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip won seven straight from 1981-84, Cale Yarborough, another three-time series champ, took four in a row in 1976-77 and Fred Lorenzen won three straight in 1963-64.

“Those are big names and I’m real honored to be in that group,” Busch said. “There are a lot of names that have driven at Bristol and to win here is one thing, but to be able to win repeatedly requires a full team effort.

“It takes that knowledge on what to do on pit road or what to do inside the race car. Maybe we can do it again and maybe we can’t, but it’s just a matter of having everything go your way and having a little Lady Luck on your side.”

Busch says Bristol is a place where everything happens fast, with lap speeds about 125 mph.

“You have to know what your car is doing at the beginning of a run and at the end of a run and what adjustments to make,” Busch said. “But I think the biggest thing is to not get in a hurry.”

Elliott Sadler has his only NASCAR win at Bristol. He loves the track, too.

Busch, who drives a Ford for Roush Racing, is off to a good start in 2004. He has three top 10 finishes in five starts, including a season-best sixth last Sunday in Darlington.

He is fourth in the points, trailing teammate Matt Kenseth, the defending series champion and current leader, by only 56 points.

Goodyear is bringing softer tires to most of the tracks this year at the request of NASCAR, which is hoping to eliminate two-tire and no-tire stops and fuel economy strategies.

Busch says crew chief Jimmy Fennig’s decisions have played a big part in the quick start.

“Jimmy Fennig steps up each week and tells us what we’re going to do with our set-up,” Busch said. “It makes it a little big tougher to drive, but I’ve got to adjust to it.”

The new tires could make winning Sunday even more difficult.

“With this new tire, we’re going to be on pit road that much more often, so we’ll have to see how that shakes out,” Busch said.