Busch has ties to Chicago area

Aside from being a huge Cubs fan, Kurt Busch feels a special attachment to the Chicago area.

He said that while he was raised in Las Vegas, most of his extended family lived in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Busch's family, including younger brother and fellow driver Kyle, made many trips to the Midwest during his childhood.

"Kyle and I were the only ones born and raised out in Las Vegas, so the Chicago area - the Northwest suburbs like Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights - that's the area I remember coming to for a visit seeing grandpa, aunts and uncles," Busch said. "So this area in general I've grown fond of over the years, especially with the Chicago Cubs."

On Sunday Busch will throw out the first pitch at the afternoon Cubs game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll also sing during the seventh-inning stretch, prompting the reminder of Jeff Gordon's infamous 2005 rendition when he referred to "Wrigley Stadium."

"I don't think he's getting the invite any time soon," Busch laughed.

Busch sang without incident in 2004, so he said he'll just play it by ear.

"About three Miller Lites and I should be ready to go," he said.

Miller Lite, of course, is Busch's primary Sprint Cup sponsor.

Gordon's side: NASCAR week at Chicagoland Speedway wouldn't be complete without someone reminding Jeff Gordon of his flubbed version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at that 2005 Cubs game.

He'd love a shot at redemption.

"It wasn't even the singing, it's the fact I called it Wrigley Stadium," he said with a laugh. "We want to clear our name around the Chicago area, so I'd like to come here and do a nice sweep of the race and maybe one day get the opportunity to go back and do the seventh-inning stretch song. I've become a bigger baseball fan because of that because I feel like I need to grow my knowledge in case I ever do that again."

Wish comes true: Matt Kenseth had one request for his pregnant wife, Katie, as her due date approached: Don't give birth on race weekend.

"I told her I would make it worth her while if she did that on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, so now I just have to make good on my promise," he said.

Katie Kenseth gave birth on Monday to a daughter, Kaylin Nicola. It's the couple's second child.

Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wis., will have plenty of friends and family on hand this weekend to celebrate the arrival of the new member of the family. He's also hoping to celebrate his first victory at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I always love coming up here," he said. "It's a really cool racetrack and it's a part of the country that I'm pretty familiar with, growing up a few hours north of here. So it's fun to come down here. I always see a lot of family and friends and guys I used to race against."

The veteran: It's been three years since Juan Pablo Montoya made the switch from open-wheel racing to NASCAR, a switch that was announced at Chicagoland Speedway.

"Time really flies," he said. "It's actually surprising that three years ago I flew up here and did the press conference and it was the first time looking at the cars and everything."

Montoya sits in 11th place in the point standings. While he's in solid position in the Race to the Chase, fewer than 100 points separate Montoya from being outside the crucial top 12.

"Things are getting better," he said. "We're getting more competitive and right now where we are in points is all about surviving and bringing the car home every week and see what happens."

Giving back: The NASCAR Foundation announced a partnership with the American Red Cross for its fourth annual blood drive on Sept. 11.

"Last year the blood drive, through this partnership, collected 4,261 pints of blood that was vital to people in need," said NASCAR President Mike Helton.

Driver Greg Biffle, a blood donor, will appear in an advertising campaign promoting the event that will take place at tracks and corporate offices across the country.

"The drive provides fans with the opportunity to become heroes in their community by giving the gift of life through blood donations.," Biffle said.