Formed in 1982, the NASCAR Busch Series grew out of a need to consolidate a host of regional late-model stock car racing series into a national division. Although fans tend to view the series as the final step for aspiring drivers to prove themselves before embarking on a career in Nextel Cup racing, the series has differentiated itself in recent years from its more celebrity-laden big brother with its young stars and unpredictable competition. Now the No. 2 motorsports series in the U.S., the NBS has established its own identity and developed its own stars, many who have chosen to spend their entire careers in the division due to the competitive nature of the series.

In 2007 the NBS heads north of the border to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This isn’t the first time the NBS has competed outside the U.S. borders with the ’05 addition of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which was NASCAR’s first venture south of the border.

The NBS cars are based on the same American made steel-bodied passenger production sedans that race in NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, but there is one fundamental difference—wheelbase. Adding to the stability of a Busch car on the race track, the wheelbase measures 105" whereas its Nextel Cup counterpart is built to a wheelbase of 110".

A significant difference in the rules between the NBS and the Nextel Cup series involves tires. NBS teams are allotted five sets of tires for practice, qualifying and the race. NBS crew chiefs are challenged with not only deciding when to make the call to pit for tires, but also keeping the car dialed in to the track with a host of chassis adjustments.

The all-time winningest driver in series’ history, Mark Martin, first in a Ford Taurus and then the Fusion.