En route to winning the Nextel Cup’s Rookie of the Year award last season, Kyle Busch took advantage of a weekend off to run in the Oxford TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

He started 28th, maneuvered brilliantly to take the lead on lap 77 and led 61 laps until a mistake during a lap-190 pit stop led to a loose lugnut and relegated him to a sixth-place finish.

Busch, who is currently 10th in points in the Nextel Cup standings and seventh in the Busch standings, announced Thursday he will return to run this year’s Oxford TD Banknorth 250 on Sunday, July 30.

He will join fellow Nextel Cup drivers Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley along with former Nextel Cup driver Ricky Craven atop the list of entrants. Craven and Busch are two of just 15 drivers who have won races at the Nextel Cup, Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Truck levels.

“I had a great time last year. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed racing with guys like Mike and Ben Rowe and Johnny and Cassius Clark,” said Busch Thursday.

Busch drove an SP2 (Stephen Perry, Scott Pullen) Chevy Monte Carlo and had race winner Mike Rowe of Turner as his teammate.

“I really enjoyed spending time with Mike and the people at SP2 Motorsports. [Track owner] Bill Ryan was very hospitable and the fans were very receptive,” said Busch, who was the 2004 Busch Series Rookie of the Year. “It will be great to see all the guys again.”

Busch said he will be driving the same car he drove last year and expects to test the car at OPS a few weeks before the race. He won’t be able to practice on the Friday or Saturday leading up to the race because he won’t arrive for the Oxford 250 until race day.

“I’ll get used to the track and the tires during testing and I’ll see what the car wants and needs. We’ll shake it down,” said Busch, who turned 21 on May 2.

Busch is a late bloomer.

He didn’t start racing until he climbed into a Legends series car at age 13.

But he has certainly made up for lost time.

In winning the 2004 Busch series Rookie of the Year Award, he finished second in points thanks to five wins and 16 top-fives in 34 races. Last year, in annexing the Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year Award, he was 20th in points with two victories and nine top-fives in 36 races.

Busch has the reputation as a hands-on driver who likes to be involved in all aspects of the race setup.

“There is always a faster way to do something,” said Busch. “I used to build and repair my own race cars when I was growing up. I’ve always liked to learn about race cars and I’ve done what I could to understand them a little bit better. Being hands-on makes it easier to learn.”

He credits his father, Tom, older brother and fellow Nextel Cup racer Kurt Busch, the 2004 Nextel Cup points champion, and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates for playing important roles in his development.

Ryan is elated to have Busch back this year.

“He was so competitive last year. He ran such a good race. He did a great job,” said Ryan. “It’s going to be a really fun race with a lot of different components.”

Mike Rowe off to good start

Turner’s Mike Rowe had a memorable 2005 season.

In addition to winning his third Oxford TD Banknorth 250, he also won five races on the Pro All-Stars Series tour and finished second in points.

“It was an awesome year. It’s going to be hard to match that, for sure,” said the 55-year-old Rowe.

But Rowe has gotten off to a strong start this season.

He has a win and a third-place finish in the first-year PASS South tour and is leading the points.

Both races were held in North Carolina.

“It’s a lot of fun running down there,” said Rowe. “You’re racing with the best, Fred Query, Clay Rogers and guys like that. It’s fun going to a track you’ve never been to and racing against guys like that. Hopefully, we can keep the ball rolling.”

He is fourth in the PASS North tour with finishes of 11th, sixth and fifth.

“We’re still struggling a little bit [up north] and we’ve got to try to turn things around. We’ve got to get going,” said Rowe, who has three race cars.

He has the same crew chief in Seth Holbrook and the same crew but he has added one valuable member: Brian Burgess.

Burgess used to be the crew chief for Rowe’s son, Ben, who has won three PASS points championships.

“Brian is a real asset,” said Rowe.

Mike Rowe isn’t exactly sure how many races they will run this year between the PASS North and South tours.

“We’re just going race by race,” said Rowe.

One thing is sure, Rowe isn’t slowing down at all.

“I love racing. I love winning. That’s what we go for,” said Rowe.