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Kyle Busch lets cat out of Toyota bag

FONTANA, Calif. -- Don't go to a movie with Kyle Busch if he has seen it.

He's likely to tell you the surprise ending midway through the film. Not to be mean -- just by letting it slip.

It has been speculated for several weeks that Joe Gibbs Racing would trade its Chevrolets for Toyotas at the end of the season. Busch, who has signed to join Gibbs after this season, might have upstaged a news conference for next week when the Gibbs organization was expected to make a major announcement.

Drama that day might be minimal after Busch let the Toyotas out of the bag Friday morning at California Speedway before practice began for Sunday's Sharp Aquos 500 Nextel Cup.

Busch said he has been aware of Gibbs' pending move to Toyota since that team and others began recruiting him for next season.

Busch told a group of reporters before practice that "... when (Gibbs officials) finally made their decision, they went ahead and called us."

To remove confusion, he said the call informed him that "they were going with Toyota."

No one with Toyota, Chevrolet or Gibbs would comment on what Busch said.

He wasn't the only Busch grabbing attention Friday at the speedway, where temperatures hovered around 104 degrees.

Older brother Kurt won the pole for Sunday's Cup race later in the day with a best lap of 39.474 seconds and an average speed of 182.399 mph to edge Jimmie Johnson by one-thousandth of a second. The pole is his first of the year and second on the two-mile, D-shaped oval.

Kurt Busch, 12th in points, switched manufacturers when he left the Fords of Roush Racing for the Dodges at Penske Racing in 2006.

"When a team switches (manufacturers), that's a big step," he said. "When a team changes, that really mixes it up more than when a driver changes."

From Kyle Busch's comments, he apparently will be at the wheel of a Toyota when he joins Gibbs after this season. Busch became a free agent after Hendrick Motorsports released him so that team could sign Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 2008 and beyond.

"It's something that's going to take Joe Gibbs Racing a step forward and in the right direction," said Busch, who qualified fifth for the Cup race in the No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet. "(Gibbs has) a great repertoire for being able to produce winning race cars year in and year out and championship-contending teams, so I think that they're going to be just fine."

In 16 seasons, Gibbs' drivers have won 59 Cup races and three series championships -- one by former driver Bobby Labonte and two by Tony Stewart -- in General Motors Pontiacs or Chevrolets.

This year, Stewart has won three races and Denny Hamlin two for Gibbs, and they are second and third in the standings.

Kyle is noted for his ability to work on race cars, so his due diligence before the move to Toyota led him to ask technical questions of Gibbs' chief engine builder, Mark Kronquist.

"They brought Mark in because I had a bunch of questions about the motor stuff," said Busch, who qualified third to Hamlin for today's Camping World 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. "(Toyota's) got a lot of questions in that area. They've had not too many reliability issues, but a couple."

Adding proven teams such as those at Gibbs should provide Toyota with a boost next season. Engines will be the major difference between Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge next year when all races will utilize the Car of Tomorrow racecar standard, which provides a common body and chassis style.

This year is Toyota's first in the Cup series, and it has six top-10 finishes from the seven cars it has fielded through 23 races for Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull.

Dave Blaney, with Davis' team, is 33rd in standings -- best among Toyota drivers.

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