Michael Barrett, a catcher for the Cubs, steps through the netting into the batting cage. Pitcher Ryan Dempster sets a ball on a tee for the new guy wearing No. 97, a classic beanpole. There's no name on the jersey, so Barrett has no idea who the newbie is.

Until he sees the player's face.

"Holy s--!" Barrett says. "What are you doing here?"

The batter smiles. Yes, he is Kurt Busch, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, and what he's doing here is enjoying the spoils of his title, spending the day hanging out at the Cubs' spring training facility in Mesa, Ariz.

Busch has been a Cubs fan his whole life. Growing up in Las Vegas, he didn't have a local big-league sports team to call his own, so he picked the Cubs because his parents lived in Chicago shortly before he was born.

He has more than embraced his adopted team. In 2003, Busch flew on a private jet to catch some playoff action; ultimately, his Cubs lost Game 7 of the NLCS. "It's a good thing they didn't make it to the World Series," he says, "because I probably would've missed a race."

Busch arrives at HoHoKam Park at midmorning and finds the Cubs are more than expecting him; they are prepared for him. The equipment manager is a racing fan, which explains the 97--his car number--on his jersey.

While changing into the uniform, Busch first hears what he will hear over and over--one of the team's coaches wants to thank him. It's like a bad joke. At least a half-dozen Cubs players, coaches and officials tell Busch the coach had money on him in this year's California race and his third-place finish paid dividends.

Busch and Dempster play catch along the first base line, then walk past the right field wall, toward a batting cage. Along the way, some players recognize Busch, some don't. Manager Dusty Baker breaks into a wide grin when Busch approaches. The two have met previously and greet each other like old friends before Busch takes batting practice.

After taking a couple of respectable cuts in the cage, Busch heads back toward the main field but gets starry-eyed when he spots former Cub Ryne Sandberg, his all-time favorite player. As he hustles over to greet Sandberg, Busch says his bio in the NASCAR media guide lists someone else (Andre Dawson) as his favorite. "I've got to get that changed," he says.