LAS VEGAS -- Kyle Busch knows people are watching him.

A series of incidents has led to questions about Busch's driving this season. He hopes to dispel the ill feelings about his aggressive driving with a win in today's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Busch was the fastest in Saturday's final practice session.

Busch's woes go back to Daytona, where he was cited by competitors for aggressive driving in the Budweiser Shootout. He and Tony Stewart had a run-in during the Daytona 500 that led to a talk between the drivers the following week at California.

Busch avoided any problems that weekend. However, he drew the ire of an entire nation in last weekend's Busch race in Mexico City when contact with hometown driver Michel Jourdain Jr. caused both to spin as they raced for the lead. Fans whistled and chastised Busch the rest of the race.

It's becoming harder for Busch to escape scrutiny.

"You do have a lot of eyes watching you,'' he said. "You have a lot of people recognizing any little thing that you do and if you do it right or if you do it wrong.

"Sometimes I get myself into trouble and cause my team a little bit of grief by wrecking cars, but other times we're able to come out with a win, so that's what they like about me. I'm always going after it.''

Busch says he's talked with his older brother, Kurt, about showing more patience on the track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said at California that for a rookie, Busch is "pretty wild."

"But most rookies are. I can't say I did any better when I was in his position, but he could turn it down a notch," Earnhardt added.

"You make mistakes, and he hasn't made any real big ones. But he just needs to realize that he's right on that brink of really ticking off somebody he doesn't want to tick off. I think he'll figure it out.''

Coming from the back

Ryan Newman blew an engine in Saturday's practice session and will have to start at the rear of the field.

Also starting at the rear will be Kenny Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield, who both crashed in practice. Mayfield was caught up in Wallace's incident.

Cup debut

Bill Lester is expected to announce at a Tuesday news conference that he'll attempt to make the Cup race next weekend at Atlanta in a Bill Davis Racing car.

If Lester makes the race, he would become the first African-American to compete in a Cup race since Willy T. Ribbs in 1986.

Pit stops

Kyle Busch was the fastest in Saturday's practice with a lap of 170.089 mph. He was followed by Matt Kenseth (169.646), Kurt Busch (168.988), Carl Edwards (168.845) and Jeff Burton (168.787). ... Six of the eight previous winners at Las Vegas started outside the top 10.