All bones, guts and a sprinkle of dry sense of humor is Kyle Busch. He’s the perfect blend of a lanky kid with a win-or-wreck attitude, increasing his stock in NASCAR. He’s the prototype of what the sport lacks, and certainly needs.
Busch is the next villain in the drama that is Sprint Cup, whether he likes it or not. His on-track antics have perturbed fans and other drivers, though it’s provided exciting racing, wins and a spot atop the points standings. The bad-boy tag has followed, which he isn’t quite comfortable with, well, yet.
“As far as being the most hated guy in NASCAR, I don’t think that’s necessarily fair,” Busch said, responding to a question during a conference call to promote next week’s race at Dover International Speedway. “I’m out there to do a job, and my job is to win races.”
Sound familiar? Long before Busch, Dale Earnhardt Sr. used the same approach and tested the boundaries and patience of other drivers while taking home seven championships. The Intimidator paraded around the circuit like he owned every track, often getting in other driver’s grills and bumpers. It’s something we are starting to see out of Busch. And it’s something the sport hasn’t seen in quite a while.
Tony Stewart was supposed to have taken the torch after Earnhardt’s untimely and unfortunate death in 2001. But Stewart eased out of that role as America fell in love with the man who climbed fences after wins. Go figure.
Busch, rather, is enjoying every moment of the limelight. His hard work, which he’s raced in the sport’s top three series, is resulting in success at every level. He’s donned himself as a triple threat at some tracks, like Dover, where he will race the Friday Craftsman Truck Series race, the Nationwide event on Saturday and Sunday’s Sprint Cup extravaganza.
Not many other drivers can pull the trio off, and Busch has been for years.
“You know, I’ve been pretty used to it going back and forth and switching between all three,” he said. “You just have to remember what your marks are in each different vehicle. You got to remember where you brake, you got to remember where you gas, you got to remember how much brake and everything. It’s just a matter of having a good memory I guess, which I don’t have a very good memory.”
Cute. But I’m sure he does.
Three weeks ago at Richmond, Busch knew exactly what he was getting into when he bumped into Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps of the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400. Earnhardt, who was in the lead, crashed and Busch finished second. Everything would’ve been peaceful if Earnhardt hadn’t won in more than 70 races and Junior didn’t take his ride at Hendrick Motorsports. But that is what continued Busch’s reckless attitude, and sparked media interest.
The blitzkrieg of questions hasn’t phased either Busch’s mentality or results. He comes from a pedigree that includes his Cup champion brother, Kurt, and being teammates with four-time Cup winner Jeff Gordon and two-time champ Jimmie Johnson. Championships have surrounded him. So, is he ready to take the next step?
“I’d say being able to be around champions in general anytime is obviously a great help,” Busch said. “For me to work with as many as I’ve worked with and to be associated with all of them that I’ve been with it’s definitely pretty cool. To learn some of the things that they’ve been able to teach me and tell me, on-track stuff more so than off-track stuff, but some off-track stuff, just knowing how busy you are when you’re a champion. I really just admire those guys when they are champions in the following years for how good they still run and how much stuff they have to do.”
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