NASCAR Needs A Guy Like Busch
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
His visit to Toyota of Warsaw Wednesday evening, where he and fellow driver Michael Waltrip signed autographs for hundreds of fans, was a victory for each and every person that stood in the rain to get close to the racing superstar.[[In-content Ad]]While Busch, a 24-year-old from Las Vegas who speaks his mind and doesn't show remorse doing it, isn't the most popular driver on the circuit - that role belongs to Dale Earnhardt Jr. - there are few drivers that are more talented.
As a friend of mine likes to say, "Kyle Busch is the best driver not named Juan (Montoya) or Tony (Stewart)."
There was no Sprint Cup Series race last weekend, but Busch did win his sixth Nationwide Series race of the season, taking the checkered flag at Gateway International Raceway.
Busch is currently first in the Nationwide Series points standings, while he has won three Sprint Cup races this season and is 10th in points in that series.
Only Mark Martin, with four victories, has won more Sprint Cup races this season.
While Busch is ultra-talented and wins a lot of races, fans love to boo him during driver introductions.
I went to races at Texas and Talladega this season, and during pre-race introductions, two drivers' names drew more crowd reaction than any - Busch and Earnhardt Jr.
And for different reasons, I might add.
Like a good comic book, NASCAR has always had good guys and villians, and Busch is without a doubt stock car racing's newest bad boy.
And I think it's great for the sport.
That's right, I said it, I think Busch is great for NASCAR.
Let me also say this, I'm a proud member of Junior Nation. I've got plenty of Earnhardt Jr. merchandise. I've been to Mooresville, N.C. and toured what used to be known as Dale Earnhardt Inc.
And even though Busch has made plenty of remarks about my favorite driver in the media, basically saying Junior isn't as good as his millions of fans think he is, I can't force myself to hate Busch.
What hurts the most is that I don't think Busch is that far off.
In the last season and a half, Busch has won 11 Sprint Cup races. Earnhardt Jr. has one victory in that time and is 21st in points.
And it isn't like Busch's equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing is so superior to Earnhardt Jr.'s Hendrick Motorsports stuff.
I mean, Gordon is a four-time series champion in his No. 24 Hendrick ride. Jimmie Johnson has won the past three championships in his No. 48 Hendrick Chevy. Martin is the winningest driver on the tour this season, and didn't he retire like four years ago or something?
So go ahead, keep booing Busch.
And when you think the way Busch acts sometimes is bad for the sport, let's keep it in perspective.
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick served a 23-month jail term for funding a dog-fighting ring. And he was the face of the NFL.
Manny Ramirez, everybody's favorite L.A. Dodger, is just coming off a 50-game suspension for a failed drug test.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbeger is now being accused of rape.
And there's NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield's drug suspension.
These athletes, in my opinion, cause a black cloud to hover over their respective sport.
But Busch, he's not really all that bad afterall.
His visit to Toyota of Warsaw Wednesday evening, where he and fellow driver Michael Waltrip signed autographs for hundreds of fans, was a victory for each and every person that stood in the rain to get close to the racing superstar.[[In-content Ad]]While Busch, a 24-year-old from Las Vegas who speaks his mind and doesn't show remorse doing it, isn't the most popular driver on the circuit - that role belongs to Dale Earnhardt Jr. - there are few drivers that are more talented.
As a friend of mine likes to say, "Kyle Busch is the best driver not named Juan (Montoya) or Tony (Stewart)."
There was no Sprint Cup Series race last weekend, but Busch did win his sixth Nationwide Series race of the season, taking the checkered flag at Gateway International Raceway.
Busch is currently first in the Nationwide Series points standings, while he has won three Sprint Cup races this season and is 10th in points in that series.
Only Mark Martin, with four victories, has won more Sprint Cup races this season.
While Busch is ultra-talented and wins a lot of races, fans love to boo him during driver introductions.
I went to races at Texas and Talladega this season, and during pre-race introductions, two drivers' names drew more crowd reaction than any - Busch and Earnhardt Jr.
And for different reasons, I might add.
Like a good comic book, NASCAR has always had good guys and villians, and Busch is without a doubt stock car racing's newest bad boy.
And I think it's great for the sport.
That's right, I said it, I think Busch is great for NASCAR.
Let me also say this, I'm a proud member of Junior Nation. I've got plenty of Earnhardt Jr. merchandise. I've been to Mooresville, N.C. and toured what used to be known as Dale Earnhardt Inc.
And even though Busch has made plenty of remarks about my favorite driver in the media, basically saying Junior isn't as good as his millions of fans think he is, I can't force myself to hate Busch.
What hurts the most is that I don't think Busch is that far off.
In the last season and a half, Busch has won 11 Sprint Cup races. Earnhardt Jr. has one victory in that time and is 21st in points.
And it isn't like Busch's equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing is so superior to Earnhardt Jr.'s Hendrick Motorsports stuff.
I mean, Gordon is a four-time series champion in his No. 24 Hendrick ride. Jimmie Johnson has won the past three championships in his No. 48 Hendrick Chevy. Martin is the winningest driver on the tour this season, and didn't he retire like four years ago or something?
So go ahead, keep booing Busch.
And when you think the way Busch acts sometimes is bad for the sport, let's keep it in perspective.
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick served a 23-month jail term for funding a dog-fighting ring. And he was the face of the NFL.
Manny Ramirez, everybody's favorite L.A. Dodger, is just coming off a 50-game suspension for a failed drug test.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbeger is now being accused of rape.
And there's NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield's drug suspension.
These athletes, in my opinion, cause a black cloud to hover over their respective sport.
But Busch, he's not really all that bad afterall.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092