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Appreciate Kyle Busch

Feb. 21 — Someday the masses that rain down boos on Kyle Busch will get it. As time passes and helps bring historical perspective on the here and now, the light bulb will click on and they’ll come to genuinely appreciate their opportunity to witness the pure skill and driving talent he embraces.

    Will there be a time that race fans cheer the driver of the M&M’s Toyota? [Russ Lake Photo]


What we all witnessed Saturday night at the Daytona International Speedway in the Budweiser Shootout was nothing short of spectacular. It was an almost unbelievable display of seat-of-the-pants car control ability and unbridled determination as twice Busch wheeled his way out of certain disaster and then used an old-school slingshot pass to win the event in a photo finish over Tony Stewart, who’s no slouch in his own right when it comes to charging toward a checkered flag.

Much like the naysayers who used to loudly cheer against Dale Earnhardt Sr. now universally respect his accomplishments, Busch’s detractors will one day come to realize how much they really admire the guy they so passionately love to jeer. In fact, his performance Saturday night invoked memories and comparisons to both Earnhardt and Tim Richmond, two guys at the top of just about everyone’s list when it comes to discussing the most talented drivers ever.

Busch reminds me a little of both of those guys, as he controls the car with Richmond’s finesse and cockiness combined with Earnhardt’s refuse to lose attitude. Busch’s drive Saturday night was legendary and ranks right up there with Earnhardt’s “Pass in the Grass” at Charlotte and the time Richmond used seven lanes and hit 240 mph in his ’86 Monte Carlo Cup car to beat Al Holbert’s sleek Porsche 962 to make the cover of Road & Track magazine (January 1987). Watching Busch charge his beat up car through the pack in the final three laps brought back memories of Earnhardt slicing his way to the front from 18th during his final victory in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega. It has been said Richmond raced with a motto of “just get me even and I’ll do the rest,” which pretty much accurately describes the perception Busch shows on the racetrack.

Much like it can be argued Richmond’s downfall was his penchant for fun and Earnhardt’s maybe was his stubbornness, Busch’s tragic flaw could quite possibly and ironically be his determination. The very same target-lock mentality that carries him to the wins also gets him in trouble when he feels he has been wronged. It’s reared its ugly head at Texas the last two years in the forms of a pit road meltdown in 2010 and last year’s truck wreck with Ron Hornaday under caution. If he could somehow find a way to hold that in check and prevent it from erupting out of control, he could very well be nearly unbeatable.

While its incidents such as those that feed the negative noises directed at Busch from the grandstands, I think it’s important not to overlook the historical impact he is having on NASCAR as a whole. Just like Richmond and Earnhardt before him, drivers like Kyle Busch don’t come around every day and while fans are free to voice their displeasures as they please, I would suggest they retain some amount of respect and appreciation for the history that’s unfolding before them.

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