Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly At Darlington
Written by Rocky Kitts · May 11, 2008
Tonight’s race at Darlington was a great way to get to know Kyle Busch .
If someone who had only a cursory knowledge of NASCAR and it’s drivers, tuned in to the race Saturday night, they would have had the privilege of seeing every facet of Kyle Busch’s racing persona.
The Good: Busch flat-out owned the redecorated Darlington track, coming back from a pit row penalty that put him a lap down, to dominate the race, beating Carl Edwards by over three seconds, for his third Sprint Cup victory of the year. The victory was an impressive feat, considering that it seemed as if Busch was rubbing the wall every-time he came through a turn, and that he had brakes that looked like they were hotter than the inside of your average Hot Pocket. Also, Busch apparently didn’t have that good of a car, and in victory, he showed the driving skill that makes him one of the most impressive racers on the track, and a real threat to win every race. Busch led 169 of the total 367 laps, and he made the “Lady in Black” his and his alone.
The Bad: Busch’s constant whining about his car, had the announcing crew all over him. Busch went on and on and on about his brakes, long after he had established with his team and everyone else in the free world listening to a scanner, that there was an issue with his brakes. Then after Busch called his car “pathetic”, DW questioned the effect that statements like that, where Busch essentially threw his team under his wheels, would have on the chemistry of his pit crew and team. Also, Busch didn’t show much of a willingness to listen to the advice of his crew chief, and burned up the track as fast as he could, despite pleas to take better care of his car and to manage the final laps. Busch’s risky driving didn’t hurt him this time, but it could come back to injury him in a future race. Jeff Gordon said this about Kyle’s driving, “I can’t tell you how many times he tried to give the race away by slamming into the wall, his right side was destroyed,” Gordon said (Fox Sports).
The Ugly: He did it again, and the track wasn’t even warm. Just one week after his controversial wrecking of Dale Earnhardt Jr; Busch took first place from Greg Biffle on lap 125 by getting him loose and almost crashing him. Biffle did a great job of keeping control of the car, and gave a good run at first place, before mechanical problems forced him out of the race. Whether Kyle was in the wrong here isn’t the issue; the issue is that he was risking crashing another driver for first place with over 200 laps left to go in the race. Biffle’s team was hot, and tried to assure him that Busch wouldn’t be there at the end of the race if he kept racing like the devil himself was on his bumper. Unfortunately, I don’t see a future in fortune-telling for Biffle’s team, because once Biffle was out of the race, there was no one to seriously contend against Kyle, and he wasn’t just there for the final laps; he dominated them.
Synopsis: This was the kind of race that will define Kyle Busch for a long time. I’m sure he gained a few fans tonight with the wide-open style of racing that he used to win. I’m also sure that anyone who didn’t like Busch coming into Darlington, came away from the race with a taste in their mouth that only comes from seeing someone that you despise succeed.
Maybe Kyle Busch can be the villain that many fans think that racing needs. Maybe he can be the guy that fans love to hate. If that happens though; don’t be surprised if in a year or two Busch is the second most popular racer in NASCAR. America, and NASCAR in particular, love their anti-heroes, and there’s something about cheering for the bad guy that just seems to strike the right chord with racing fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Kyle Busch:
Say hello to the bad guy.
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