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I have been waiting for this for years. Since I returned to watching NASCAR circa 2005, I have been irritated by Kyle Busch, the younger brother of Kurt Busch. At the time, he was part of Hendrick Motorsports, and that made me cringe. The two worst teammates for my favorite, Jeff Gordon, have been Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Both are extremely self-serving and rationalize everything away. I watched Jeff help them and get the door slammed in his face over and over again.
Finally, Hendrick had an opportunity to expunge Busch from their presence. He landed at Joe Gibbs Racing where the religious Joe Gibbs has vowed to rein in the young driver, much as Roger Penske has done for the still vocal, but now more sensible, Kurt Busch.
The elder and arrogant Busch found himself in hot water after getting arrested and being rude, shall we say, to the Phoenix Police Department. His then car owner, Jack Roush, parked him. Between that and Penske's subtle guidance, and also with a nod to marriage, Kurt Busch has become much more likable. He's no saint and he's strongly vocal, not all in good ways, but his demeanor has changed significantly. He learned, and he's tried to teach Kyle, but the younger Busch is still leaning towards arrogance, even though he's now married as well.
Kyle Busch has claimed to be a different person now, but in the truck race Friday night, he and Ron Hornaday had a minor skirmish. Kyle totally blamed Hornaday. I was watching the incident as it happened. It was a 3-wide situation with Hornaday in the middle. He was a bit of a ping pong ball, and he was definitely loose when he and Kyle had contacted.
Here's the thing. Neither truck was all that damaged. A pit stop, and both could have gone on and finished well, perhaps even winning the race. However, with the yellow flag out, Kyle intentionally rammed Hornaday into the wall. Hornaday's truck bounced around in Kyle's, taking out both trucks.
NASCAR immediately parked Kyle's truck for the race and ordered him to the hauler after the race. They repeated that command for this morning and included the Gibbs' contingent. Then Mike Helton made the announcement: Kyle Busch would be parked for both the Nationwide race today and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.
Well, it's about time! Like I said, I've been watching Busch's one-sided antics for years. No one denies he's a great driver; his record shows that. However, he lacks maturity and sensitivity. In short, he's a jerk, and what happened in the race proves that he has not changed a bit.
NASCAR's "have at it, boys" policy has been beneficial, but this time, Kyle crossed the line so much that the governing body had to act, and they did. More penalties may follow, and more bad things may occur for the still-arrogant Kyle Busch. After all, I've always wondered why child-friendly M&M's would want to sponsor someone like Kyle.
Who knows? Maybe now, they won't!
Regardless, this feels like sweet justice, long overdue. It took years, but finally, NASCAR responded.
Have a nice weekend, Kyle, as you watch the races at home!
This really pops my cork. I was watching some of the NASCAR coverage today and heard Hermie Sadler, a C-rate driver in the sport, say that the media and fans were making too much of Kyle Busch's citation in Charlotte, North Carolina this past week. The man, who is one of the most successful racers in the past few years, was pulled over and cited for driving 128 mph in a 45 mph area. According to Sadler, Busch's apology and the good graces that allowed no one to be hurt in this incident should be enough. We should move on and discuss other things.
In my view, Sadler is crocked. Kyle Busch is a role model, whether or not he wants to be one. He is the spokesman for products like M&M's, and he was driving a vehicle that wasn't even his. Lexus apparently lent it to him, no doubt in hopes for some endorsement or favor.
The fact that no one was hurt was a blessing, not an excuse to let Busch off the hook. He could just as easily had hit and murdered someone from his overzealous attitude to see how the car would handle. And what about his wife, Samantha? I heard she was in the car as well. Doesn't she have any common sense either? Or is she just as crazy as he is?
Sadler is dead wrong. This needs to be talked about, and Kyle Busch needs to be made to feel as uncomfortable as possible. He needs to remember this. Maybe it could do him some good, but I doubt it.
Oddly, several years ago, his older brother, Kurt Busch, was just as arrogant as Kyle, and it was a run-in with law enforcement and being set down (as in not allowed to race) by his then team owner, Jack Roush, that finally put a dent in Kurt's honor. He had a wake up call. He got married, and he reformed. No, he's not Mr. Perfect. He still has rough edges, but that's okay: that's personality. Kurt lost the ego and attitude. Kyle still has it, and unfortunately, this incident probably won't do anything to change. He practiced today so obviously current team owner, Joe Gibbs, isn't going to take the Roush route, and Kyle probably will lawyer up and talk his way out of losing his NC license.
So, unless the media and fans continue to remind Kyle that while he may be a good driver on the track that he does not have license to risk our lives on the road. As for Sadler, he just proved that he's not a role model either. In fact, Denny Hamlin, also a Gibbs' driver, was also lent one of the vehicles. He admitted to going 10 mph over the speed limit, which probably means at least twice that. He, of course, also said it's no big deal.
Sad. Very sad. That's why so many are killed by irresponsible drivers.
I've just finished watching the results show for Dancing with the Stars. Bristol Palin was saved again. Look, there is no way that on her own she has that kind of fan base. This is all her mother, and I don't buy Bristol's innocent act that she has no clue what is going on. If she really thinks that way, she has one very huge ego.
Donny Osmond had one of the best organized 'vote for me' when he was on, and that came from 50 years of performing. Bristol had a baby while unwed. That's her claim to fame. This is all Sarah Palin's doing, and she's lying if she denies it.
That's my two cents on it. Bristol should have been gone at least 4 weeks ago.
On the NASCAR front, I was glad to see that Kyle Busch was fined for giving the finger to a NASCAR official. While I didn't buy his average apology after the race, his statement since then seemed more sincere.
I was also glad to see that the Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton fight didn't rank a comment, penalty wise. Have at it, boys!
I had a phone call from someone wanting to know if I wanted to invest in gold. Uh, sure. One problem: I need the money to invest with. That was my chuckle of the day.
That's it for this check in. Come back soon!
It's been an eventful couple of days. I was really surprised by the NASCAR Texas race on Sunday. It was full of surprises and excitement, only a lot of was off the track, like Kyle Busch giving the NASCAR officials the finger and Jeff Gordon pushing back Jeff Burton after crashing out.
On another topic, anyone watching Dr. Phil? I'm beginning to question the topics of the shows. I just feel like there's been a lot of 'drama' without resolution. It almost seems like it's becoming a soap opera.
Have a great day and I'll chat with you again soon!
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