August 26, 2008
By Allen Madding
Kyle Busch continues to lead the points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and continues to come off as a jerk to the bulk of the fans that follow the sport. Busch has spent the season in all three of NASCAR’s top three divisions – Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck spinning other drivers out of his way for wins and even wrecking other drivers for a third place finish.
So it seems ironic, when he is on the receiving end of a bump-and-run move where he was not wrecked or even spun, for him to throw a fit like a little third grade school girl.
The move Carl Edwards put on Busch in the closing laps of the Sharpie 500 at Bristol pales in comparison to any of the numerous blatant aggressive moves that Busch has employed over the 2008 season to bolster his self-created “Rowdy” Busch persona. Busch’s post race antics of running into the side of Edwards on the cool down lap came off as the tantrum of a poor sport and an overall loser, but then again as the late Dale Earnhardt once pointed out, second place is first loser.
Edwards came out of the post race altercation looking the bigger man by spinning Busch out after Busch ran into the side of his car twice.
The move left Busch looking like the drunk in the bar that picks a fight and gets knocked to the floor in one shot. Busch then appeared to be racing around the track to catch back up to Edwards for a little more fender bashing when NASCAR officials interrupted his pity party and ordered him to the NASCAR hauler for a review of his temper tantrum.
ESPN caught up with Busch as he exited the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota and inquired about his fit throwing. Busch quickly began to whine and cry about the bump and run and protesting about being driven so roughly. Is Busch so deranged that he thinks he can run over anyone at will, and it will not come back to visit him?
The whole situation comes off once again making him appear to be a whiny snot-nosed punk -- not a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship contender. If he is going to dish it out, he should not have issue taking it.
Carl Edwards comments on the situation in Victory Lane summed it up best, “I thought would he do it to me? And he has before” Yes, had the roles been reversed, Busch would have taken a cheap shot on the leader, but it certainly would not have been a simple bump-and-run like Edwards applied. Had the roles been reversed, Edwards’ car would have been bouncing off the SAFER Barrier.
J.D. Gibbs and Joe Gibbs need to sit Busch down, replay the incident, replay his post race sheetmetal bending tirade, replay his post race interview and say to him, “Do you realize how big of a jerk you looked like Saturday night?”
Take it like a man, Kyle. If you are going to live by the bumper, you will certainly get the opportunity to die by the bumper. In this sport, the way you treat your competition will come back to you like it did Saturday night at Bristol. And the fans will cheer to see you receive a little of your own medicine, like they did Saturday night at Bristol.
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