February 18, 2009
By Brian Watkins
Brian Watkins
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Well, the 2009 season is well under way and in many ways, it's not so different from the 2008 season that ended just 3 months ago.
One of the oddest things I noticed watching Speed Week this season was that most of the commercials that aired during the races were the same ones we saw last season. I guess the economy is what it is, and we shouldn't expect a whole new fleet of funny commercials right off the bat. I hope they don't wait too long though. The guy dumping Mikey's "Bristol Car" die cast on the table to be autographed was funny the first 200 times it aired... now it just begs to be replaced.
One of the biggest factors in NASCAR this year is the same issue that is affecting many Americans, the economy. The most interesting thing about how the economy has impacted NASCAR is that instead of weakening the sport, it has actually given it the opportunity to get back to it's roots.
Now I'm not saying that NASCAR will soon be shedding the pro-wrestling type image it has built for itself over the past few seasons, but it is getting better- and the improvements aren't of NASCAR's making. The improvements are the result of some serious restructuring in the teams.
As teams consolidated or simply closed up shop, the bottom fell out of the racing parts market. Teams unloading their equipment did so at fire sale prices. Racing suppliers cut their prices to remain competitive, and out of work crew members were suddenly available for a much smaller salary than in seasons prior. What resulted was nothing short of a racing revolution for the "little guys". A sport dominated by big money teams like Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing now finds itself with room for smaller teams again. While these new start-ups still are at a disadvantage when compared to the multi-million dollar teams, the fact that they are there and are competitive reflects the upside of the economic down-slide.
Speaking of picking up where we left off, Kyle Busch proved all Speed Week long that his domination of the track last season was no fluke. Winning one of the duels, finishing 2nd in the Campingworld Truck Series Opener and coming in 4th in the Nationwide Series race after a tough battle with former teammate Tony Stewart, Kyle was poised to be a serious contender for the Harley J. Earl trophy on Sunday.
Leading a race high 88 laps, Kyle unquestionably had the car to beat. He was driving hard and leading laps. While his aggressive driving style still moved him through the pack, it also seemed to have matured during the off season. When battling for first with Todd Bodine in the Camping World Truck Series race, Kyle settled for a safe #2 finish. Last season he would have been more likely to have pushed the limit, wrecking himself and Bodine and ending up finishing in the 20's.
Likewise in the Nationwide event, the younger of the Busch brothers pushed hard for a win against Stewart, but stopped short of risking a pile-up; instead finishing a respectable 4th as the pack crossed the start/finish line.
His seemingly cooler attitude makes it all the more ironic that Kyle's dominating performance was cut short Sunday by a driver whose aggressive moves on the track caused a 10 car melee that completely changed not only the dynamic of the race but also the balance of the "who done whut ta' who" argument in the ongoing feud between the Junior Nation and Kyle Busch fans.
What happened Sunday on lap 123 was an unfortunate incident that happens all to often. A driver pushes too hard and causes a big wreck. The sad thing about it is that Dale Junior has been around the track enough times to know better. He also has been around enough to know that battling another lapped car in the middle of the lead lap cars really makes no sense. But then again, the way Junior was performing on Sunday makes one wonder just what was going on with the 88 team.
On one pass through pit row he couldn't find his pit stall and had to come around again. Not too much later, he pitted outside his box, and even after being notified by the official, the team serviced the car without getting it in the stall, garnering a penalty that placed them a lap behind. He then went on to pull the bone-head move that sent Vickers flying into the lead pack.
The whole incident is an interesting study in how NASCAR fans pick their favorites. Dale Earnhardt, Jr's previous two seasons have been a disappointment to say the least, and if Sunday is any indication of the performance we can expect from NASCAR's golden boy, 2009 won't be one to write home about either- yet he is still the most popular driver in NASCAR.
On the other hand, you have Kyle Busch. The man doesn't see any difference between finishing 2nd and finishing 43rd. He pushes for a win and has more driving talent and intuition in his left pinkie than many racers will ever muster, and yet he's booed every chance the fans get. Even as he walked under the stands after he was wrecked through no fault of his own, he was jeered and mocked incesantly.
I understand that Junior is a nice guy, and that Kyle is rough around the edges and is far from personable from time to time. But seriously, what does that have to do with racing? One would think that a fan of racing would be a fan of someone who races- someone who strives to win and has the potential to do so. That is Kyle Busch. The hero worship that Junior continues to receive even as he fails to deliver season after season will baffle me forever.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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