May 14, 2007
By Chuck Abrams
Wow. Last week Kyle Busch was 'Number One' after dumping Dale Jr. in the waning laps at Richmond and this week he was number one at Darlington by passing everyone else and handing Toyota its fourth Sprint Cup victory of the season.
Wait a minute, did I say he passed people? Sure did. And so did Carl Edwards. Edwards started 36th on Saturday night, yet finished second. Matt Kenseth started 34th and he finished sixth.
But Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr. and others complained about how hard it was to pass anyone –- that track position was crucial since you could not pass.
So how is it that Busch, Edwards and Kenseth all were able to pass while Gordon and Earnhardt were not?
Good question and I wish I had an answer. I do have some thoughts on the subject and I will share those with you now.
Kyle Busch won just one race last year but had 20 top 10 finishes. And Kyle did nothing but complain about the new car…something that he does a lot this year as well. But this year Kyle has three wins and eight top 10 finishes in 11 races.
Is it the move to Toyota? Did Joe Gibbs sprinkle dome fairy dust on Rowdy Busch? Or is it the car?
Personally, I think it is a combination of desire, stubbornness, talent and seasoning mixed in with some Toyota horsepower and… the new car. Yes I said it, the NEW CAR. The new car, as hated as it is by the young man, suits his driving style better than the old car.
Point in case –- the Hendrick Motorsports powerhouse duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Last year they crushed the competition winning races in both styles of car. But something happened on the way to 2008 and I do not understand it. But neither Jimmie or Jeff seems comfortable in the new car. Yet, only Dale Jr. is running well and has been in position to win more than one race.
Gibbs Racing also seems to have great combination in Kyle and his crew chief. We all know what a great crew chief can do for a team and Kyle seems to have met his Chad Knaus. With NASCAR mandating the dreaded bump stops in the suspension set up, teams have struggled to find a consistent balance in the way the car drives and particularly how it drives through the corners. Kyle seems to be comfortable with the way the car pushes, bangs off the wall and still keeps going –- as much as he will dislike that idea. Even if not totally comfortable, he is at least more in control of the car than most anyone else. And his crew chief obviously has more of a feel for the bump stops than nearly anyone else.
And that someone else is Carl Edwards.
While others complain mightily, Smilin’ Carl just loves the new car and says they should all just shut up and drive. Point taken, Carl. But if you were winless and outside the top 10, I wonder how much smilin’ you would be doing. But I digress. Carl and his team have also seem to hit on the magic button that makes their new car do what they want as well. And maybe it suits HIS driving style as much as Kyle’s. If that is the case, then look out. We could be looking at a Carl and Kyle showdown come fall. Um, at least once Carl makes up his 200+ point deficit.
No wait. He doesn’t have to with the wonderful Chase format we have. All will be forgiven and that wonderful, meaningless points lead will vanish.
Let me know your thoughts on all this.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.
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