July 21, 2008
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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The chorus of boos that erupted when Kyle Busch wrecked Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Richmond seemed to be a sign of things to come, and its about time.
NASCAR fans needs a bad guy to cheer against as much as they cheer for their favorite driver. A good rivalry would only heighten interest in the stock car series that has been waning of late.
A tradition deeply engraved in the American experience from its earliest history, the struggle of the good guy against the bad guy has been a part of American culture.
A long running feud between two of its top drivers can only be good for NASCAR by increasing television ratings and drawing more fans to the tracks.
Controversy sells tickets.
However, the drivers would have it otherwise.
“If I start trying to outrun him and beat him in every practice just to prove a point, I'm going to start wadding up race cars," Earnhardt said in an interview with ESPN columnist David Newton. "He's fast. He's an amazing race car driver with a lot of talent.”
Kyle Busch appeared to have no remorse about wrecking the fan favorite, who at the time had been in the midst of 71 race winless streak.
“I pretty much told them; ‘Grow up, that’s racing,’” Busch said in a Terry Blunt article for ESPN.com. “We’re racing hard and I feel like there’s a lot more worse cases in this world than someone getting spun out in a race.”
The famous Earnhardt – Gordon feud, which was supposed to have been carried on from father to son, lost some of its fervor recently when Earnhardt signed with car owner Rick Hendrick and became Gordon’s teammate. For years, he has struggled to establish his own identity separate from that of his father.
A rivalry against Kyle Busch, and not Jeff Gordon, would only serve to enhance Earnhardt's identity.
"It's good to have rivalries," Earnhardt was quoted as saying in an article by Lee Spencer. "If he's going to be the guy to beat every week — and I think he is right now — then everyone is going to be watching his lap times and watching how fast he runs. When you're doing good, there's a bit of a bull's-eye on you. I think he knows that."
With a driving style similar to the late Dale Earnhardt’s, Busch has fans and critics alike asking if he is the next Intimidator, a question Earnhardt heartily disagrees with. While acknowledging some similarities between the two on the track, he denies anything similar about their personalities.
"Give me a break," Earnhart told Newton in the interview. "You know my dad better than that. Give my dad a little more credit."
It is true, of course, that early in Earnhardt’s career, like Busch today, the fans either loved him or hated him.
Similarly, quite a few cheers were mixed in with the chorus of boos, after Busch won the LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Moreover, Busch has the attitude and arrogance that people love to hate. His bowing to the crowd after each victory and his 13 total wins this season across NASCAR’s top three series only serve to add fuel to the fire. Not to mention the fact that Kyle Busch was selected as First Quarter Driver of the Year for 2008, besting Danica Patrick and Ashley Force.
“To be honest, I don’t know what to say,” Busch told Blunt. “This is completely unexpected. We’ve been going out and driving as hard as we can every week and really having a lot of fun doing it. But to also get this kind of recognition is pretty special.”
So, is Kyle Busch the next Intimidator? Only time will tell. Is he as good as the results he has posted this year?
Or does Toyota have a “competitive advantage,” according to reports their engines make as much as 22 more horsepower than the other manufacturers?
You be the judge.
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.
You can contact Matthew Pizzolato at ..
