I've never really liked Kurt Busch. I thought he was pompous, tried to use terms which he didn't know the meaning of, and generally was a driver with a big mouth and minor talent. I've since revised my opinion of him somewhat, but when little brother Kyle arrived on the scene, I imagined he was getting attention due to big brother Kurt's success.
Then Nascar instituted a rule preventing drivers under 18 from running in the major series, so I figured it was because some owner or sponsor wanted to make a big splash with Shrub. You know, the biggest racing brothers since the LaBontes or Allisons? At the time, Kyle had signed with Hendrick and was only 16, and trying to race in the Truck series.
Kyle still races for the biggest powerhouse in Nascar - Hendrick Motorsports. Surely his success was due to the equipment he was running and the team he was working with.
Wrong. Wrong. And Wrong. Kyle Busch arguably has more talent that big brother Kurt. And he's proven wise in avoiding some of the problems Kurt encountered (but not all of them).
Like Kurt, Kyle has a big mouth. After the first COT race, Kyle had harsh words for how the car drove. "I'm still not a big fan of these [cars]. I can't stand to drive them. They suck." And he'd won the race. "Winning Ugly" was what he called it.
It wasn't the first or the last time he'd bit the hand that fed him.
Lately, he's been firing shots at any and everything that he doesn't like. Such as soon-to-be-former teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears. Shrub claims they didn't help him at Daytona. In case you've lost count, that's 5 Cup championships and one racing legend's nephew he's messing with. Anyone who saw the race knows Kyle's car was dominent. And anyone who watches restrictor plate races knows that the last corner is crucial to the win, and it just didn't happen for Busch.
Kyle also took a couple shots at Rick Hendrick when Dale Earnhardt Jr announced he's moving into Kyle's seat, garage, and team. Kyle commented that "this {wa}s all brand new" to him. He later offered up his then agent as a sacrifice (probably to save his seat at Hendrick), claiming his agent didn't tell him what had been going on with negotiations.
At the awards banquet late last year, Kyle flubbed up his speech by mentioning his girlfriend "Eva." Unfortunately, his girlfriend is "Erica" and "Eva" is his sister-in-law. None of the remaining drivers let him forget it, with Rick Hendrick telling him that he wasn't going to be able to help him out with that comment! Kyle (and Erica) laughed it off, taking the ribbing in good humor.
His outspokenness may be uncouth, a la Tony Stewart, but it doesn't leave any doubt as to how he feels about things.
Add to the mix his contentous relationship with his team after he left the Texas race while they were feverishly working to put the car back in the race. Junior stepped in and drove the car for Busch, who had left the track. Busch repented, a little, but is still complaining about his car, the strategy that cost him the Busch race on Saturday, and teamwork at Hendrick.
Busch has begrudgingly pondered the scathing assessment of competitors. Tony Stewart compared him to a dart without feathers. Jeff Gordon remarked that he had a lot of learn. Kyle took the comments to heart, and although he hasn't stepped off the gas, even when the car is wickedly loose, he has learned how to avoid running over his competitors.
Earlier this year, he had duels with Jeff Burton in the Busch series. Burton complimented Busch on his clean driving, applauding the fact that Busch didn't bump him out of the way to win.
Now Shrub is the most sought after free agent in Nascar. Hourly updates on which shop he visited this week or which owner he spoke with at the track plague motorsports reporting. Rumors are that Evernham, DEI, Penske, RCR, Gibbs and Ganassi are eminiently going to announce they've signed him.
And why wouldn't a team want him? He's won a race in each of the three Cup season's he's competed in. He has 4 career wins in Cup, and wins in both the Busch and Truck series. He was the youngest pole sitter in the Cup series at 19 and the youngest winner at 20. And now, he's only 22.
He's brash, reckless and brave. He doesn't mince words, and doesn't back down when confronted with a problem. And he has talent.
Kind of like another jaw-flapper named Darrell Waltrip. Or even Tony Stewart,
Maybe that's why he's growing on me.
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