Kyle Busch: Why It Was Wrong to Take Matters into His Own Hands

There are a few things that can be said with certainty about Kyle Busch: he is polarizing, stirs emotions, entertains and is a driver with natural talent behind the wheel that may prove to be extraordinary.

NASCAR needs the personality that he brings to the sport, whether fans love him or love to hate him. Sometimes Busch tempts fate with the sanctioning body, and his actions backfired at Texas Motor Speedway.

With over 100 wins in the top-three series of NASCAR at the age of 26, Busch has proven his ability as a race car driver.

Sometimes drivers who accomplish great statistics tend to think they are bigger than the sport.

The reality is that no driver is too big to fail.

There has been much controversy over Busch, and why NASCAR took such a harsh attitude toward the incident in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when he punted Ron Hornaday.

NASCAR parked Busch immediately and later determined he would not be able to race in the Nationwide and Cup race at TMS for that weekend.

The comparison was made to the actions of Carl Edwards when he came out of the garage, some 153 laps down, to nail Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, and later hooked him in a Nationwide race at Gateway.

Edwards was fined and given a minimal probation. Busch was fined and will be closely monitored for future incidents detrimental to racing, but some don't understand why he was parked and why the commotion with his sponsors, JGR and possibly his future as a driver.

Busch was not driving JGR equipment, but rather his Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, when he took the shot at Hornaday heard around the NASCAR world.

NASCAR had said the policy was "have at it, boys," which meant they were allowed to bump and bang at will, with some action that was obviously retaliatory.

NASCAR also said the drivers would be penalized if they crossed the line, but the line was not clearly defined. The sanctioning body said they would know when the line was crossed.

It was obvious Busch crossed the line when he spun Hornaday into the wall under with the caution lights flashing. 

The caution flag and caution lights are to be taken extremely seriously by NASCAR and the competitors because it is impossible for all the drivers to know immediately why the caution is out.

There may be track personnel on the racing surface who could easily be in danger. Drivers could be in harm's way should a driver fail to obey the rules of the caution condition.

The fact the Busch blatantly made his move when he did was possibly the most significant reason NASCAR reacted quickly and firmly. The driver had to know he crossed the line, but it didn't matter to him.

Certainly other factors were at play in the mind of Busch when he took Hornaday, a title contender, out of the race. Hornaday drove a truck for Kevin Harvick. Harvick and Busch don't like each other.

All of the previous incidents between Harvick and Busch, Busch and Richard Childress, Harvick's boss, and of course, the speeding ticket when he was going more than 80 mph over the speed limit, all came into focus with the NASCAR decision.

Busch, plain and simple, thought he was bigger than the sport, but he was humbled as he sat on his pit box for the Cup race and watched his No. 18 M&M's Toyota being driven by another driver.

There has never been a defining moment for the younger of NASCAR's racing Busch brothers that really caught his attention. Previous fines, warnings and probation just didn't register with him.

NASCAR, Joe Gibbs and Mars, Inc. may have done Busch the biggest favor of his life if he truly understands the big picture of being a driver in NASCAR. It isn't all about the driver.

Busch showed a lack of respect for NASCAR, sponsors, fans and those at JGR who work so hard to give him good equipment every week.

Throughout this ordeal, the one thing Busch needs to work on is respect. He still has fans who support him and drivers who trust him, but it will be challenging for him to work his way back into grace with many.

This year, it was thought the driver of the No. 18 was beginning to show maturity with his behavior, and then in one irrational moment he totally shows his level of immaturity and arrogance.

Now it is time for this driver to stand behind his promises and apologies. He has to man up and match his personality and respect for the sport to his undeniable talent as a driver.

Busch now knows he was wrong to take matters into his own hands, but now he has a chance to prove himself and to possibly become one of NASCAR's greatest drivers.