Bleacher Report - Articles by M Brian Ladner

Kyle Busch Barely Misses Texas "Hat Trick"

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:04:44 -0500

Three races. Three cowboy hats. That's what Kyle Busch was gunning for this weekend. In the end, he barely missed the bulls-eye, coming up a little short on his third shot.

After winning the Winstar World Casino 350 truck race on Friday, then dominating the O'Reilly Challenge Nationwide race on Saturday, all that stood between Busch and history was the Dickies 500 Cup race.

The bit of history he was aiming at—to become the first driver ever to win a race in all three of NASCAR's major touring series in the same weekend at the same track.

Busch bagged his 16th career victory Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, leading the most laps (54-of-147) in the process.

He dominated again during his 29th career victory Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, again leading the most laps (179-of-200) in the process.

Sunday, Busch seemed poised to finally finish off the elusive triple-win he has attempted so many times in his short career.

Busch started fifth and as in the previous two days, he dominated the race, eventually leading the most laps (232-of-334).

After the smoke from the victor's donuts had cleared, however, there was a Busch in Victory Lane—but it wasn't Kyle.

After pitting on Lap 269-of-334, Kyle was leading and trying to conserve fuel when he ran out on the backstretch on Lap 331.

"I'm out! I'm out—coming to you!" he radioed to his new crew chief Dave Rogers, who replaced Steve Addington on the pit box after last Sunday’s race at Talladega.

He coasted around to pit road, took on a splash of gas, and headed back out to finish 11th, while his brother Kurt, who pitted two laps after Kyle on Lap 271, took home the trophy, the cowboy hat, and the six-shooters.

All in all, it was still an impressive weekend for the younger Busch brother. He brought his total visits to victory lane in the NCWTS and NNS this year to seven and eight, respectively, and to 19 across all three series.

Kyle led over two-thirds of all the laps run for the weekend (465-out-of-681) on his way to bringing home his 60th and 61st career victories across all three major NASCAR touring series.

Considering he had only led eight laps in his last eight Cup races—four each at Martinsville and Talledega, and none in the six races before that—this was quite a promising start for Busch and his new crew chief.

Moreover, he increased his lead in the battle for his first major NASCAR title to 272 points over Nationwide series rival Carl Edwards. And he still holds a 32 point lead over Matt Kenseth in the "first of the rest" race for 13th place in the Cup series.

His efforts also helped owner Billy Ballew move the No. 51 truck team to within 75 points of Kevin Harvick, Inc.'s No. 33 team, driven by NCWTS points leader Ron Hornaday.

This was the second time this year Kyle came oh-so-close to completing the weekend triple. In February of this year, he won both the NCWTS and NNS races on the same day at the Auto Club Speedway, and finished third in the Cup race the next day.

Next week Busch will begin his quest anew at a track where he nearly pulled off the triple-win two years ago. In November, 2007, he won both the truck and Nationwide (then-Busch) series races, then finished eighth in the Cup race.

(Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Déjà Vu All Over Again As Kyle Busch Wins Nationwide Race In Texas

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:53:04 -0500

As Yogi Berra would say, it was déjà vu all over again for Kyle Busch as he took the checkered flag at the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway.

"Four in a row at Texas, baby!" Busch shouted after crossing the finish line, referring to his fourth straight Nationwide series win at the track.

It was also his eighth NNS victory of the year and his 29th career victory out of 171 starts in the series.

The win also propelled him even further ahead of second-place Carl Edwards in his quest for the Nationwide series championship, increasing his lead to 272 points with two races to go.

By finishing 15th or better next week at Phoenix International Raceway, Busch can lock up his first championship title in a major NASCAR touring series. He can also clinch by finishing 34th or better in the final two races of the season.

The victory was also Busch's second at the Texas Motor Speedway in as many days. Friday night Busch also won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Winstar World Casino 350.

By winning on Saturday, Busch moved one giant leap closer to doing something no other driver has ever done—win races in all three of NASCAR's top three series at the same track in the same weekend.

He came close to completing the weekend trifecta in February of this year when he won both the NCWTS and NNS races on the same day at the Auto Club Speedway and finished third in the Cup race the next day.

On Sunday, Busch will begin the last leg of his latest attempt at the triple from the fifth starting position in the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

If he completes the weekend sweep at Texas on Sunday, he'll do so with his new crew chief Dave Rogers on the pit box. Rogers replaced Steve Addington as Busch's Cup crew chief after last Sunday's race at Talladega.

"We qualified better than we expected—fifth, so that's cool," Busch said, assessing his chances for the Cup victory.

"The car wasn't bad in practice (Saturday). There were some areas where we felt really good about it; there were some other times when we didn't feel so good about it."

"I like what's going on there. I think we've got about a fifth-to-10th-place car right now, and if we can just hang there throughout the day—make some good changes, make some good adjustments, have Dave learn some things, maybe—that we can be contenders. And if you're contenders at the end of the race, you never know."

This was also Busch's 19th trip to victory lane this year and his 61st career win across all three series.

(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Kyle Busch Begins Another Attempt At First Weekend Trifecta At TMS

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:49:21 -0500

Friday night was another banner night for Kyle Busch—the banner being yet another checkered flag for the 24-year-old driver's growing collection.

Not only did he win the Winstar World Casino 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, his first at the Texas Motor Speedway, but in doing so he began yet another quest for the first-ever trifecta of wins at a single track in a weekend.

Saturday Busch will start sixth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Challenge race, where he has won the last three races in a row. Sunday he will start fifth in the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

When asked about his chances to be the first to ever win all three races at a track in a single weekend, Busch immediately responded, "I hope I didn't screw it up for tomorrow"—a reference to his desire to do well in the NNS race where he currently has a fairly commanding lead in the series' championship standings.

"I've never won here in a truck but I've won the Nationwide races here the past...three times in a row. It would be pretty awesome to get them all three done here at Texas," Busch added.

"I've wanted to win a truck race here for a long time, so this is pretty cool, and as soon as I get a Cup win here, another one will get knocked off the list," he continued, referring to adding another to the list of tracks where he has won in all three major series.

The victory was Busch's 16th truck series win of his career (out of 67 starts) and the seventh of this year (out of 13 starts), including the last five he has started in a row. Since reuniting before the August Bristol race, Busch and crew chief Richie Wauters have been undefeated.

The win also helped close the gap between the No. 51 team owned by Billy Ballew and Kevin Harvick's No. 33 team, driven by series points leader Ron Hornaday, to 75 points.

This was also Busch's 18th trip to victory lane this year and his 60th career win across all three series.

(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Behind the Scenes with NASCAR's Weekend Workhorses

M Brian Ladner — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:30:33 -0400

We're all used to seeing our favorite driver either in or around his car and we're used to seeing the haulers that transport them from venue to venue. What most people never get to see, or see only very infrequently, are the true workhorse vehicles of a NASCAR event weekend. Of course, I'm talking about the golf carts and the driver motorhomes. You'll never see one of these make a lap around the track, but without them, each race weekend would be far more difficult for the drivers, for their teams, for the media, for the track personnel, and for various vendors and VIPs. While covering the Pepsi 500 weekend at the Auto Club Speedway earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to get a look at the driver and owner motorhome lot as well as the carts parked in and around it. With a little help from some friends (and some pretty big clues outside), I was able to figure out who owned a few of the motorhomes. Figuring out which cart belonged to which team, driver, or vendor was a much easier task, although oftentimes the drivers used different carts than those shown here.

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Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson: The Perfect Weekend

M Brian Ladner — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:44:46 -0400

In an article published earlier today on Bleacher Report, I wrote about one of the greatest goals, if not the greatest goal, of Chad Knaus' career—the "perfect weekend."

As he has described it in various interviews and on various shows over the years, a "perfect weekend" consists of being the fastest in qualifying practice, winning the pole, being the fastest in both race practices, then winning the race.

He has discussed this as a "goal" as far back as 2004, but defined it even more strongly in an interview with David Newton in August 2006:

"Until we go out there and we have a perfect weekend will I ever think that we've actually completed any type of task," said Knaus.

It seemed most fitting then that this weekend, at the final race the Concord venue will be known as Lowe's Motor Speedway (Lowe's is not renewing its track sponsorship), Knaus, Johnson, and the crew of the Lowe's No. 48 Chevrolet did something they have never done before—they had a "perfect weekend."

Immediately after the race, Knaus was heard to say over the radio, "We just completed the biggest goal of my life, just so you know." Knaus had his perfect weekend.

Johnson talked about the accomplishment in victory lane. "The perfect weekend is what Chad has always wanted to do—win every practice, qualifying, and the race—so we got it."

In the post-race interviews, both were asked about the concept of the "perfect weekend" and if they'd ever come close before.

Jimmie answered that he "wasn't aware of this goal until today. This is a Chad goal."

Knaus replied, "This is a personal goal of mine. We were close twice. We missed it in race practice one time and we missed it in qualifying practice another time."

"Odd that I've been keeping tally on that, but it's true," Knaus continued. "We've been close but haven't quite made it, ever. So it's cool."

The question now becomes, with the biggest goal of his life completed, what's next on Knaus' to-do list?

One answer might be found in Matt Kenseth's response to a question during his post-race interview where he was asked to put into perspective what it means for a Cup driver to lead every practice, qualify on the pole, and win the race.

Kenseth offered the following:

"I don't know, I've never done it. I don't think there's much that team hasn't done. I don't know what leading both practice sessions really gets you besides bragging rights, but besides that I don't know if I've ever had a perfect weekend.

"I think you have to lead every lap for it to be a perfect weekend too, so he still doesn't have it. Them guys are awesome. Since them two got together, they've been, in my opinion, the group to beat every single year.

"Whenever it counts and it's crunch time, they do this, and they've done this every year for the last four years, so it shouldn't really be a surprise to anybody."

So there it is—Knaus might have to redefine a "perfect weekend" to one that includes everything it did before (winning all the practices, qualifying on the pole, and winning the race) plus leading every lap of the race.

One reporter then told Knaus and Johnson of Kenseth's statement about having to lead every lap to have a truly perfect weekend. They were then asked if they thought they could go to Martinsville next weekend and pull that off.

Johnson answered slyly, "I guess we've got more work to do."

Knaus answered more simply, "We're just going to go and try to do the best we can, I'll be honest."

Given the way those two have worked together over the years, I wouldn't bet against them pulling off an "even more perfect weekend"—maybe not next week, but someday.

Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson: One Win Away From Perfection

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:28:09 -0400

Chad Knaus is a tough man to please. He has won three championships in a row (the only crew chief in history to do so) and looks to be on the verge of a fourth, yet still hasn't reached one of his major goals in racing. Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway may finally change that.

For years Knaus, Johnson, and the No. 48 team have been winning poles, leading laps, amassing wins, leading the points, and winning championships. They have won the "big races" (Daytona, Talladega, Indianapolis, Darlington, Charlotte) as well as most of the others at one time or another.

To be more specific, since beginning to run in the Cup Series full time in 2002, the No. 48 team has never had less than three wins, at least one pole, and twenty top-tens in any season. Nor have they ever finished outside the top five in points.

But they have never achieved perfection. To listen to Knaus, his resume won't be complete until the No. 48 team has what he calls a "perfect weekend." He has been, it seems, obsessed with this "perfect weekend" concept for years.

In two separate articles written by David Poole and David Newton in 2006, Knaus discussed the "perfect weekend."

According to Poole's article in the Charleston Gazette on August 12, 2006, Knaus has been pursuing perfection for years and will not rest easy until he achieves that goal:

After Jimmie Johnson dominated in winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2004, crew chief Chad Knaus talked about how it wasn't quite perfect.

"A perfect weekend is something I still want to achieve and we have not been able to do," Knaus said. "I want to go out there in qualifying practice and be fastest, sit on the pole, be fastest in both race practices and win the race. That's a goal I have."

Two weeks earlier in an interview with David Newton for NASCAR.COM, Knaus discussed how they had yet to achieve what seems to be his ultimate goal:

"Until we go out there and we have a perfect weekend will I ever think that we've actually completed any type of task. We haven't done that, and we need to do that where you're fastest in practice, fastest in qualifying and then you win the race."

Since then he has talked about the perfect weekend at various times in interviews and on shows including "NASCAR Performance" and "This Week in NASCAR"—usually when they just miss it by one item on the list.

This weekend, however, Knaus and company might finally reach perfection. On Thursday, Johnson led the first practice with a lap time over one-and-a-half-tenths faster than his teammate Mark Martin. Later that night, he out-qualified Martin by nearly a tenth of a second to sit on the pole.

After the first race practice Friday, Johnson sat atop the leaderboard with a fast lap more than two-tenths of a second faster than, you guessed it, Mark Martin. And in Happy Hour, the No. 48 team once again finished atop the leaderboard when all was said and done. Then, however, they did so by only one-tenth, again over teammate Mark Martin.

So all that remains to complete the perfect weekend, to reach that goal, to complete that task, is to win the race Saturday night in the venue referred to most frequently this decade as "Jimmie's House."

True, he hasn't won there in quite some time, but his performance this weekend as well those of the past few weeks show the team is strong and only getting stronger.

And for the Lowe's team to win at what will most likely be the last NASCAR race held at "Lowe's Motor Speedway" would only be the icing on the cake.

Can they pull it off? If they do, will Knaus finally be satisfied? If he's not, what could his next goal possibly be? A perfect Chase? A perfect year?

Given their track record, the sky does seem to be the only limit for the one they are calling "Superman" and his mastermind crew chief Knaus...

Photo Credit: M Brian Ladner

NASCAR's 20 Coolest Pit Crew Helmets

M Brian Ladner — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:29:43 -0400

Safety innovations and improvements have been the watchwords for NASCAR since the time of its inception. In recent years, however, such safety concerns have become paramount. Drivers are now encircled in carbon-fiber fitted seats, wear thickly padded helmets and fire-resistent suits, helmets, and gloves, and drive in the safest car design ever—the "Car of Today." Watching replays of crashes these past few years by Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, and many others bear this fact out. But those who seemingly take the most risk are those crew members who go "over-the-wall" at every pit stop. With pit road being such a chaotic place—with cars shooting by between 35-65 mph or higher, and sliding to stops in and peeling out of pit boxes that are often small and narrow—As much "body armor" as they can wear while still being able to perform their jobs is a necessity. One can only imagine the number of concussions, major hematomas, and deaths have been avoided by the requirement that all crew members who go over the wall wear proper head protection. But mere functionality isn't enough anymore. The helmets have become in many ways both works of art and yet another way to display their sponsors as much as possible throughout a race broadcast. What follows are the 20 helmet styles and designs I found to be most eye-catching as I wandered pit road at the Auto Club Speedway for the Pepsi 500. Also, this group contains not only a couple of kinds of helmet, but also the helmets used for the Pepsi 500. This is important as for the next race, some teams will be running different paint schemes, possibly even for different sponsors. Although I did my best to capture the most representative sample of helmets from the teams that day, if I have left one out, please let me know.

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NASCAR: The 20 Best Signs on Pit Road

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:01:16 -0400

One of the busiest places at any NASCAR race is pit road—particularly during a pit stop made under caution. Up to 43 cars at any one time may be jockeying in and out of their pit stalls at pit road speeds ranging from 35 to 65 mph. Ask any driver and he'll tell you that with all those signs—so many of them composed primarily of the same colors—it's very difficult to see his in order to find his particular pit box for that day. Pit road signs may change over time and may include ties to sponsor logos, driver names, and car numbers. For example, a few years ago Kyle Busch's pit road sign was a picture of the character "Kyle" from the animated show "South Park." His current pit road sign is simply the number 18. What follows are signs found on pit road at the Pepsi 500 at the Auto Club Speedway. Not all of them were used as signs geared to direct the drivers to their pit stall—some were signs sitting along the edge of the pit that could be used if necessary. Photo Credits: M Brian Ladner

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NASCAR: Three New Ingredients Expected To Add Flavor To The Pepsi 500 This Year

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:12:10 -0400

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule marks the first time that the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA features a race in the Chase for the Championship.

Whether or not having a race in the Chase race this year will be enough to give the Auto Club Speedway the attendance boost it is looking for has yet to be seen.

But having a race in the Chase is not the only factor that drivers had on their minds when asked about the change and its ramifications.

When asked about what they thought about this now being a Chase race, most drivers were pleased in general, but became very specific about one particular point—the weather.

Almost to a man each driver stated how much nicer it is (and will be) for drivers, teams, and fans to be at the track in October when the temperature is in the low to mid-80s rather than in late August when the mercury tops out at over 100 degrees.

Whether those two new factors alone are enough to drive ticket sales to reach or exceed expectations, already there is hope that this year's Fall race in Fontana will not only be more comfortable, but also more exciting for the fans as well.

Not only will they have the chance to experience a Chase race first-hand (and a cooler one at that), but the Pepsi 500 on Sunday will mark the first time that double-file restarts shootout-style will be used at the Auto Club Speedway.

There has been criticism in the past that the speedway—with its wide track and relatively flat corners—has made the racing less "exciting" than that at other tracks. In fact, following the Auto Club 500 earlier this year, third place finisher Kyle Busch discussed the race finish and the fans in his post-race interview.

He commented that although his team didn't have what it took to keep up with the eventual top-two finishers (Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon), he found that he had a great view of the last 20-30 laps of the battle between the two champions.

He added in his own inimitable way that it was good to finally see an exciting finish here, especially for the fans.

One need only look back to the Fall race weekend last year and the Nationwide race earlier this year to see what he meant. In both the Fall 2008 race and in the Spring 2009 race, Busch clearly dominated in the Nationwide Series. And last year in the Fall Cup Series race, Jimmie Johnson dominated pretty much from start to finish as well.

When asked about how double-file restarts might affect the racing on Sunday, most drivers agreed on the main points:

Having double-file restarts is not the be-all-and-end-all one might hope as we have seen in previous races this year at other tracks—particularly if they don't come into play all that often and even more so if they don't come into play toward the end of the race.

If the race runs relatively caution-free, as it has often done in the past, we are likely to once again see cars become spread apart quickly and stay that way for long portions of the race.

"I think that it's going to be a huge plus for this race track and this race," answered four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. "We've definitely seen the cars get spread out here pretty quick."

"It's a big, fast race track and I think a double-file restart is going to keep us bunched up together, it's going to raise the intensity level, and it's going to cause a little bit more excitement. I think it's been a big positive everywhere we've gone and I think this is a track where it will continue to be a big positive."

Kurt Busch, the first Cup champion under the Chase format, agreed with Gordon and others about how the track lends itself to becoming more spread out, "This race track, being it's a little flatter and doesn't have the banking, spreads cars out because you need that aerodynamic balance in the car."

"Double-file restarts have definitely changed the game in NASCAR," he added. "You're not able to rely on lapped cars to use as picks later in the day."

"You have to be up on the steering wheel at the end and you're side-by-side racing guys for position. It will definitely add excitement to the Auto Club Speedway."

When pole-sitter Denny Hamlin was asked about them, he answered that he thought the double-file restarts would not affect the racing much as a whole, "I think it will change it at the end of the race, probably the last two to three restarts will be very, very exciting."

"What happens when you get the cars all bunched up like that, they tend to side-draft off of each other do things to kind of bog each other down, and I think you'll see three- or four-wide racing right at the end of this race, if we have a late race caution which we've tended to have."

"We just have to be prepared for that," he continued. "It's going to get exciting for sure, especially on a big track like this. I think the double-file restarts you can either lose a whole bunch of spots or you're going to gain a bunch. Hopefully you are on the good end of that when it finally does go green."

To sum up, fans in Southern California and across the country have the following new elements to look forward to at this year's Pepsi 500:

1) It is the Inaugural Chase for the Championship race being held at ACS;

2) The weather should be much more kind to drivers, teams, and fans; and

3) Double-file restarts shootout-style, particularly toward the end of the race, should produce much more exciting and intense racing.

Photo Credit: M Brian Ladner

Stater Bros. Racefest 2009 At The Auto Club Speedway

M Brian Ladner — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:24:45 -0400

Every fall, local grocery chain Stater Bros. sponsors the Racefest--an event free to fans that kicks off the race weekend. Racefest 2009 is the first to be held before a Chase race at the Auto Club Speedway.

This year's Racefest featured the official welcome to the weekend, appearances by a dozen drivers signing autographs and posing for photos, Q & A sessions, live music, freestyle motocross with Metal Mulisha, various interactive displays and exhibits, and a chance for fans to shop at the merchandise trailers before the race weekend begins.

Photo Credits: M Brian Ladner

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In and Around the Auto Club Speedway for the Pepsi 500 Weekend

M Brian Ladner — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:24:14 -0400

As the haulers have already begun arriving in Fontana, it's time to look to some of the news and announcements of happenings in and around the Auto Club Speedway this week.

Of course, with the track being less than an hour from Hollywood, several of the announcements and events are movie- or tv-oriented, beginning with the "blue-carpet" premiere of TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story Oct. 7 to the naming of the Grand Marshals and similar positions race weekend.

The list below is by no means exhaustive but hopefully it hits the highlights of happenings in the area this week. Nor are all items official. Please contact the venues for up-to-the-minute information.

Also, check back frequently as new driver appearances and events are being announced throughout the week. Today alone I added the Team Chevy event Friday and Saturday as well as the Elliot Sadler appearance Sunday.

Many of the snippets below are taken or derived directly from The Auto Club Speedway site, The Auto Club Speedway's Facebook site, Jayski.com's Events and Charities pages, and Fast Lap Indoor Karting's site.

Oct. 6-7: Jimmie and Chandra Johnson's third annual Jimmie Johnson Foundation (JJF) Golf Tournament is underway in San Diego, CA, with Lowe’s returning as the title sponsor. In addition, JJF will partner with Lowe’s and its Toolbox for Education initiative to distribute funds to selected K-12 educational programs in Johnson’s hometown area.

More than 125 golfers are scheduled to attend this year’s tournament. Among last year’s celebrity guests were NASCAR drivers Casey Mears, Brian Vickers, and Juan Pablo Montoya, actor Skeet Ulrich, NHL star Chris Pronger [Philadelphia Flyers], and recording artist Nick Lachey.

Oct. 7: Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon & Dale Earnhardt Jr. are scheduled to participate in a Q&A session prior to the West Coast "Blue Carpet" premiere of TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009.

Check-in begins at 7:00 PM and the program begins at 8:30 PM local time. For only $99, while supplies last, fans can purchase the Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Package which also includes a reserved seat to the Pepsi 500 on Sunday, Oct. 11, pre-race pit pass & more...[visit web site for details]. For more information and tickets, visit the Auto Club Speedway web site.

Oct. 7: Kevin Harvick is scheduled to race against high school students in the Kern County Youth Racing Series at Bakersfield Speedway on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009. A special Hobby Stock race will be held at the Speedway, on the same night as the Kern County Youth Racing Series event paying $1,500 to the winner. There will be a media/celebrity race on tap as well that night.

Adult tickets are $5.00, $3.00 for students with high school IDs, 5 and under free. Front gates open at 5:00pm with opening ceremonies at 6:00 PM local time. Track address is N Chester Ext, Bakersfield, CA. For more information, please contact the Bakersfield Speedway at (661) 393-3373 or visit their web site at Bakersfield Speedway web site.

Oct. 8: Justlin Allgaier, Marcus Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Brendan Gaughan, Jeff Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr., Kasey Kahne, Jason Keller, Crew Chief Steve Letarte, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Scott Speed, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., David Stremme, Brian Vickers, Steve Wallace & Michael Waltrip are scheduled to meet fans and sign autographs as part of the Stater Bros. Racefest presented by Pepsi at Auto Club Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 from 6:15 - 8:00 PM.

Gates open at 5:00 PM at which time autograph coupons will be handed out at each driver's display. An autograph coupon is required and the number of tickets per driver is limited.

Kurt & Kyle Busch will appear for a short Q&A session on the main stage at 6:25 PM. Jeff Gordon and Crew Chief Steve Letarte will appear for a Q&A session on the main stage at 8:00 PM local time.

Other entertainment will include the musical acts West 10, Riverside Blues, The Southerners, and Barrage playing on-stage mixed in with the other entertainment scheduled for the night.

The Metal Mulisha Extreme Stunt Show will be held by the main stage after the gates open. SPEED TV's Steve Byrnes will kickoff the weekend with the official welcome followed by statements from Gillian Zucker and Stater Bros. VP Dennis McIntyre.

After the National Anthem is performed by Ashley Runner, Byrnes will follow with driver introductions. At 7 PM the NSCS Hauler Parade will proceed from Lot 2 to the infield.

This is the fifth year that Stater Bros. Markets has sponsored this free event to the public (admission and parking) which will be held in the Opportunity, California FanZone outside the front stretch and in the shadow of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.

Stater Bros. Racefest is scheduled from 5 :00 - 9:30 PM local time. The driver schedule is subject to change. For the latest updates on the driver schedule visit the Auto Club Speedway web site.

Oct. 8: David Ragan is scheduled to appear at the California Speed Zone on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM local time at 17871 Castleton Street, City of Industry, CA.

Oct. 9-10: Team Chevy wants you to come experience Chevy! If you are headed to the Auto Club Speedway this weekend, be sure to stop by their display and the midway.

Even better, if you are in attendance on Friday or Saturday, come take a test drive and get a complimentary Camaro t-shirt! Go to www.teamchevytestdrive.com to pre-register and get more information!

Oct. 9: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Scott Speed will all be kart racing to raise money for the Kyle Busch Foundation during the upcoming Pepsi 500 race weekend.

The event will be held at Fast Lap Indoor Karting in Mira Loma (minutes from the Auto Club Speedway) Friday night, Oct. 9 at 6 PM. Sign-ups are underway now. Only the first 75 drivers to sign up will have a chance to race with Busch, Logano, and Speed. At present, the site lists only 30 signup spots left for participants.

According to the site, "all participants [drivers] will get a photo with Kyle and an autographed goodie to take home." For those who would just like to come watch the festivities and help the foundation, there are specially-priced tickets for spectators.

Oct. 9: Justin Allgaier is scheduled to sign autographs at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 at 4:30 PM local time. The trailer is located on souvenir row along the frontstretch at Auto Club Speedway.

Oct. 9: Justin Allgaier is scheduled to meet with store employees and sign autographs for fans at the Verizon Wireless store in Fontana, California on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM local time. The store address is 16695 Sierra Lakes Parkway, Fontana, CA.

Oct. 10: The Auto Club Speedway announced today that Academy Award and multi-Golden Globe Award-nominated actor John C. Reilly will serve as Grand Marshal for the Copart 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1:30 PM PDT.

Being no stranger to NASCAR, race fans will remember Reilly in Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Most recently on the big screen, Reilly reunited with Will Ferrell in the comedy Step Brothers. Other film credits for Reilly include Academy Award®-winning films Chicago, Gangs of New York, and The Hours.

Singer/songwriter Cassadee Pope, of pop band Hey Monday fame, will perform the National Anthem prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Kelly Osbourne, celebrity contestant from Dancing with the Stars and The Osbournes will serve as Honorary Starter, waving the green flag for the Copart 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 11: The Auto Club Speedway has also announced that Kelsey Grammer will serve as Grand Marshal for Southern California’s Inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff race—the Pepsi 500 on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 12 PM PDT at Auto Club Speedway.

Grammer, who stars in the new ABC comedy Hank, will give the most famous command in racing "Gentlemen, start your engines" to all 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who are vying for the coveted checkered flag.

Christian Slater is slated to drive the pace car in this Sunday's Pepsi 500, the First Chase Race to be held at the Auto Club Speedway. He will be behind the wheel of the Official NASCAR 2010 Chevy Camaro Pace Car as he leads the field of 43 stock cars to the green flag on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET, televised on ABC.

Multi-platinum recording artist and actor Jesse McCartney will perform the national anthem prior to the race and The Hills star Audrina Patridge will serve as Honorary Starter, waving the green flag to start Sunday's race.

Oct. 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Jeff Gordon are scheduled to make appearances on stage at the Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Party Zone presented by Pepsi during weekend festivities at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. [Time TBD]

The one-time event scheduled will have limited seating. Cost for the special Sunday package on sale at Auto Club Speedway is $125 and includes Pre Race Pit Pass.

The package does not include a ticket to the race and all Party Zone guests must have a valid grandstand admission or infield ticket to enter the hospitality area.

Oct. 11: Kevin Harvick is scheduled to sign autographs for the first 150 people to purchase a No. 33 Camping World diecast for $20 on Oct. 10, 2009, from 9:00 AM until Noon, at the Camping World store located on track property at Auto Club Speedway.

Those who purchase the diecast will receive a ticket to the Kevin Harvick autograph session set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, from 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM local time.

Oct. 11: Sam Hornish is scheduled to sign autographs at the AAA display at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 from 8:30 - 9:00 AM local time.

Oct. 11: Elliott Sadler will be in the FanZone at the Team TYLENOL display (outside turn 4, near the SPEED stage) on Sunday of the Pepsi 500 at 9:25am.

Oct. 11: Ryan Newman is scheduled to join Lefty, Kid's Club mascot for Auto Club Speedway's Reading to Race program, on the Opportunity, California FanZone stage for "story time" prior to the Pepsi 500 on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. [Time TBD].

Available only through a free membership with the Auto Club Speedway Kid's Club, children 5-12 years old have the exclusive opportunity to participate in special events including a scavenger hunt, story time with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Newman and much more.

For more information or to join the club, visit the Auto Club Speedway web site.

Busch, Logano, and Speed to Race in Event for Kyle Busch Foundation

M Brian Ladner — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:08:07 -0400

Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Scott Speed will all be kart racing to raise money for the Kyle Busch Foundation during the upcoming Pepsi 500 race weekend.

The event will be held at Fast Lap Indoor Karting in Mira Loma (minutes from the Auto Club Speedway) Friday night, Oct. 9 at 6pm.

Sign-ups are underway now. The first 75 drivers to sign up will not only have a chance to race with yours truly, but also to race with Busch, Logano, and Speed as well.

According to the site, "all participants [drivers] will get a photo with Kyle and an autographed goodie to take home."

And for those who would just like to come watch the festivities and help the foundation, there are specially-priced tickets for spectators.

More details can be found on the Fast Lap page at:

http://www.fastlaplv.com

Any questions should be directed to the facility itself at (951) 681-3601 or to its owner, Lew at (310) 753-0955.

Kyle Busch and the Bashed Guitar: To the Victor Belong the Spoils

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:26:42 -0400

Once again I'm going to take an unpopular stance and say Kyle Busch's trashing of his trophy guitar in victory lane in Nashville not only finally showed some much-needed personality in victory lane, but it also put on a media "happening" that few if any will ever forget.

His trashing of that guitar is a visual that will live on in the collective consciousness of those who saw it forever, much like anyone who saw Jimi Hendrix light his guitar on fire or The Sex Pistols trash whatever they could at the end of a show.

I know for me and for many others, Busch's actions were not necessarily the best thought through, but they beat the heck out of what Larry McReynolds described simply as a driver "searching out his hat, his sunglasses, and his beverage, then thanking his team back at the shop."

Before you jump so far down my throat that you could check my liver to see if I've been drinking again, know that I admit that not only would I not have done it, but also that I believe it wasn't necessarily the brightest, best thought out thing to do.

Heck, I still have a undrilled Seattle Mariners bowling ball stored at my sister's house that I simply can't stand the thought of parting with. And I never even played for the Mariners nor did I win the bowling ball as a trophy.

That being said, I'm not Kyle Busch.

That moment in victory lane was real, it was visceral, and it was memorable—far more so than any other moment ever in that victory lane or probably most any other.

The trophy is but a material reminder of that win, and he's already ordered two more (one for him and one for his crew chief) to keep as material reminders.

And today that guitar is being buzz-sawed and the pieces individually signed by Busch and given to his team members—to keep his promise to them to give them a material reminder of their own—a piece of that guitar.

In most of the pieces I have read about the "incident," many people have quoted Sam Bass "before-and-after" the night of the "happening."

The quotes from that night lean toward Bass being shocked at first, but later understanding and "applauding rock-and-roll theatrics" of what Busch did.

Other stories quote Bass later seemingly back-tracking on those initial feelings, although it is not too much of a stretch to interpret many of Bass' statements as reiterations of what he said Saturday night.

But that misses the point. The bottom line here is, once it was handed to the winner, that was no longer Sam Bass' guitar.

Actually, once he was commissioned by whoever pays him to make those guitars and he received the check (if not earlier), his ownership ceased. It became a work-for-hire and later a trophy to be handed to someone else. Sam knew the score...

And as the old saying goes, "to the victor belong the spoils."

Many others, including Bass, have said that if he knew Busch was going to do something like that then they would have made a replica. This brings up a few issues:

1. No NASCAR driver I know of would ever dare to say that he was going to do such a thing in victory lane. Why? Not because it would piss people off, but because drivers are superstitious people.

You don't go planning victory lane celebrations until you get there lest you anger the gods and tempt the fates, something I'm sure Busch was not about to do given his run of bad luck as of late.

And for those who don't believe that Busch at least knows the superstitions, remember back to the day the drivers qualified for the All-Star race last year.

It was Humpy Wheeler's last All-Star race as a promoter and during qualifying, he was shown handing drivers fifty-dollar bills as is often the tradition regarding "show money" in short-track racing.

Busch was interviewed before his qualifying run and asked what Humpy had said to him. Busch replied that Humpy had tried handing him a fifty and Busch had told him to keep it until after his run—he knew the bad luck associated with fifty-dollar bills.

2. To me, handing the winner the one-of-a-kind, priceless guitar in victory lane has never been a good idea. Every time I've seen someone handed one of those guitars I've thought like a caller on Wind Tunnel expressed last night.

This moment has been one waiting to happen. Hand a highly-charged, adrenaline-filled competitor with a penchant for showmanship a guitar and sooner or later someone was bound to do just what Busch did.

3. Finally, riddle me this...Why on earth do they ever hand a priceless trophy to the winner in victory lane in the first place?

They don't go carting the Martinsville clock to victory lane at Martinsville, nor some of the other "one-of-a-kind" trophies at other places.

At best they hand them a replica and deliver the real trophy to them later, and that to me has always been what they should have been doing at Nashville.

Although I played bass very badly in a couple of bands in the 80's, I'll admit that I am by no means a guitar aficionado.

But it seems to me that a priceless, one-of-a-kind guitar that is now being treated as "hallowed property" by everyone probably isn't done any good by having champagne, beer, gatorade, or the liquid of the day sprayed all over it.

Most important, it was Busch's trophy. He earned it and if he wants to show his jubilation over winning by trashing the thing (especially to fulfill a promise to share it with his teammates, who didn't seem too upset about it), then that's his right.

When you or I (who admittedly probably wouldn't have trashed it) win one, we can decide what we want to do with it. Until then, what he does with his property is really none of anyone else's business...

On a deeper level it brings into even stronger relief the fact that it's not the material things that matter to Busch or that should matter to the rest of us in life.

Of course, that's an easier statement to live by when you have the kind of money to buy the material things that Busch has.

And yes, Kyle Petty stated that he was bummed when he lost some of his trophies and thus thought it was wrong for Busch to do what he did. I would be bummed too.

But isn't the act of winning and the personal knowledge of that win the important part? Isn't the sharing of that very trophy with his crew, even if poorly thought out, the important part?

And isn't leaving an indelible impression in the minds of those who saw it more important and more lasting a tribute than a trophy that can be replaced? Maybe it can't be replaced "exactly," but it can and will be replaced.

Finally, if Sam Bass has changed his tune since Saturday night and is now so upset over the loss, then maybe he shouldn't accept Kyle's offer to buy two new ones.

That would teach the boy not to mess with one-of-a-kind workmanship and think he can buy his way out of it. But I'll bet Sam takes the money and builds two more.

Yes, Busch could have executed it better. He could have at least made sure it would break the first time so he wouldn't have looked so silly bouncing it off the ground the with no damage the first go round.

Yes, other people may treasure their trophies and I know that Busch does too. That's why he not only spoke to Sam Bass and ordered two more, but he made sure to let him and others involved know that no disrespect was intended.

If you listened to Kyle Petty carefully, even he said he didn't see it as a sign of disrespect as he's sure Busch didn't intend it that way—he just didn't think it through.

Until NASCAR or the track owners/promoters at Nashville ban him from competing there, all the incident really did was bring them more publicity.

I wonder which of them is going to be first in shying away from more publicity?

If someone else views it as a slap in the face, that's their problem to deal with, not Busch's.

When that "someone else" wins a trophy, they may do whatever they want with it.

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

NASCAR To Begin Double-File Restarts At Pocono?

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:52:07 -0400

According to a slip of the tongue by Michael Waltrip and friends on "This Week in NASCAR" and a blurb in an article on FoxSports.com, double-file restarts could be implemented in the Sprint Cup Series as soon as this weekend at Pocono.

During the broadcast, a discussion began about cars getting caught a lap down and how confusing it is for the fans when the leader starts behind a number of cars on the tail end of the lead lap.

Shortly into the conversation, Waltrip let it slip:

Michael Waltrip: "Get ready for some fun hopefully this weekend at Pocono. We're going to double things up."

Steve Byrnes: "Double-file restarts."

Chad Knaus: "Is that official? I don't think you can talk about that yet. Shhhh."

Byrnes: "They handed stuff out to you guys at the drivers' meeting, did they not?"

Knaus: "I don't think we're supposed to talk about it yet."

Byrnes: "Uh-oh."

Waltrip: "I just want you to know it's going to be cool though."

Byrnes: "We just walked down the double-file restart path, didn't we?"

Waltrip: "Whenever that happens, it's gonna be fun."

Byrnes: "This weekend, maybe."

The trio quickly moved past their "oops" moment full of hushed snickers and furtive glances, immediately turning their attention back to analyzing the race at Dover this past Sunday without further mention of the subject.

But in the "lugnuts" news-and-notes section of an article by Lee Spencer published today on FoxSports.com and reprinted on Jayski.com, the proposal was laid out in more detail:

"NASCAR distributed proposals to crew chiefs regarding possible procedures for double-file restarts which could be introduced as early as Pocono Raceway next week. The proposal states all starts will be double file. The race leader will have his choice of which lane to use for the restart. The third-place car will always start in the inside lane. There will be no changes in the free pass or "lucky dog," and cars that are one lap down can choose not to pit, therefore regaining a lap during a caution. The new rule appears to be a work in progress but Pocono is a 2.5-miler with plenty of space and opportunity to figure it out ..."

According to those notes, the current system of lead-lap cars lining up on the outside lane with lap-down cars on the inside will finally be laid to rest, much to the joy of many who have been calling for such a change for quite some time now.

The calls for change have been put forward before by those who cite the fact the current restart methods after caution have been made unnecessary with the advent of the "free pass" or "lucky dog," where the first car a lap down gets a lap back.

Increased calls for this change had come from all corners since the All-Star Race three weeks ago, where fans were treated to an incredible show helped immensely by having the fastest cars starting together with no slower traffic bogging them down.

The All-Star Race, unlike normal points-paying races, uses the double-file restart so that all of the leaders will restart together at the front of the pack. Any cars a lap or more down will start together behind them.

As many have stated, the benefits of this are not only that it puts the fastest cars together to race side-by-side after every caution, but it also creates a second "race-within-a-race" amongst the other drivers not on the lead lap.

More importantly, this "race-within-a-race" amongst those vying to get a lap back will no longer impede the progress of cars battling for the lead, which often led to a few lead lap cars breaking away from the pack while miring the rest amongst lapped cars.

This change was reportedly one of the hot topics of conversation at the recent NASCAR "Town Hall" meetings between NASCAR officials and the drivers and owners as a way to bring more excitement to each race.

Various officials and reporters had stated that this change could be implemented within a month, but these latest reports point to it beginning this weekend.

As NASCAR officials have stated recently and as stated above, this new rule is a work in progress. The details of who lines up where amongst those more than a lap down were not addressed specifically, but are assumed to be similar to short-track rules.

One interesting thing to note from the proposal is that not only does the "lucky dog" rule remain intact as a way for a driver to get a lap back, but also that "cars that are one lap down can choose not to pit, therefore regaining a lap during a caution."

How this plays out on the track remains to be seen, hopefully as soon as this weekend.

Although there has been discussion of double-file restarts being implemented through all three major series, none of the information reported today shed any light on how soon such changes could come to the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

Kyle Busch: Great NASCAR Driver or Greatest Driver Ever?

M Brian Ladner — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:27:47 -0400

By capturing the checkered flag on his 24th birthday Saturday, Kyle Busch put his 15th career Cup win in the books, tying him for 45th on the all-time Cup win list (rank:30).

Moreover, that win was his 50th overall in NASCAR's top-three series, tying him with Greg Biffle for third amongst driver wins since the beginning of the Truck Series in 1995. The two drivers ahead of them—Jeff Gordon with 82 and Mark Martin with 60.

Much has been made about these numbers since the win. Primary among them, of course, is being the youngest driver ever to have accumulated 15 Cup wins, 50 overall wins, etc. And that doesn't count all the other records he has set along the way.

Since then, Busch has said his goal is to win 200 races across NASCAR's top three series, a goal he repeated during an interview on Tuesday's "NASCAR Now."

He made it clear that it's just a goal and not necessarily an expectation, and that he knew it would take quite a few more years (18 by his quick calculations) to get there given his average so far.

Busch and others have been careful to make it clear that if he were to do so it would not necessarily be comparable to Richard Petty's record of 200 Cup wins—a point of much contention between "old-school" and "new-school" fans.

Some, including Darryl Waltrip in his latest FoxSports.com column, believe that Busch is not only more talented, but that what he has accomplished—and what he hopes to accomplish—is more impressive than any of those who have come before him.

And DW is not the only one. Articles and opinion pieces abound around the net asking the question about whether or not counting wins outside of the Cup series should mean anything at all and if they do, what they should mean in comparison to wins accumulated by past drivers.

Most of the contention there comes up when discussing the "relative value" of a Nationwide or Truck series win today compared to at least some of the Cup wins racked up by others thirty or forty years ago.

Some argue that only Cup wins count and given that, no one will ever top "The King"—especially as the season contains so many fewer races today than it did back when Petty was winning races at a rate of up to 27 per year.

Others argue that the level of competition of many of those races pales in comparison to the level of competition today—especially given the parity amongst teams and manufacturers today across all three series.

Couple that increased level of competition with the versatility necessary to be able to run and win in three very different types of cars against drivers of all skill levels—often in the same weekend—and you have a strong argument that the difficulty of getting such wins today is at least on par with many of the "less competitive" wins of forty years ago.

Obviously, until he wins a Cup championship or three any such comparisons are always going to be made moot by those claiming that it's championships that count, not just wins, no matter what the series is.

And there I agree to a large extent. Without at least a few championships, Busch will stand little to no chance of ever being considered one of the greatest of all time.

But for the sake of argument (and as a long-time hardcore fan of both Busch brothers), I'm going to set aside that portion of the discussion as I believe that he will win at least a couple championships during his Cup career.

He may end up winning only one, he may win ten; only time will tell. But few seem to doubt that he will win at least one at some point.

Again, leaving that aside, how does one compare Busch's accomplishments to those of the greats of the past and the present, including Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt, Waltrip, Yarborough, Pearson, Petty and many others?

Or to steal a bit from Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report and adapt it for my own nefarious purposes, "Kyle Busch, great driver or greatest driver ever?"

In my opinion, this question will never fully be answered satisfactorily for everyone as it is, by its very nature, unanswerable.

In essence this issue is very similar to the problem never resolved from last year—trying to compare Jimmie Johnson's third championship in a row with Cale Yarborough's.

Different eras, different circumstances, and different levels of competition make comparisons difficult at best, impossible at worst.

Not only that, but it is still a little early to even try answer these questions. Busch is only 24 and has already established himself as easily one of the greats of his time (and/or one of the greatest under 25), but who knows what the future may bring?

Although I didn't see every one of Richard Petty's victories (or nearly any other driver's for that matter), I have watched Busch since the "re-beginning" of his NASCAR career after he turned 18.

And although it took a few years working with some really good people at Hendrick Motorsports along with a strong "reality check" when he was let go at the end of 2007, Busch showed incredible potential then and since then has done little but flesh out that potential at Joe Gibbs Racing and Billy Balew Motorsports.

All in all, however, I personally have to agree with those who say that comparisons can be made, but how accurate they may be depends upon your point of view.

And in that respect, I have to agree with those who know and have known the greats; those that have raced or worked with the best of the best; and those who have researched and reported on it all.

Although it is very easy to find someone in the garage or the media center who doesn't like something about Busch, it is very difficult if not downright impossible to find one of them who questions his talent, his drive, his accomplishments, and his potential.

I have heard and read drivers, crew chiefs, former drivers, former crew chiefs, owners and commentators alike speak in glowing terms about how good Busch really is and how much they love to watch him in whatever race he might be in.

True, most agree that he has his issues, but being able to drive a car is not one of them.

I tend to agree with people like three-time Cup champion Darryl Waltrip. In what most consider to be his "love affair with Kyle Busch," he outright states his belief that Kyle is the best there's even been, at least so far.

"I appreciate talent: I saw Dale Earnhardt when he was at his best; I saw Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon all when they were at their best. I raced against them when they were at their best, so trust me when I say I know talent."

"I have to tell you, though: None of them were as good as Kyle."

Who am I to disagree?

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

Demonizing Kyle Busch: NASCAR Nation's New Favorite Pastime

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:56:28 -0400

Since when did "knowing how to lose" become a prerequisite for being a good NASCAR driver? And how exactly is someone—particularly a driver racing in the sport's most prestigious series—supposed to act when they lose?

I know how people should act if we are talking about a family playing Monopoly on a Saturday afternoon. Mom and Dad would frown terribly if Little Jack starting throwing the pieces at Little Jill every time he landed on her property and had to pay her rent, or if he got up and stomped away, murmuring obscenities under his breath and refusing to talk to anyone.

What I don't pretend to know is anything about how someone should act after losing an adrenalin-filled 500-mile race at speeds of nearly 200 mph at the edge of what the laws of physics allow a 3,400-pound, 800-horsepower car to do on any given track on any given race day in front of millions of viewers.

I simply can't imagine that kind of pressure.

What I can easily imagine is that some people will take it better than others. I can also easily imagine that even the same driver will take losing well in some circumstances and not so well in others, and that the reasons for the differences will change from race to race as well.

What got me thinking about this, you may ask? Once again, I have just read an article here on B/R that crawled up under my skin and got me thinking that the Busch-bashers of the world need to finally wake up and smell the rubber burning, generally from the donuts Kyle is doing before heading to Victory Lane.

In an article about how differently Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski reacted to finishing second and third respectively in the NNS race at Nashville, I was literally dumbfounded by what I read.

Between the contents of the article and the comments from readers about it, more time was spent whining about Busch's supposed "whining" than on anything else. Sure, there was a little talk about how much "character" Brad Keselowski showed by being happy about his third-place finish, but that was by no means the focus.

The article and the comments began with a quote (or misquote, as the case may be) meant to impugn Busch's "character," or lack thereof. Later, the author and commenters berated his attitude, questioned his passion for the sport, and did everything short of accusing him of kicking his dogs back at his motorcoach after a loss.

It is for those people who think that Kyle should "grow up," "change his attitude," and "start acting like other drivers when they lose" that this article is written.

More importantly, it is not just for those who think Kyle should do these things, but for those who think any driver should change their attitudes or their behavior because they don't seem "politically correct" enough or aren't "what their favorite driver would do."

To them all, I say shut up and let the drivers show their personalities, whether you happen to like them or not. And if you don't like them, then find another driver you do like.

There are drivers of all personality persuasions. Pick the one you like and hope they finish well enough to be interviewed as often as Kyle is.

As I have stated in previous articles, imposing your sense of how someone should act and what their attitude should be in ANY given situation is akin to forcing your sense of right and wrong onto others, who have the right to their own ways of dealing with things—especially things we know little to nothing about.

We don't know the pressures these drivers face, nor do we know the pressures they put on themselves. We don't know their pasts, nor do we know their intent when they do the things they do.

All we know is what we see and hear, and much of that is seen and heard shortly after a driver steps from his car with enough adrenalin still pumping through his veins that it would probably drop most Budweiser Clydesdales dead in their tracks.

Most are either ecstatic or highly disappointed, and how each shows their elation or their frustration is different and can change from race to race.

Which brings me to the article mentioned above, "Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski Have Different Paths, Measures of Success."

By itself, the title seems innocuous enough—in fact it seems almost obvious. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski do have different paths, both past and present, and both have different measures of success.

Over the past year or more, Kyle Busch has become "expected" to win on average just about one race every week or two across NASCAR's top three series.

In fact, if you include the win in the Gatorade Duel, Kyle did have at least one win in each of the first five race weekends and six in the first seven in 2009 (Gatorade Duel, Fontana NNS, Fontana NCWTS, Las Vegas NSCS, Atlanta NCWTS, Bristol NSCS, Texas NNS).

Brad Keselowski, on the other hand, has a total of two wins in the Nationwide Series, both of them coming last year. For a while, he contended for the Nationwide Championship, moving as high as third in the points behind Cup regulars Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards.

As for their "paths," each has made his own way here. Kyle (and his brother Kurt) worked hard building and repairing their own cars in lower series across the Southwest (and beyond).

There they racked up enough wins and captured enough attention that Kurt was invited to participate in the "Roush Gong Show," from which he landed a ride in the Truck Series, and his career took off from there.

Kyle, seven years Kurt's junior, followed suit in time, racing for Jack Roush at the age of 16 in the Truck series, but finishing only twice in the top-10 out of seven races before being sidelined by rules that made him ineligible to race in the top series until he was 18.

Keselowski's path was a different one. Not having followed his career too closely, I don't know all the details, but I'm sure he also worked hard, and I'll even concede that he didn't have all the opportunities to run with equipment as good as that Busch has had, even though Kyle has been able to do amazing things with trucks from Billy Ballew Motorsports (and for no money, by the way)—things no other driver can seem to do in the No. 51 when Kyle's not in it.

But even that's not the beginning of problems with the article and the logic within. The article starts with the following quote: "It is said that a person's true character is shown in the face of adversity."

The author then goes on to compare Busch and Keselowski's post-race actions at Nashville and draw conclusions about their "character" from "the difference...glaring through their comments and demeanor."

Busch, not happy with having finished second, sped through his media obligations answering those questions necessary and making the oft-heard remark, "If you're not first, you're last."

As I remember it also, right after the race, Busch was interviewed, and although he didn't spend a lot of time thanking his team or congratulating Joey Logano, he didn't spend any time running anyone down either.

He stated the fact that the No. 20 team had a better short-run car than his No. 18 team did and that he just couldn't get back to him.

According to other reports, Keselowski, on the other hand, was "gleaming with happiness after running all day in the top-five and finishing in third."

I don't know about anybody else, but I can read a few things from this, but nowhere can I find anything about "true character" or how either acted "in the face of adversity."

Both drivers were in the top-five or so throughout the race, so somewhere I missed the "adversity" part. Both drivers have in the past fought their way back from adversity, as have many others, but this wasn't one of them.

How many times have we seen Busch, Edwards, Johnson, and many others get penalized for something or another and/or trapped a lap down only to come charging back by the end? That's battling in the face of adversity.

Probably the epitome of that concept this year came from Busch himself in the Truck series race at Atlanta. Coming into the final laps, Busch knew he had lost third gear.

At the last restart with less than 10 laps to go, Busch found that second gear was gone as well, moved to the bottom of the track so as to not block traffic, and fell back to ninth place as he watched as all the other drivers came up to speed much faster than did he.

But even without those gears, Busch never let up and proceeded to pass all eight trucks in front of him to take the checkered flag by the end. That's looking into the face of adversity, not backing down, and turning what could have been a disaster with a badly broken truck into an incredible success.

And I'm sure Keselowski has done the same, though maybe not yet with quite the same "gusto" that Busch has shown time and again. Again, I haven't followed Keselowski's career with anywhere near the attention I have followed Busch's, so there may be even more times he has made great comebacks I don't even know about.

In either case, that ability to come back from a mistake or drive a car that's far from optimal—that's "true character" on the racetrack. But I have no idea what it says about either of them off the track, where "character" is a more meaningful term.

As for the interviews, the author goes on to point out not only the difference in demeanor between the two, but also the difference in "attitude" when it comes to ending up with finishes beneath what they were capable of on any given day.

At Bristol, Kyle was up front contending for the win before a mistake on pit road (a tire getting away from a crew member) cost him the lead and put him at the end of the longest line. He came back from 16th and ended up finishing sixth.

He then cursed at his team, parked in turn three near the tunnel, got out, threw off his helmet and gloves, and left the track, leaving his team wondering what had happened to the car.

Keselowski, according to the article, took a "glass is half-full" approach to finishing 12th that race.

Of course, Keselowski was never in serious contention for anything but possibly a top-10 finish, so taking a "glass is half-full" approach probably didn't take much effort—at least it wasn't as bad as his previous finishes this year.

Busch, on the other hand, looked to have had the race locked up, or at least a top-three finish, so ending up sixth—even after battling back from much deeper in the pack in the last few laps—was no consolation.

Defeat had been snatched from the jaws of victory, and Busch wanted to have nothing more to do with it—he had another race to prepare for the next day, which by the way he won.

What does this all have to do with "true character" and "adversity?" Well, in my opinion, Busch's battling back from 16th to sixth in the closing laps after losing the lead thanks to a tire getting away from a crew member showed an incredible ability to bounce back from adversity.

Keselowski started that race in 15th and finished in 12th. Not to take anything away from Brad, but surviving Bristol and finishing in the top 15 near where he started was an okay day, especially compared to how badly races earlier in the season had finished for him.

The bottom line—how a driver reacts after a race depends a heck of a lot upon not only how he did in the race, but also how well he could have done in the race given his equipment, his crew, etc. for that day. Further, how that race compares to others just previous makes a big difference as well.

Just two weeks earlier, Kyle had crashed out early in the Vegas NNS race and finished 39th after starting fifth—again just one day before winning the Cup race.

The week before that, Kyle not only dominated and won the NNS race in California, but had also become the first driver ever to win two major NASCAR series races in the same day by winning the NCWTS race in dominating fashion as well.

That same race Keselowski started eighth but ended up finishing 27th—the same place he had finished the week before in California.

So looking over the races leading into Nashville, Kyle had finishes of fourth, first, and 39th and looked to be finishing first, or at least in the top three, at Bristol before the pit road violation.

Keselowski, on the other hand, had finishes of 22nd, 27th, and 27th before finishing 12th at Bristol. Given that record, it is easy to understand how he might see that as a "glass half-full" day.

Again I ask, where does any of this show "true character" in the "face of adversity"?

The more appropriate quote to use here, in my opinion, is that the measure of a "racer" is how badly he wants to win, how much he dislikes losing, and how he's never content with second place (and sometimes not even with first if it wasn't a dominating victory). Given that, my money's on Kyle every time, no matter who the opponent.

So, Kyle was curt and left the media center as soon as his obligations were complete. Did he say or do anything any worse than he has in the past when he's finished in second or third? It doesn't seem so.

Was he magnanimous in his praise for Logano? Probably not. Was he surly and nasty to other drivers or even to the press? Again, no more than usual, and actually less overall.

I can think of at least one instance this year where Kyle didn't win, but did finish third, and thus had media tent obligations.

At the end of the Sprint Cup race in California where Kyle had a chance to become the first driver to win all three events in NASCAR's three major series in one weekend and finished third, his interviews were actually quite pleasant and complimentary to Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, who battled it out in front of him for most, if not all, of the last segment of the race.

He knew his car wasn't good enough to compete with them and said he was glad to have had the best seat in the house to watch the two champions race each other ahead of him as hard as they did, giving the fans in Fontana a decent race for the finish for the first time in years. Sounds like he knows how to lose gracefully at least some of the time.

As final evidence, the author states that race winner Joey Logano's interview proved that Busch's attitude is more about his personality than his upbringing.

I don't even know what the heck that means. I assume the author is talking about how Kyle's behavior at the conference had more to do with his "second place is first loser" attitude and how he moved up through the ranks to get into the top series in NASCAR, and not about how his parents raised him at home.

Of course, making that comparison between Busch and Logano as though they might somehow be different seems to contradict exactly what the author offered up before—Logano was brought up in the best of everything, especially after having been signed to a development deal with JGR years before turning 18, much earlier in his career than Busch was offered a ride in a Roush truck.

The article finishes with a quote from Logano talking about how it was a team effort (something every winner says) and that a JGR 1-2 finish was "a big deal for the guys back at the shop."

The author then makes the conceptual leap that "it wasn't a big deal for Busch, who in just over a year at Joe Gibbs Racing has failed to embrace the team concept and shown his true colors enough times to make it his typical persona."

To say that Kyle hasn't embraced the team concept is simply to ignore the facts. Time and again Denny, Joey, JD, and Joe Gibbs have talked glowingly about how Kyle has worked with his teammates—going so far as to "shake down" Joey's car at Daytona to see if he could help improve it and giving him pointers on and off the track—about how to race, about to handle the fame and pressure at a young age, etc.

Joey has stated on numerous occasions how much both Kyle and Denny have helped him this year, and both JD and Joe (and Tony last year) have gone on in interviews time and again about how Kyle has brought a new vitality to the concept of JGR as a team, particularly back at the shop and in sharing information at the track.

Yeah, once they get down to the last few laps, it's every man for himself—but that's the same for every team (think Jimmie and Jeff at Martinsville two years ago, or Carl, Greg, and Matt last year at Dover).

As long as you don't outright wreck your own teammate(s), there are no "team orders," and if there were, the sport would lose far more than good hard clean competition for the fans—it would lose its integrity.

As for "showing his true colors," Kyle won 21 races last year across the three major series: 18 of them in the Cup and Nationwide Series, 17 of them for JGR.

According to an interview done earlier this year, it has been stated by numerous people that when possible, Kyle would treat his team very well back at the shop after such weekends—and not just his No. 18 team, but all of Joe Gibbs Racing.

According to Kyle, at least 10 times he has bought lunch for the whole shop. Because of his winning ways, crew members took home more bonus money and more mementos last year than in the past decade or more.

Sponsors stayed on-board, both those for Gibbs and Busch's personal sponsors as well. They even managed to involve some of his existing sponsors to branch out more, such as NOS.

Add to that the fact that he won 10 races overall in the Nationwide Series—tying the all-time single-season record held for more years than he had been alive by Sam Ard—then turned around and donated $100,000 to Ard to help with his medical expenses.

With his help, the No. 20 car was also able to bring home the Nationwide Series Owner's Championship. Kyle may have only won in it once in his three races in the car, but every little bit helped I'm sure.

The same held true for the No. 51 truck for Billy Ballew Motorsports. No, it didn't bring home an owner's championship, but it did much better in the standings than it ever would have done without him.

This year it only gets better. Each week during truck practice, Kyle can often be found on his back under the truck or working on some other portion to help out now that the new rules limit the number of crew members at the track.

The author himself ends with a statement about how having everything handed to him at a young age is "biting chunks out of his [Kyle's] character."

I don't know what biography or source the author uses to make such a claim, but I highly suggest research before making such a claim. I think he's quite a character and many others agree—whether he's winning or losing, you can't take your eyes off him.

And to make it right after quoting Joey Logano—the most "well-prepared" best-treated young driver to hit NASCAR ever—makes it all the more ironic.

After the article, the comments only get worse. They tend to focus on two areas: 1) how there are other drivers out there who are "as good" but don't act the same way and 2) that Kyle has only "ego" and "whining" but no "passion."

First of all, thank God that there are at least a few drivers as good as Kyle or every Sunday would be nearly as predictable as nearly every Friday and Saturday. But do we really want all of our drivers to act the same way?

An example one commenter uses is that of Denny Hamlin and how he responded after the race at Martinsville, where he was bumped out of the way and beaten by Jimmie Johnson after dominating much of the race.

She states, "He needs to take a lesson from his teammate Hamlin after Martinsville...you can still be upset that you lost, but still have some dignity and act mature."

Immediately that makes me think that if Denny didn't have that mindset and did get as upset as Kyle seems to when he loses, maybe Denny would have more wins. The same holds true for nearly every other driver out there.

When it comes to drivers that most put on approximately the same "level" at the moment, we are left with Busch, Johnson, and Edwards. When Jimmie Johnson loses, he keeps his composure, even when he's really not so happy about losing. But of course, when he does that, he is labeled by his detractors as being robotic and emotionless.

The only other driver to win as much or more than Kyle last year was Carl Edwards, and his actions and maturity level leave a lot to be desired as well. At the end of a Nationwide race in Michigan in 2006, Carl was spun into the infield on the last restart by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Carl objected to NASCAR, and when his objection was not upheld, he not only drove onto pit lane and exchanged words with Junior's crew, he then drove his car back down pit road, onto the track, and hit the side of Junior's car while Junior had his hand out the window. (Sound familiar?)

Moreover, many drivers and others around the garage describe Carl as having one face for the camera, and another for when he believes it is off.

One need only look back at his game of "made you flinch" with Matt Kenseth and his brief altercation with Kevin Harvick last year in the garage to see signs of the other side of "Cousin Carl."

And those were both incidents which happened well after the drivers had had at least enough time to cool off to change and in the case of Kevin Harvick, to wait a week.

My point here is not to knock either Johnson or Edwards but instead to show that different people have different ways of dealing with losing (or having their "feelings hurt" on the track by other drivers). To try to place one generic pre-conceived template out there and state that this is how drivers should act is ludicrous.

For example, the commenter states that she believes the "excuses" for Kyle running away to avoid the media when upset is getting old—a statement very similar to the response from the author that "when he's consistently the only driver acting like this it gets old."

If it's getting old, then like I said above, I'd think you'd expect it by now. I do. Anytime something bad happens to Kyle either by the fault of his team, another driver, his crew, NASCAR, or himself, I stay glued to the set to see what kind of antics he'll engage in this time. Sometimes it's none.

Sometimes he disappears quietly into the infield. Other times, he speaks and who knows what may come out of his mouth. It may be something complimentary to those who beat him, or it may be something bad-mouthing other drivers on the track or reporters for asking dumb questions.

So again, maybe the problem isn't that his behavior is "getting old" but that some simply don't like his behavior.

To me, Clint Bowyer is a very consistent race car driver who seems to almost always manage a pretty good finish.

I know that when he is interviewed after a race where he has usually finished in the top-10 or top-15, he's going to say the same things he said the week before.

But I don't gripe about it. I expect it, he says it, and I pay little attention and wait for the fireworks if someone who feels they were wronged gets interviewed.

Again, to go back to what I said before, nearly every driver acts the same way each week depending upon whether they've won or lost.

How many times have we heard certain drivers who consistently finish between fifth and 15th talk about how impossible it was to pass out there, but every week Busch, Edwards, and Johnson manage to do it at least once—more if they end up penalized for something and have to restart from the back.

How many times have we heard a driver say it was a good points day and they're happy with their finish? As has been said by numerous commentators, had Smokey Yunick heard talk like that, he would have been the first one to fire the driver and get someone who wants to win.

As for passion, Kyle's got more passion for the sport and for winning than any other driver out there. What you may hear as "whining," I hear as the frustration of a driver with more "fire-in-his-belly" than anyone else who just wants to race, and whose only goal is to win.

Believe it or not, the sport is about WINNING, not about looking good after you lose.

Sure, some may win popularity contests or win over the hearts of those "pulling for an underdog," but bottom line, all of these guys are the best of the best because they WON a lot in order to get where they are. They didn't settle for being second (or third, or fifth) best.

So to impugn someone's character and say he "likes to whine" and "doesn't have passion" is missing the point altogether. He's one of the few who says and shows EXACTLY how he feels and when he loses, he's very passionate about how much he doesn't like to lose and how much he doesn't care what you or I think about it.

That makes him my driver of choice every time he straps in and every time he climbs out of the car, win or lose.

NASCAR Nation's Favorite Question: Why Can't Junior Win?

M Brian Ladner — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:55:02 -0400

I just finished reading an article and commentary about it here on Bleacher Report, in which the author pleads for the media and members of NASCAR Nation to leave Dale Earnhardt Jr. alone so that "maybe then he just might start winning races."

The bizarrely illogical argument behind it is that all the pressure from the media, from the Earnhardt name, from Hendrick Motorsports, from the fans, etc. is somehow keeping him from fulfilling his potential as the champion he is (and was) supposed to be.

The article states its thesis simply in the first paragraph: "He's doing all he can; the only thing he can do is drive the car."

I hope that's not actually the case. That statement makes it sound like all other avenues for him to do better have either been blocked or have been tried and have failed.

Drivers have (or should have) far more input and play a far greater role in a team's success or failure than simply how well they can drive the car.

Further, the author goes on to say that he was "tired of people saying he [Dale Jr.] is underachieving, he needs to win, he has no passion, no heart. (sic)"

And I can understand that frustration. I watched for years as my boy Kurt Busch struggled mightily at Penske after doing so well with Roush Racing.

But what if he isn't underachieving? What if he is showing all the passion he has? What if he is putting all of his heart into it every week?

What then?

Do we come out and then admit the seemingly obvious—maybe that just isn't enough anymore and that Junior's racing career may have peaked already, reaching the pinnacle years ago and now circling down the slow oval into oblivion?

Or do we go to the other extreme and begin placing blame on anything and everything around him for why Junior is not winning races at the pace everyone expected him to—particularly the more vocal members of Junior Nation.

This playing of "the blame game" began long ago and is not new to Junior, to Hendrick, or to the sport as a whole.

Both Hendrick and Junior have come under fire for not replacing Tony Eury Jr., just as Steve Latarte came under fire last year for leading Gordon to his first winless season since his rookie year.

But as both Hendrick and Junior have insisted time and again, the fault doesn't lie with Tony Jr. and no one is about to break the two of them up.

Before he came to HMS, the blame was laid at his "evil stepmother's" feet and her mismanagement of his talents and the resources of Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Whether that was warranted or not, who knows, but all involved seemed to agree that the move to HMS was necessary if Junior wanted to get serious about competing for championships.

As a proud member of NASCAR Nation, I don't generally have a problem with "shutting up and letting Dale Jr. just drive."

I do have a problem with being told to do so and swallowing the excuse that my not doing so is what's keeping Junior out of Victory Lane, but I have no problem actually doing it.

In fact, I've never seen anyone from the media or from NASCAR Nation standing in the way of his car, his crew chief, his team, his pit crew, around the shop at HMS, or during the races themselves.

I also have no problem with understanding that he has more pressure on him than any other driver in NASCAR. Yes, he carries with him the "burden" of the Earnhardt name and all that goes with it.

But what is exactly is that "burden?" Notoriety? Pressure? Fame? Money? Unreasonable expectations? Popularity?

Before I go any further, I feel I should make this perfectly clear—no matter what it may sound like, I actually like Junior.

Back when I lived in Vegas in 2003-2004, I made a fair amount of money betting on him and on hometown favorite Kurt Busch at the casino sports books around town.

I bought my share of Junior-wear including a couple of T-shirts and even a twill jacket for my then-girlfriend, who was a Junior fanatic. And no, that is not why she is now an ex...

And yes, I am a fan of the Busch Brothers, but contrary to what many in Junior Nation may say and/or believe, it is not impossible to be a fan of both Kyle and Dale.

Yes, I like one more than the other, but that does not preclude me from liking or disliking other drivers based solely upon criteria that are only meaningful to me. I feel no compunction to have to explain myself when it comes to such things.

True, Junior Nation won't tell me where they hold their meetings since I came out years ago as a Busch Brothers fan, but that hasn't stopped me from pulling for him now and again just for the hell of it or for old times' sake.

To be more specific, I think Junior's image is incredibly good for the sport. He is a great ambassador for NASCAR—far better than say, my boy Kyle.

Junior has the name recognition, the looks, the "aw shucks" charm...who amongst us wouldn't want to BE Junior if we could (or be with Junior if you're female or that's your thing), even with all the negative publicity and everything he's gone through in his life.

I have no problem with any of that.

I have no problem even though I know that everyone goes through bad times in their lives and has bad things happen to them, to their friends, and to members of their family; one need look no further than Junior's team owner Rick Hendrick for evidence of that.

Some people have actually gone through trials and tribulations far worse than anything Junior will ever know and they don't have near the notoriety, the money, the power, and the support of an entire "Nation" that comes with being Dale Jr.

What I do have a problem with is people forgetting that Junior has chosen and continues to choose this as his profession. He seems to love to do it, he's fairly good at it, and he gets paid mad amounts of money to continue doing it.

And he knows going into each new season that the media circus is going to be more of the same as last year, and maybe worse.

Moreover, if he wakes up one morning and decides he doesn't like it anymore, retirement is always an option. How many people can say that at his age and in these troubled economic times!

It's not like he HAS to have a job to make his utility or car payments each month or he might end up taking cold showers before walking to the bus to get to work.

And I highly doubt he woke up one morning two years ago and thought, "Thank goodness I'm going to HMS. Now maybe the media and everyone else will just leave me alone and let me drive. I'll bet I never have to face another camera, microphone, or dumb question from the media again. Now I'll do well."

And if he did wake up with that delusion, he's got far more problems than the media and NASCAR Nation bugging him with questions each week.

I'm no expert, I have no inside knowledge, and I make no claims to know what goes on inside Junior's head, between he and Tony Jr., or behind closed doors at HMS.

But to this outsider, evidence of the problem seems to have come by way of the "recommitment to racing" he has had to make over the past few months.

Junior has become such an icon and has so many other business, sponsor, and endorsement commitments, as well as personal appearances to tend to, that it seems to take away from his time and attention as a racer.

Team owner Rick Hendrick has said, "I can tell you we've looked at everything. Dale Jr. is working out. He's changed his eating habits. We have all the folks we've got who hopefully and supposedly know what to do here focused on that team."

So Rick is doing everything he can.

Even Jeff Gordon has talked quite a bit about how he has committed himself this year to becoming a better driver and a better teammate overall by doing things he hadn't done in the past, like working out.

Seems like a reasonable approach and more importantly, it seems to be paying dividends for the four-time champion on his "drive for five."

There have been rumblings about instructions to Junior's PR people that they might want to slow down on his personal appearance schedule so Jr. could focus more on his racing.

If that's the case, the question everyone should be asking is "What the heck has he been focusing on up to now?" instead of "Why won't everybody just leave him alone?"

Nowhere in any statement by either Rick Hendrick or Jeff Gordon was the media or pressure from the fans listed as a reason for a lack of success.

Bottom line, nobody's stopping Junior from getting out there and driving his butt off but Junior. And I do believe he is out there driving his butt off every race.

I'm sure that although he knows he can't control what's going to be said about him by the media and the fans—especially when he's not winning—he sure as heck knows that he could quiet much of the noise by winning some races. Nothing would please him more.

In the big picture, Junior wants for NOTHING. Personally, he makes more money in one year than most people in the world will see in their entire lives.

Professionally, he's not out there driving for some one-car start-up team begging for sponsorship money each week and having to qualify on time or go home.

He drives for a car owner that nearly everyone in the garage respects highly and for whom they would kill to work. Heck, Hendrick even managed to resurrect Mark Martin from retirement into a full-time schedule with an offer to come drive for him.

And Hendrick is giving him the best of everything and going above and beyond the call of duty to try to work out whatever problems are keeping that team from doing better than it currently is.

Blaming it on the media or on NASCAR Nation for not "leaving him alone" is ridiculous.

And comparing him to guys like Burton or Martin as was done in the "open letter" referenced above is disingenuous at best; those guys are nowhere near as popular with the fans, nowhere near as well-known inside and outside of the sport, nor do they make anywhere near the money he does.

If, as is being said, he is doing ALL HE CAN and he says so, then I have no problem believing him. If that is the case, however, can we reasonably expect much more out of him, whether he is "bothered" by the media and his detractors or not?

Dale Sr. never let the press nor his detractors get to him, and he not only perfected playing the role of "bad guy" (something Junior has never had to deal with), but he also practically invented the concepts of marketing and branding deals and endorsements in NASCAR.

The argument laid out in the article mentioned and where the blame for Junior's lack of success recently rests is specious at best.

Finally, it's not the pressure that the media, the Earnhardt name, the members of Junior and/or the NASCAR Nation, nor his teammates at HMS that matters here.

What should matter here is the pressure he puts on himself to win. People want to bash drivers like Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart for letting off steam when they don't win or when something bad happens to them during a race.

But drivers who need to "let off steam" need to do so because "steam" is generated by heat and pressure—in this case the pressure to win and succeed at what they do—drive race cars.

Maybe that's not how Junior operates or what motivates him and the comparison is unfair; I can concede that. But the point remains the same—he has within his grasp everything he should need to make it happen and it's not happening.

The "open letter" to NASCAR Nation concludes with the statement that, "Bottom line, let him race and be like any other race car driver" as if that were the panacea to all of his problems.

But as we all know, he's not like any other race car driver, and that has worked for and against him throughout his career. Like it or not, he is going to be subject to more scrutiny than other drivers, but he's known that since day one.

Along with that, however, is the knowledge that he does receive special treatment—maybe not on the track as conspiracy theorists may want to have us believe, but in life.

He owns a go-kart track on some of his land in North Carolina, one of the most popular night-clubs in all of Charlotte, and has some of the most lucrative marketing and endorsement deals of all the drivers in NASCAR.

And as they used to say about particularly charismatic actors in the past, every man wants to be him, and every woman wants to be with him.

And it doesn't just end there. As I type this, I'm watching one of the most ridiculous commercials I've ever seen for a "Dale Jr. High Octane" die-cast motorcycle. Why? I don't know.

The bottom line here is that instead of looking outward for the causes and people, places, or things to blame, the spotlight needs to be pointed inward to see what's really going on. Only then can he and his team begin to make progress.

Hopefully, NASCAR's most popular driver can once again become one of NASCAR's most successful drivers.

That's where the the real bottom line comes in—the one that matters from a team, owner, track promoter, or NASCAR's point of view: Junior sells tickets and puts (and keeps) butts in seats. And that is something that surely couldn't hurt the sport as a whole in these trying economic times.

18 Reasons To Hate NASCAR's Kyle Busch

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:49:29 -0400

As the first part of my sure-to-be-best-seller, A Beginner's Guide to Hating Kyle Busch, I offer up this introduction as a teaser for those already familiar with him as well as for those who might be new to NASCAR and know of him only by reputation.

The impetus for this began a little over a year ago when someone asked the following on a "question-and-answer" Web site: "Why do people hate Kyle Busch?"

Before going on you may be asking, "Why should anyone listen to a Kyle Busch 'apologist' when it comes to listing reasons to hate NASCAR's most disliked driver?"

To which I would respond, "Maybe because as a Rowdy fan, I've heard them all, time and time again."

Back to the original question, I answered it as honestly as I could from the eyes of a Busch-basher, added a bit of "big picture" perspective, and in doing so my response was chosen as the "Best Answer."

The question was posed by someone claiming to be a newcomer to NASCAR who couldn't seem to understand the animosity toward the boy he heard about in the few chances he had been able to catch a race.

Results of investigations into whether or not the person posing the question was in fact a newcomer to NASCAR Nation or was just another Busch-basher wanting to live vicariously through other people's responses to the question have yet to be divulged to the general public.

This was by no means the first time this question was asked, nor was it to be the last.

I continued to follow that site and many others and have found that answers to this question are usually vehement, vitriolic, and sometimes downright vile—especially when such questions and responses come from fans of Junior Nation, although they are by no means alone in their disdain for the 23-year-old Las Vegas native.

Mind you, other drivers, including the mild-mannered Jeff Burton and the sometimes not-so-mild-mannered Carl Edwards, have said things about or done things to NASCAR's most popular driver during his Cup career and have had to deal with few to none of the ramifications that Kyle was about to face.

But then again, this was different.

The particular time the question was asked was a time of extreme emotions. Kyle had been involved just weeks before in the now-famous tangle with Dale Jr. at Richmond in the Spring of 2008.

In that race, Junior seemed well on his way to breaking his streak of not having won a race in two years until he and Busch got together near the end of the race resulting in Busch finishing second and Junior 16th.

Being a one-time hometown fan of the incomparable Brothers Busch myself, I felt it my duty to help these poor Busch-bashing souls out—lending a voice to their frustration, their anger, and their pain.

To do so, I listed 26 reasons (one for each letter of the alphabet) that I found people using to rationalize, justify, and explain why they hate him so.

Notice I didn't use the word "dislike" as many of the answers back then (as now) were well beyond any such pleasantries, euphemisms, or even toned-down responses.

Since then, times have changed, but the fact that Busch is one of the most polarizing drivers on the track still remains.

He is still booed mercilessly, he still gets pelted with cans whether he wins or loses, and he is still vilified by a huge number of professional and amateur journalists, bloggers, and bulletin board posts on any given weekend.

So for the benefit of the beginner, as well as for the benefit of the not-so-new who might have problems putting into words exactly why they hate him so, I have distilled the list down to what I feel are the top 18 reasons people seem to dislike him so.

If I've left out your favorite reason or reasons for hating him, I apologize in advance. On second thought, I take that back. If I missed your favorite reason, comment on it below or write your own damn article...

So without further ado, "18 Reasons To Hate Kyle Busch."

1. He is a "sore loser," especially after a hard loss.

One need only look back to this year's Martinsville Truck race, the Bristol Nationwide race, or any number of races last year for supposed "prime examples" of such behavior.

2. He runs in the "lower-tier" series and "stinks up the show" for the regulars there.

Winning 21 races across all three series last year—including 10 in the Nationwide Series alone—then coming back to attempt it again this year...come on, give someone else a chance.

Never mind the talent and versatility it takes to drive such different types of cars, often without breaks in-between. Never mind how hard it is to win any race at those levels, especially against other Cup regulars competing in the same races.

And never mind that his presence (along with other Cup regulars) draws crowds to many of those races and gives younger drivers drivers to learn from.

He should stick to the major leagues and quit dabbling in the "minors" (although I wouldn't want to tell many of the drivers in those series like Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday Jr. that they are "minor leaguers").

3. He often dominates races in the Cup Series and "stinks up the show" for the regulars there.

This speaks for itself.

4. He shows "no respect" for other drivers and races everyone the same—too hard.

Worse, he is totally unapologetic about it—even if it leads to less than optimal results for him, for the other driver, or both. That includes not only the sport's most popular driver but his own brother as well.

Richmond wasn't the "first tango" for Busch and Dale Jr. and who can ever forget the site of the two Busch Brothers spinning out and hitting the wall to the sound of overwhelming applause in the 2007 Sprint All-Star Challenge. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

5. His house was recently featured on Cribs and neither your house nor your favorite driver's house was.

Plus, he's got a hotter girlfriend than most of us will ever be able to get the time of day from. And he managed to get her even after his well-known gaffe at the 2006 Sprint Cup Awards Banquet where he forget his then-girlfriend's name and instead called her his brother's wife's name.

6. Even when he wins you never know if he's going to say something that makes fans and detractors alike cringe.

After winning the first race in the Car of Tomorrow (COT) ever, he was asked immediately after getting out of the new car what he thought about them. He answered emphatically and without pause, "I can't stand them...they suck!"

7. He seems to relish goading on the fans on while playing the role of the villain.

Brushing away fake tears while being booed, asking Busch-bashers to throw full beers instead of empties so he'd have something to drink, and even picking up an empty can thrown at him recently and pretending to drink it are just a few of the many ways he needles his detractors.

8. Those huge sunglasses he wears, particularly the gold ones.

And more recently, his insistence at Bristol on wearing the new hat Ray Evernham gave him for winning at Vegas (see picture above). What, has he become too big to wear a hat with his sponsor or team logo on it?

9. That bow of his after he wins a race as well as the bow he coaxed the whole team to take during introductions at the 2008 Sprint All-Star Challenge.

Although fans and apologists view this literally as his paying tribute to the fans who stayed to watch the whole race (like actors do after a performance), his detractors see it as nothing more than yet another twist of the blade in their collective side.

10. He gets an inordinate amount of attention from this press.

For the past year and half there have probably been more column inches written and more airtime spent talking about this "young punk" then NASCAR's most popular driver (Dale Jr.) and NASCAR's most successful driver this decade (Jimmie Johnson) combined.

11. He is Kurt Busch's brother.

Kurt didn't come into the sport and start making friends from the get-go, especially when it came to dealing with Mr. Excitement himself—Jimmy Spencer. By the time Kyle came along, the "Busch" name was already "mud" in many people's eyes and Kyle did little to nothing to change that view.

12. All of his fans are "bandwagoners" who only like him because he's winning lately.

Before his move to Joe Gibbs Racing, there were absolutely no Kyle Busch fans. The boy didn't even rate his own merchandise trailer at most tracks. Sure, he was winning in all three series while driving for HMS (and Ballew).

He even somehow managed to finish 10th in Cup points in 2006 and follow that with a fifth place finish in 2007.

And along the way, he continued to set records left and right for "youngest driver to" or "only driver to" do this or that. But nobody actually liked the guy and those that claim they do now will drop him like a bad habit once his winning ways subside.

13. He drives a "ferrin'" car and often uses it to beat "'murrican" cars, and is somehow cheating in the process.

Again, before his move to JGR the boy had only won four Cup races and a handful of races in the other series. And that members of the JGR Nationwide teams were caught trying to cheat a post-race dyno test only proves that he must be cheating in all three series.

Never mind that he racked up wins and top-fives in that same year driving for Billy Balew, Braun Racing, D'Hondt, and JGR. More saliently, the day the cheating was attempted, he wasn't even in the race or on the track. He had spent much of the day in NASCAR's control booth.

14. His mother is just as outspoken as he is.

In an interview talking about her boys while expecting to be booed along with them mercilessly during introductions before the race Mother's Day, 2007, Gaye Busch said "I've always told my Kurt and Kyle to keep their chins up and let it roll off their shoulders, get used to it. Sorry my boys weren't born in the South and sorry they win."

15. The media hate him because he can be curt, surly, condescending, arrogant, and dismissive.

In short, he doesn't suffer fools gladly and makes his scorn obvious. Worse, he can be downright hard to catch and keep up with when he's bolting from the track after a bad day—especially for most out-of-shape journalists

16. He just beat your favorite driver...again.

17. He just wrecked your favorite driver...again.

And last but not least:

18. His picture is in the NASCAR dictionary under "checkers or wreckers."

Add just one more of his qualities to this list and nearly every one of these turns from a reason for his detractors to hate him to a reason for his fans to love him:

19. He doesn't seem to care what you, I, or anybody else thinks about him, either on or off the track. He loves racing and he loves winning. Anything less is unacceptable and everything else is just noise.

As I've said many times in many place, this "Rowdy" fan has watched him and his brother come up as the so-called "hometown heroes" from where I saw my first live race in 2003 (I never got to see him race trucks for Roush back in 2001).

But from his early days at Hendrick Motor Sports to his current success with Joe Gibbs Racing, I have followed the boy and watched him carefully. And what I, as his "No. 1 Fan" have found is:

"Rowdy" may not always win, he may not always say or do "the right thing," and he will most likely never be voted "Most Popular Driver," but he has never let me down.

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

Overheard In The NASCAR Garage: Kyle Busch To Start Two New Race Teams

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:38:55 -0400

The on-again off-again possibility of Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) expanding its operations to include a new truck team seem to be back on again according to a fairly reliable source—his brother Kurt.

In late February, Kyle "Rowdy" Busch had expressed some interest in moving the shop he owns into NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series.

But according to an article published online on March 6th by Mike Mulhern, a NASCAR reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, Busch had put his truck ownership plans on hold.

"I need a better business model," Busch said. "We spent way too much money on our Late Model team last year, and we need to straighten that out."

"To start up a Truck team would require at least $8 million, and to run it for year would cost another $3 million. That's an $11 million investment right off the bat."

"I need to start working on a retirement plan first," Busch said.

That plan, however, may have changed. While waiting through the rain delay before Sprint Cup practice in Martinsville was canceled Saturday, brother Kurt "spilled the beans" about what's on the horizon for KBM.

While being interviewed by Matt Yocum on SPEED in the garage area, the brothers were asked what the hottest topic between them was, as many others in the garage were consumed with talking about hot dogs and eating competitions.

Kurt answered, "It's R/C cars right now. There's these new stadium trucks out, so it's like the old Mickey Thompson days."

"I was trying to set a budget with him [Kyle] on what we think we're going to spend but he's got a bunch of sponsors lined up so I had to call all my old buddies so it's on."

When asked where they were going to build a track, Kurt answered, "He [Kyle] is building a brand new race shop...he's going to get a truck team put together. We'll just push the trucks outside and put the track inside."

Kyle responded, "I think you just announced it for me now though."

Kurt immediately tried deflecting his slip of the tongue, "No, no. We've got priorities with R/C cars right now."

Yocum followed up with some questions to Kyle about how he's got a lot going on, including some cool things coming up in the near future.

Kyle hesitated for a long moment, then answered, "Yeah the [long pause] the stuff going on now is the cool stuff, really, the R/C stuff."

"Team Associated has been with us since the beginning, since we always raced R/C cars," Kyle continued. "So I called up a guy that I know there and was like 'Hey man what you got' so they sent us some stuff."

"So myself and Scott Speed we're starting a team. If Kurt wants to join in on it he's more than welcome to. It's Team BS, you know, all BS all the time. We'll see how it goes—just something to have some fun with on Wednesday nights in Charlotte."

Inmate Sues, Claims "NASCAR Made Me Do It"

M Brian Ladner — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:54:28 -0500

In the "How NASCAR Changed My Life" department, a federal prison inmate has filed a $23 million lawsuit claiming that NASCAR is responsible for his criminal ways—felonies ranging from speeding to credit card fraud.

According to an article by Larry Woody, serial litigator and prisoner Jonathan Lee Riches has once again filed suit in U.S. District Court, this time in Richmond, Va.

Riches' latest lawsuit—one of hundreds to date—states that watching NASCAR races, "influenced him to speed...doing 135 mph and getting tickets."

Not only did NASCAR influence him to speed, but NASCAR addiction drove him further into a life of crime by pushing him to use illegally obtained credit cards to support his habit.

"I used (Kyle) Petty's Discover Card to buy Mark Martin Viagra," according to the complaint, obviously a little out of touch with the times (Viagra hasn't sponsored Martin since the end of the 2005 season).

His NASCAR addiction led him to buy race tickets using credit cards he knew to be fraudulent, "but the defendants insisted they did not care and encouraged me to buy Budweiser beer and funnel cake with more stolen funds."

Finally, he claims that Jeff Gordon's DuPont-sponsored car, "poisoned me with DuPont chemicals. I pray this court will grant my motions for relief. I don't want to die in prison."

This is not the first time Riches has filed suit against a member of the NASCAR community, according to a summary on Justia.com.

On Sept. 12, 2007, Riches sued Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports, alleging that, "Gordon conspired with Barry Bonds, Michael Vick and others to drive his life insane, create madness in the world, and use the No. 24 as a weapon of mass destruction."

He further alleged that Gordon, "tied him to the bumper during the Talladega race, took KITT from Night Rider, used his No. 24 car in illegal car fights at Jiffy Lube Express, and used the No. 24 to hit Juan Valdez's horse."

In that case, Riches was seeking "a preliminary injunction to prevent defendant from driving off without paying at Sunoco stations."

That case was dismissed eight days later.

[NOTE: For a list of some of Mr. Riches' more outlandish lawsuits, click here.]

NASCAR and Its Fans: Are You Questioning My Fanhood?

M Brian Ladner — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:34:19 -0500

Why are NASCAR fans such snobs when it comes to their sport and in particular, their favorite driver? Yes, I said it, snobs. At times, it seems like many NASCAR fans' favorite pastime is not racing but instead bashing other NASCAR fans and their favorite drivers.

Is it because the rest of the country has looked down their noses at NASCAR fans for so long that now they feel it's their duty to continue the tradition and look down their noses on somebody else—and the choices are either fans of monster truck rallies or other NASCAR fans?

One doesn't normally associate, read, or hear the words "NASCAR" and "snob" used together very often, but one need look no further than at least half of the articles or any of the comments on B/R or any other NASCAR site to see evidence of it.

Before I go on, let me get this out of the way: To be perfectly clear—besides maybe soccer fans, NASCAR fans are some of the loudest, proudest, most loyal, most dedicated fans of any sport on the planet. They are also probably the most stereotyped and joked-about group of fans on the planet as well, which may well explain their extreme loyalty.

That being said, the impetus for this article comes from some extremely long comments I have made on articles and comments written by others—usually in response to someone saying, "Well, they can't be real or true fans because..." and in the process questioning someone else's "fanhood."

A few people pointed out that it would be much quicker and my ideas would get much more exposure if I came back and wrote an article rather than spend all that time writing comments, so here goes...

I have read endless comments and articles going on about how NASCAR has changed so much since that pivotal day in 2001 when NASCAR lost its greatest icon that they don't even bother to watch anymore.

And some of the reasons they give have some validity: the cars all look the same now; networks spend more time showing commercials than they do showing actual racing; the new fans have no appreciation for the history of the sport, etc.

Most of those old-time NASCAR fans have their points and I believe many of them when they say they don't watch anymore. Those are all at least partially valid criticisms when taken from the perspective of a long-time fan.

But they are not the focus of this article. They may be a part, but they are not about whom I am writing. The "fans" (or more appropriately "fanatics") that I am talking about are those who believe that their fanhood is somehow bigger and better than that of others—even others who might happen to have the same favorite driver they do.

In the interest of revealing my biases, let me say up front to those who don't know me that I am a die-hard Busch brothers fan. Kurt was making a splash at the Cup level when I first "caught the fever" shortly before attending my first live race in Las Vegas. He was brash, he was arrogant, and he was talented. Whenever he was on the track he was a force to be reckoned with.

But I never got to see his entry into big-time NASCAR racing back in his truck series days. But I did get to see Kyle's entry into the sport and remember all the noise that was being made about him as awaited his 18th birthday so he could come back to racing in NASCAR's main series.

And after Kurt had won the Championship in 2004 and I read a quote from years earlier when he said something to the effect of "If you think I'm a great driver, just wait till my little brother comes along," my interest in the younger of the hometown boys was piqued.

But this is not an article about me and my fanhood—I am saving that for another day. This is an article about NASCAR fans—particularly those who seem to find it necessary to look down and bash other drivers and other NASCAR fans.

In all the comments I've read and heard about what a "true" or "real" NASCAR fan is, more often than not you hear two phrases: 1) sticks with the same driver through good times and bad (especially through the tough times) and 2) bandwagoners.

If we look at that first statement, the truest of fans would then have to be those of guys like Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Paul Menard, and David Gilliland just to name a few. Petty and Waltrip have had their good times, though few and far between, and the others have yet to have any really good times. So their die-hard fans must be the most "real" and most "true" of all.

If we examine both of these phrases more deeply, however, we quickly see that NASCAR fans have set up a hierarchy of "fandom" for themselves and in so doing have built up a class structure—usually one that puts them at or near the top.

Those at the highest level are fans that have had a favorite driver since the invention of the horse-and-buggy and that hasn't changed even though that driver retired decades ago, or so it would seem.

Below them are those who have a strong sense and remembrance of the history of the sport and can tell you how they were there at every one of Richard Petty's 200 wins.

Below them are those fans listed above who have followed the sport since before the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt. Those fans remember what it was like "back in the day" when real men raced real stock cars and threw real fists when problems erupted on the track.

And then we move into the Jeff Gordon era fans. Young, brash, and highly talented, he never allowed himself to be intimidated and was winning races and championships at an incredible clip through the 90s. His fans at the time were few and far between, but have grown with time.

One of the first jokes I remember hearing as a NASCAR fan was "What's a NASCAR fan's four favorite words?" "Easy, the last four words of the national anthem, 'gentlemen start your engines.'" "What are a NASCAR fan's second favorite four words?" "Gordon's in the wall."

I didn't understand the dislike of Gordon then and honestly still don't to this day, at least not personally. I can understand why others might not like this Yankee going out on the track and beating those good ol' boys week in and week out, but it's not his fault he was so talented and didn't look or talk like them.

Now as we near the bottom of the hierarchy we get to those fans who have only become fans since the death of the Intimidator. So many times I have heard that one cannot be a real race fan if you never saw "the Big E" race live.

Often mixed in with those fans are others who are "Daytona 500" fans—those who watch only on NASCAR's version of Super Sunday. I fell into that group for a long time as my family was more into NHRA growing up, but we would watch the occasional Daytona 500 and/or Indy 500 each year.

Now we reach the bottom of the hierarchy as we get into those fans who have only ever known NASCAR since the beginning of the Chase format in 2004. Battles rage endlessly between "pre-chase" fans and "post-chase" fans, usually about things like whether or not Gordon has been robbed of a couple of championships because of the format change.

The other hot button topic for defining these fans is to ask them if the drivers of yesteryear would be able to be as competitive today as they were back in the day. Anyone who doesn't believe that Cale Yarborough couldn't go out and whup the field before climbing out of the car and whupping the Busch brothers are "lesser fans."

And finally at the bottom, we have "the bandwagoners." These are essentially defined most often as "fair-weather fans." They root for their favorite driver as long as he is winning, and when he stops, they move on to the next big thing.

NASCAR fans in general talk about "bandwagoners" as though they are something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe after leaving the track once the race is over. Currently, fans of Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and most often Kyle Busch are accused of being bandwagoners—only having jumped on their fan train since last year or slightly before when they started winning consistently.

[NOTE: I have left Junior Nation (and the Junior-bashers) specifically out of this discussion for two main reasons: 1) any discussion involving fans for or against Junior always loses focus of the point at hand and devolves into ugliness about the fans themselves and 2) they are a Nation unto themselves, with their own hierarchical rules.]

Now that we've loosely defined the various "classes" of NASCAR fans, let's look at why they exist and what good it does anyone overall.

Surely, any sports fan will tell you that you will always have the "superfans," the regular fans, and the weekend warriors. And many will also tell you that if you don't have a long-time favorite—and a damn good reason for having that favorite—then what's the point of watching at all.

It's the second part of that gets under my skin. When I was younger I played baseball and I was pretty good. Back then I loved to watch baseball games either in person or on TV as I identified with the players.

Coming from Northern California originally, the first live games I saw were watching the Giants at Candlestick or the Oakland A's back when they had guys like Charley Finley, Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, Reggie Jackson, and at times, Billy Martin associated with the team.

But as we moved around (I'm a military brat), most TV stations carried more regional games, so I didn't get to see much of my Giants or Athletics until the post-season. I did manage to read every book I could find on Babe Ruth when I was in junior high and became a Yankee fan for many years after that.

Since leaving graduate school in the mid-90s, I have moved all over the South and the West and I still like the Giants, even though Los Angeles—home of the Giant's rivals the Dodgers—is where I call home.

Then I moved to Seattle in 2001. I used to go to games to watch the latest sensation—Ichiro Suzuki—as he led the Mariners to one of the most successful seasons in history. By then I didn't even really care about baseball all that much.

I couldn't tell you who the newest expansion teams were or who even won the World Series the year before. On a good day I could remember who won the Little League World Series as I still love to watch that, but that too is a story for another day.

Did the fact that I wore my Mariner hat with pride wherever I went make me a Seattle bandwagoner? Maybe. Did I care? No. Did it lessen my enjoyment of the game when I would head out to the field? Definitely not.

Did I no longer like the Giants? No, I just paid more attention to the Mariners as they were doing better that year and they were closer to home. Thus, there were many different factors that influenced me and who I rooted for throughout my life.

The same concepts apply in various situations in NASCAR as well. I have one friend who was a Kasey Kahne fan starting in 2004 not because he particularly liked him, but because Kahne was taking over the car from his all-time favorite, Bill Elliott.

His wife, a long-time Mark Martin fan, came upon hard times when Martin announced his (first) retirement. Her collection of No. 6 Viagra cars, clothes, and other memorabilia became "collectibles" and she found she had to choose a new favorite driver.

Being savvy about NASCAR and having kept up with who was hot and who was not, she started cheering on Carl Edwards as she saw potential in him—potential to be a winner.

I don't believe anyone walks into the track or watches from week to week and picks the worst driver on the track just because they like underdogs. They may pick them because they've stuck with them for decades, but picking those who generally finish outside the top-20 means that the only time you are going to see any coverage of your driver is when he causes a big one that takes out the front of the field.

So does that make her a Carl Edwards bandwagoner because he has finally begun fulfilling the potential she saw in him then? Does that make me a Kyle Busch bandwagoner because he has now finally begun fulfilling the potential that he and many others saw in him years ago.

And what about fans of drivers like Joey Logano? He's not even a "winner" yet (at least not in the Cup series) and already there are cries that Logano fans have only glommed onto him because of his hype, because he's only ever been able to win in the best of equipment, etc.

Bottom line, why should the reason behind a person liking a particular driver matter at all? Why should how long they've been a fan of the sport matter at all?

Who really cares and whose business is it why some people like one driver and others like another? We all know fans who have picked favorite drivers based upon a car color, a paint scheme, a sponsor, a hair style, his eyes, his car number, who drove it before, etc. Each of those is a seemingly far worse reason for picking a favorite driver than "he's winning a lot."

And so what if that's the reason someone likes him? Who is to judge someone's motivations for liking a driver and changing that whenever they please? Winners are generally more fun to watch then losers, and the winners generally change from season to season and from decade to decade.

Personally, I find it rather bizarre that someone might switch from being a Junior fan to not liking him because he went to the dark side at HMS. But that's me.

I also don't understand why whether a driver is in a Chevy or a Toyota should make necessarily make any difference as to how much I like and pull for him; but again, that's just me.

My favorite drivers (the Busch brothers) have driven and won in Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Toyotas, Trucks, Nationwide cars and Cup series "Cars of Yesterday" and "Cars of Today." Didn't make one whit of difference to me as they didn't change, only the type and nameplate on the cars did.

Honestly, does it make you feel better about rooting for your favorite driver each time he loses to Kyle or Carl or Jimmie when you have to put others down to do it? Can't you just take joy in the accomplishments of your favorite without having to bash other drivers and their fans to do so?

I was at the track in Fontana last Sunday decked out in my full M&Ms No. 18 regalia when I was jeered by some Junior Nation fans from behind me. Mind you, I had extra tickets so I had invited a Junior-lovin' Busch-bashin' friend of mine and his wife (an AJ Allmendinger fan) to join me.

As Kyle was introduced, the boos and jeers began, and the guy behind us started yelling "I HATE YOU KYLE BUSCH" as though he was the guy in the Chase commercials from last year, where "he can't hear you if you're not there."

Three-quarters of the way through the race we noticed the No. 88 limping around behind the rest of the field. Every time it would go by it sounded like someone had run over a cat in a sock with a vacuum cleaner. Finally, mercifully, Junior made that hard left turn into the garage and his day was done.

What was sad was that it was at that point droves of fans got and began filing out of the stands, even though Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth were putting on one of the best finishes I've ever seen at the Auto Club Speedway.

It was as if we were back on the school playground and the big kids were saying to the rest of us, "Well, if my driver isn't in the race anymore I'm just going to pack up my fandom and go home. Screw the rest of the drivers and NASCAR as a whole. I just don't care who wins if Junior's not in it."

I know that's overstatement and I'm not out to raise the ire of any members of Junior Nation, but I do want to bring up that sometimes living by example and karma are the order of the day.

Once Junior pulled that car into the garage while I watched my boy whipping around in third place doing his best to catch up to the leaders, I could have very easily turned and made some negative comment. But really, what good would that have done?

Besides putting myself in danger by being highly outnumbered, it would have just fed fuel to the fire that Kyle Busch fans are poor sports like their favorite driver. Instead, I chose to take the higher road and commiserate with my friend now that he was stuck there with me the rest of the race and Junior was no longer in it.

When fans put others down for their choices and their reasons for making them, they create what once might have been considered an oxymoron—the NASCAR Snob, whose credo is "You can't possibly be as big a fan as I am because you are backing a winning driver and he hasn't been around as long as my favorite." The logic in such a statement (or lack thereof) is astonishing.

The important point is that someone IS a NASCAR fan, and as such should be welcomed as a member of the NASCAR Nation—not put down because they might like Kasey Kahne because he's "just so cute" or Junior because he's an Earnhardt.

The thing to remember is they are fans now (even if bandwagon Kyle Busch fans), and besides causing me a little more pain as the lines at the No. 18 vendor trailer are longer than ever, we should be glad just to have 'em aboard.

In these economic times where sponsors are watching carefully the number of NASCAR fans there are in general, we should shoot to be inclusive and accepting of fans new to the sport rather than exclusive and judgmental.

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

Kyle Busch Sweeps Texas, Ties Nationwide Series Record (Updated)

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:25:38 -0400

For the second time this year, Kyle Busch dominated the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota Camry.

The domination was apparent from the beginning—Busch even managed to break his own record for most laps led (147) in an NNS race at the track back in 2004.

In the Spring, Busch led 126 out of 200 laps in garnering his first Nationwide win of this year.

By winning the Fall race, he became the first driver to sweep both events at the track in one season, leading 174 of the 200 laps in an even more dominating fashion.

With this victory, the 23-year-old Busch also achieved three more major milestones.

First, he won his 21st race in the Busch/Nationwide Series, tying him for tenth on the all-time win list in the series with Harry Gant and Dale Earnhardt.

Second, the Vegas native found Victory Lane for the 21st time this year across all three series, further separating his season total from the previous record of 14 set by Kevin Harvick in 2006.

Busch has now won a series-high eight races in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series, a series-high ten times in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and three times in the Craftsman Truck Series.

And third, with this his 10th win in the Nationwide series, Busch tied Sam Ard's record for most wins in the series in a year—a record set back in 1983, before Busch was even born.

Moreover, Busch tied Ard's record in only his 27th start in the series this year. Ard racked up his 10 victories in 35 starts, winning five of the last six races of the year to do so.

With two races left in the Nationwide series this year, Busch is poised to break Ard's record. Busch is not only the defending race winner at Phoenix from last year's Fall race, but he also won there earlier this year as well.

Busch's record in the Nationwide Series is not as extensive or impressive at Homestead where he has run only twice. He finished third in 2004 and 41st after crashing in 2006.

Moments after the race, Busch announced from Victory Lane that he would be donating $100,000 to help Ard with his healthcare costs.

Ard, a two-time series champion (1983-84), suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is experiencing financial difficulties because of his illness.

"Sam Ard is one of the pioneers of this sport and one of the guys who built this deal," Busch said.

"To be tied with him in 10 wins, that's pretty spectacular and really special to me...I told myself during this race that he had health issues, so I am going to go ahead and give him $100,000."

"I am going to try and help him out some and see what I can do. It's not much, but it's something that can try to help him and everything he's going through...Hopefully that'll help put a smile on his face."

UPDATED (Nov. 3, 2008): I'm not even going to try to rewrite an excellent AP article on what Kyle Busch's donation is going to do for the Ard family.

NASCAR.com picked up the story and it is both heart-wrenching and (thanks to people like Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and now Kyle Busch) uplifting at the same time.

Ards can't put price on Busch $100,000 donation

Kyle Busch's Drive for 25

M Brian Ladner — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:15:48 -0400

Kyle Busch may be out of contention for the Sprint Cup, but he certainly hasn't lost his drive.

"Rowdy" Busch still has his eyes on a few more prizes. In particular, he wants 25 wins.

Busch already has 20 wins in NASCAR’s top three series in 2008, those coming in his 71 (yes, 71) starts so far this year. That works out to about one win in every 3.5 starts.

Busch has eight Sprint Cup victories in 31 starts, nine Nationwide Series wins in 27 starts, and three trips to victory lane in the Craftsman Truck Series in only 13 starts.

And that doesn't count all the late model and other races he dashes off to in his "spare time," at least a couple of which he has won.

Given that the season still has five more Sprint Cup races, four more Nationwide races, and five more Craftsman Truck races, there is no reason to believe he can't do it.

"It’s any driver’s dream to be able to win like we have this year. We just didn’t know how things would go this year with a new team at Joe Gibbs Racing, M&M’s, Toyota, everyone, and it certainly exceeded my expectations.

"To win 20 races is crazy to think about, but there’s still plenty of racing left to go and I would love to get to 25 total, and a few more wins with the M&M’s guys before the year is over. That will be the goal, anyway."

He'll go for win No. 21 in Saturday’s truck race at Martinsville Speedway, returning Sunday for the Tums QuikPak 500 Cup race.

While he has had the same crew chief, team, and car owner for his 31 Sprint Cup starts (Steve Addington, No. 18, Joe Gibbs Racing) and his 13 Craftsman Truck Series starts (Richie Wauters, No. 51, Billy Balew Motorsports), the same cannot be said of the series in which he has his most wins.

In his 27 Nationwide Series starts, Busch has worked with eight different crew chiefs (Dave Rogers, Jason Ratcliff, Trent Owens, Todd Lohse, Doug Hewitt, Mike Sibley, and Joel Weidmann) on four different teams (No. 18, No. 20, No. 32, No. 92) for three different car owners (JGR, Braun Motorsports, D'Hondt Motorsports).

The only constant in them all is Busch himself.

Even if he doesn't reach his goal of 25 wins, this has already been yet another year of records for the 23-year-old from Las Vegas.

His 20 wins so far crushes the previous record for wins across multiple series of 14, set by Kevin Harvick in 2006.

Moreover, he has won at least one race in each series four years in a row, from 2005-2008.

Only two other drivers have won in all three series and each of them only did it once, and each of them ended up with a total of only five wins—Terry Labonte in 1995, and Kevin Harvick in 2003.

If Busch can reach 10 Cup victories, he will be the fourth driver in the past 16 years to win at least 10 races in a season, joining Jimmie Johnson (2007), Jeff Gordon (1996-98) and Rusty Wallace (1993).

And if he can win one more Nationwide Series race, he will tie Sam Ard's record of 10 wins in the series set back in 1983, two years before Busch was born. If he wins two, he will break it.

Considering he has won the last two Nationwide races he entered in the Joe Gibbs No. 18 car in dominating fashion, it is not only possible but likely that he will win at least one more.

Currently, he has the most wins in both the Cup and the Nationwide Series, and with only four races to go no one can equal him in the latter.

The only driver who could, Tony Stewart with his five victories, is not scheduled to run any more races in that series this year.

If he manages to hang on to the most wins in the Cup, he will be the first driver to finish a season with the most wins in two different series in the same year.

One thing that some claim may hurt him is that Martinsville is a short track, and none of Busch’s Cup wins this year has come on a short track. His record there has been spotty, and he finished 38th there in the Sprint.

But he did win the truck race at Bristol earlier this year, and was well on his way to a top-three finish at Martinsville when he got into Johnny Benson during one of his late-race charges and sent them both spinning.

And we need only go back to last year to find another monumental short-track win of his—Busch won the first-ever "Car of Tomorrow" race at Bristol in 2007.

Besides, Busch never had a road course victory before this year, yet he managed to sweep the two Cup road courses and win one of the two Nationwide road course races (Mexico City) he started this year.

And he came close to sweeping all four such events he entered, as he finished second in the Nationwide Race at Watkins Glen.

Before this year, Busch had never won a Cup race at a restrictor-plate track either. He had been close and in the hunt many times, including his loss by 0.005 seconds to Jamie McMurray in the 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona.

Earlier that day, he had won a rain-delayed Busch Series race there at Daytona, nearly becoming the first driver to ever win races in two major NASCAR series on the same day.

Of the tracks remaining, Busch has won in both the truck and Cup series at Atlanta (on the same weekend, by the way), in the Nationwide series at Texas, and in all three series at Phoenix.

He has top-five finishes at both Martinsville and Homestead in all three series as well.

If he can win one race per weekend, he will reach his goal. Given his winning percentage this year, that is by no means impossible.

Can he do it? Seeing as he no longer has a "need" to focus on winning the Sprint Cup championship anymore, Busch is now free to go back to spreading his focus across two and three races per weekend, as he did earlier in the year.

Now there is nothing to hold him back from setting his sights on getting his desired 25 wins, along with all the other records that will go with doing so.

The year 2008 may not go down as the season Busch won his first Cup Championship as many had expected and hoped, but it will go into the record books as a season to be remembered for many years, if not decades, to come.

Helio Castroneves Dances with the Law (Updated 11/11/2008)

M Brian Ladner — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:27:30 -0400

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, his sister and business manager Kati, and his attorney Alan Miller were indicted Thursday on charges of conspiracy and tax evasion.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Castroneves was indicted by a grand jury on "charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States of income taxes and with six separate counts of income tax evasion for tax years 1999 through 2004."

All three are charged with conspiring to defraud the United States by using offshore shell corporations to conceal income from the IRS.

The income under investigation for the conspiracy charge originated from a sponsorship deal with Coimex for 1999 through 2001 and his contract income as a driver for Penske Racing from 2000 through 2002.

Castroneves and his sister are both charged with six counts of tax evasion based on allegedly false federal income tax returns filed for the driver for the years 1999 through 2004.

Miller is charged with three counts of tax evasion based on allegedly false federal income tax returns filed for Castroneves for the years 2000 to 2002.

All three defendants are expected to surrender to authorities and make their initial appearance in a Miami court Friday morning.

If convicted, all three face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to defraud the United States count. They also face up to five years in prison on each of the tax evasion counts.

Castroneves is known not only for winning the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002, but more recently for winning the fifth season of the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars.

NOTE: "An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law."

UPDATE (10/3/2008): Early Friday, Penske Racing spokesman Bud Denker released a statement to the Free Press. He said:

Penske Racing is aware of the facts of the matter filed against Helio Castroneves. We fully support his right to his day in court and his belief in our court system. We intend to have Helio Castroneves continue to drive for Penske Racing including in tomorrow’s race here at Road Atlanta as the matter proceeds in court. Penske Racing has co-operated in the government’s investigation and will continue to do so. Penske Racing has informed it and its employees are only witnesses to this matter.

UPDATE (10/3/2008): An article on Access Hollywood has reported that Castroneves is currently in custody at a federal detention center awaiting his appearance today in a Miami court. He is expected to be released on bond within a few hours after his appearance later today.

UPDATE (10/3/2008): Helio Castroneves wept visibly as he pled not guilty to all charges when he appeared in a Miami court Friday bound in handcuffs and leg chains.

He was released on a $10 million bond and after brief remarks to the press was off to Atlanta to compete in this weekends Petit Le Mans race.

Castroneves insists he is innocent and that he relied on advice from tax experts for his financial dealings.

The terms of his bail allow him to travel for work in the United States but not abroad. He surrendered his passport and will likely miss the IRL race in Australia later this month.

His sister and business manager Kati Castroneves and his attorney Alan R. Miller did not enter pleas Friday and were released on bail of $2 million and $250,000 respectively.

No date has been set for the next hearing.

UPDATE (10/4/2008): One day after being released on a $10 million bond after pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy and tax evastion, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe teamed to win in the LMP2 Class at Road Course Atlanta in the Petit Le Mans.

The Team Penske driver flew directly from the courthouse appearance on Friday to the Road Course to compete in the event, which had been planned long before his indictment.

The terms of his bail allow him to travel throughout the United States for work, but Castroneves surrendered his passport and it seems unlikely that he will be able to compete in the upcoming IRL race in Australia October 26th.

UPDATE (10/10/2008): A Miami judge has agreed to modify bail conditions on tax charges so Helio Castroneves can race later this month in Australia.

The Brazilian race car driver and last year's winner of the show "Dancing With The Stars" had originally been released on $10 million bail and had been barred from leaving the United States.

On Friday, however, a judge granted Castroneves' request to to amend the conditions of his bail that had precluded his travel outside the United States.

With today's change, Castroneves will be allowed to travel to Brisbane, Australia so he can drive in the Oct. 26 race. Prosecutors may still appeal that order.

UPDATE (11/11/2008): Helio Castroneves, his sister, and his lawyer will stand trial in March on charges of conspiracy and tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Donald Graham set a trial date of March 2, 2009 for the trio on Monday.

Joey Logano Out of the Hall of Fame Sprint Cup Car

M Brian Ladner — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:15:54 -0400

In a story broken by ESPN's Marty Smith on "NASCAR Now," Joey Logano will be out of the No. 96 Hall of Fame Toyota Camry for the three remaining races he was scheduled to run with them this year at Charlotte, Martinsville, and Texas.

According to the story, both Hall of Fame Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing came to a mutual agreement to pull Logano from the No. 96.

A statement aired on the program from Tom Garfinkel, principal owner of Hall of Fame Racing:

"It's a joint decision. We talked to Gibbs and both decided that for [Logano's] development and for our team, this is the best thing for both of us. The best thing for both of us is for them to focus on Joey's development and us to focus on our team."

According to Smith, Hall of Fame Racing feels that they need to get a veteran driver in the car, and everyone involved felt that Logano was not getting what he needed in terms of development. In short, it was not working out as hoped for either side.

Smith also said he had spoken with Logano's father and they are still planning on running in the No. 02 JGR Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and possibly one other race.

According to Logano's father, Joey would not make any more Cup starts in anything but JGR equipment this year.

When asked about the situation on the show, former Champion Crew Chief and car owner Andy Petree views this news as possibly being a good thing for Logano's development.

In particular, Petree said, "It really could thump his confidence if they keep him in this car and running at the back half of the field. It really doesn't help his development or his confidence."

Petree went on to say that with Logano's pending entry into the Cup Series full-time next year in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Logano should continue to run in the Nationwide Series where he could possibly win a couple more races and build his confidence.

[Photo Credit: M Brian Ladner]

Joey Logano to Begin Truckin' It at Talladega

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:49:34 -0400

It has been a busy year for 18-year old Joey Logano, and it just keeps getting busier.

A week after turning 18 in May, Joe Gibbs Racing's newest addition made his Nationwide Series debut in the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry at Dover where he finished sixth.

The next week, the boy wonder—nicknamed "Sliced Bread" by two-time Busch Series Champion Randy LaJoie—won his first pole at Nashville but got caught up in an early race incident and finished 31st.

A week later at Kentucky, he won his second pole and went on to win his first race in the series, setting a new record as the youngest driver ever to win a Nationwide Series event.

Logano has now run in 14 Nationwide races racking up a win, three top-fives, 10 top-10s, and three starts from the pole.

In late August it was announced that Logano would be taking over the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009, filling the vacancy left by Tony Stewart's planned departure from JGR to become a driver-owner for Stewart-Haas Motorsports next year.

Logano's development schedule quickened when shortly thereafter it was announced that he would run two races in a fourth JGR Cup car and five more in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota before the end of the year.

A qualifying rain-out postponed Logano's Cup debut from Richmond to Loudon. In the two Cup races he has started so far his finishes have been anything but spectacular. But, they have been learning experiences that have given him seat time and helped him gain respect from other drivers in the series.

Now, according to an article on SceneDaily.com, Logano will make his NASCAR Truck Series debut in the Mountain Dew 250 at the Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.

He will be driving the No. 59 HT Motorsports Toyota Tundra, recently left vacant when Ted Musgrave parted ways with the team suddenly during the recent race weekend at Las Vegas.

Stacy Compton was brought in at the last minute for the Vegas race, and the team has made no statement yet on who will be driving for the remainder of the season. For now all that has been reported is that Logano will start this weekend at Talledega.

Besides the truck series regulars, Cup driver Kyle "Rowdy" Busch will be driving the No. 51 Billy Balew Motorsports entry.

Other non-series regulars in the 34 truck field will include Mike Wallace, John Wes Townley, John Andretti, Jon Wood, Scott Speed, and Landon Cassill.

UPDATE: At long last the entry list for the truck series race is out on NASCAR.COM and indeed, Logano as well as all the others mentioned are on it.

UPDATE: In a story broken by Marty Smith of ESPN, Hall of Fame Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have mutually agreed to pull Logano from the No. 96 Toyota for his remaining three Cup races with them this year.

Kyle Busch: Where Does He Go from Here?

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:58:04 -0400

Before the Chase began at Loudon, predictions about how many bad races a driver could have and still be in contention for the Cup ranged all the way from zero to one.

Most who set forth their theories believed a driver could have one bad race, while many others looked at last year's results and said none; consistency and no bad breaks would be the key.

Those theories were seemingly put to the test when the number one seed coming into the Chase, Kyle Busch, had a terrible day at Loudon. A mechanical failure and accident early in the race relegated Busch to a 34th place finish and dropped him from first to eighth in the point standings.

Many people said that was his one "mulligan" and it definitely wasn't enough to knock him out of Cup contention. The fact that he held an 80 point lead over much of the field to begin with helped cushion the blow to his standing in the points.

Those bonus points coming into the Chase also led many to believe that his poor finish at Loudon might not even mean that much, as he was just now back with the pack.

Many thought it possible that he could make up much of that in the next race at Dover, where he had won decisively earlier in the year.

The other Chasers were by no means ready to count him out. Dale Jr. stated what many were thinking. "Even if he was 200 points back with just five to go I wouldn't count him out, I mean there's just no telling when they could flip the switch and make it happen."

Jeff Gordon predicted "He [Busch] is going to be going real fast and bouncing off pretty much everything there is to bounce off of. If he keeps it going straight then there's a very good chance he can win this race this weekend...Should be exciting to watch."

Then Dover came and Busch's engine went. It was anything but exciting to watch, even for his detractors. It might have brought them a little joy, but in the end it was just another car billowing smoke then being pushed back to the garage.

For Busch it was as Yogi Berra would say, "deja vu all over again."

The results of the first two races were an eerie repeat of his Chase efforts in 2006 when he was driving the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports. Then, as now, Kyle crashed in the first race, then had engine problems in the second.

Busch finished dead last at Dover, moving from the top to the bottom of the Chase point standings in the first two races.

Still, few were quick to dismiss his chances in the Chase for the Cup. After all, he was only 210 points back and had gone on runs, reeling off wins and top fives throughout the season.

People pointed to Jimmie Johnson's poor start in the 2006 Chase, when he proved many pundits wrong by coming back from two bad finishes—a 39th at Loudon and a 24th later at Talladega—and two top-15s in the first four races to win the Cup.

Or they pointed to Johnson being 247 points back with only six races to go in 2004. That year he came back to finish second, losing the championship to Kyle's older brother Kurt by a mere eight points.

In each of those years, Johnson rallied back with first and second place finishes in all but one of the last six races.

Others, however, claimed that there were too many good competitors and that they would all have to have a bad day for him to be back in it.

The fact was that only the top three would need bad days for him to be back in contention; most of the rest were less than a race full of points from his grasp.

Before the Kansas race, Kyle stated "Realistically, we're out of it," citing the fact that a driver can't build expectations for the rest of the season by counting on another driver (or in this case at least three other drivers) having a bad day.

Then the tornado struck in Kansas and instead of lifting Dorothy off to Oz, it sent Busch into the cellar.

In an unprecedented run of bad luck for the year, the No. 18 team and the rest of NASCAR Nation watched as intermittent fuel system problems and bad track position left Busch with his third strike of the Chase—a 28th place finish.

If the No. 18 team hadn't been out of Chase contention before Kansas as many had conjectured, their performance at Kansas erased all doubt in most people's minds.

Yes, there are a few of us die-hard fans who cling to a thin strand of hope that somehow Talladega and Martinsville will turn out to be the great equalizers.

Kyle won at Talladega earlier this year and a similar performance, along with a "Big One" that takes out at least the "Big Three," might somehow bring Busch's Cup hopes back into the realm of the possible.

But that strand of hope is mighty thin and already stretched to the bounds of the believable.

When faced with the reality of who is contending for the Cup currently, their experience, their talent, their consistency, and their finishes thus far, Busch has two chances to win the Chase—fat and none.

As much as I hate to think that as a die-hard member of "Rowdy's World," sometimes the truth hurts. But it doesn't by any means deter me as a Rowdy fan as the season winds to a close.

Although the bandwagon full of new Kyle Busch fans seems to be a whole lot lighter these days; those of us who have followed him for years still have much to look forward to.

Instead of crying about how the Chase format robbed him of his championship, how Lady Luck dealt the Vegas native a bad hand, or how there must be a conspiracy against him so that Johnson can win three in a row, I look forward with hope and expectation to what he can still do this year and beyond.

Kyle already holds the record for most wins across NASCAR's major three series in a season. As of today, Kyle has won 19 NASCAR races this year—eight in cup, eight in nationwide, and three in the truck series.

The next closest to that record in terms of wins across series in a season is Kevin Harvick, who won nine Busch Series races and five in the Cup series back in 2006, giving him a total of 14.

Kyle has already smashed that record, along with being the only person to have won in all three series more than one year. As a matter of fact, he's done it four years in a row, from 2005 to 2008.

Only two other drivers have ever won in all three series in the same year, and each of them did it only once—Terry Labonte in 1995 and Kevin Harvick in 2003. And each of them had a total of only five wins across all three series in those years.

What I am cheering for now is for Kyle to pull off something I'm sure he thinks about whenever he's near an In-and-Out Burger, one of his (and my) favorite places to eat while back home in Vegas. It's a phrase heard hundreds of times a day by the cashiers there—a "double-double."

With two or more wins in the last seven cup races and two or more in the last five Nationwide races, he could not only set the bar so high in terms of overall wins he may have a tough time ever seeing it again, but he could also end up being the first driver ever to win 10 or more races in two different series in the same year.

Whether he does so or not, he could still end up being the first driver to win the most races in two series in the same year. Further, if he does get two more wins in the Nationwide Series, he would tie the record for most wins in a season set by Sam Ard in 1983—back before Busch was even a glimmer in his daddy's eye.

With a lot of luck and all the skill he can muster, he could possibly go so far as to do all that, but also win the rest of the truck races he's scheduled to run in and pull off the impossible—most wins in all three series in the same year.

Whether he actually achieves any of this or not, however, nothing will deter me from buying and displaying even more "Rowdy gear"—to celebrate not only the accomplishments of this year, but also to prepare for the next.

Now matter the outcome of the next seven races, this has been an unbelievable year for Kyle and his fans.

By all accounts and expectations, this was to be a "building year"—building up his relationships with his new crew chief and team, with his new teammates Denny and Tony, with Joe and J.D. Gibbs, with his new sponsors, and with Toyota as their new manufacturer.

And what a foundation they have built for years to come.

With the year he has had and a future so bright, it's no wonder Kyle Busch wears such giant 24-karat gold sunglasses all the time...

That's my $0.18. What's yours?

NASCAR Anonymous: Anonymous No More

M Brian Ladner — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:27:42 -0400

Introduction

Are you a NASCAR fan on race days but feel the need to hide your passion for the sport from your family, friends, and co-workers?

Do you make excuses to watch races by yourself, then scour the sports pages for scores from the "stick-and-ball" sports to have something to discuss around the water cooler?

Do you neglect family obligations on race days—obligations such as church, your children, or whatever "insignificant thing" your significant other wants to do?

Have you ever spent your rent money or mortgage payment on limited-edition die-casts of your favorite driver's special paint schemes or on autographed used tires?

Below are 25 questions to help you decide whether you are indeed a repressed NASCAR fan.

If so, the suggested "10 Turns on the Road Course to Self-Discovery" that follow will help you discover and get in touch with your "inner NASCAR fan" in positive ways, not in the negative ways that have wracked you with remorse and guilt for far too long.

Remember, there is no disgrace in owning up to the fact that you too may be a NASCAR fan...

The Questionnaire

1. Within the past few years, have you ever heard the word "Bush" on TV or on the radio and immediately asked yourself "Kurt or Kyle" before figuring out the discussion was about George?

2. Within the past year, have you heard someone say "President Bush" and corrected them by saying "President Nationwide?"

3. Have you ever found yourself "diamonding the corner" on a cloverleaf on-ramp to see how much you can gain on the car ahead of you?

4. Have you ever tried a "crossover move" to get back around someone who just passed you?

5. Do you often catch yourself "drafting up" to the car or truck in front of you on the freeway to see if it really works?

6. Do you ever experiment with "floating it into the corner" instead of "driving it in deep" to see if it helps your car "roll through the corner and drive off on exit" better?

7. Have you ever passed someone to the right and thought to yourself that you were "passing them on the outside?"

8. Have you ever been in a wreck and tried blaming the other driver for not seeing that you "clearly had your nose in there" and he shouldn't have "cut across your nose" like that?

9. Have you ever been in a wreck and tried blaming the other driver for not backing off when he didn't "clearly have his nose in there" arguing that you were simply "holding your line?"

10. When cut off on the freeway, do you ever think of retaliating by moving to the driver's outside and trying to "take the wind off his back" in order to get him "a little loose" through the next bend in the road?

11. Are many of your friends named "Junior?"

12. Are your favorite words in the national anthem the last four—"Gentlemen, start your engines?"

13. Do you often daydream of bump-drafting (or slam-drafting) the car ahead of you?

14. Have you ever taken a corner a little too fast, slid the back tires, caught it, then thought, "Man, this car is loose?"

15. Do you ever pretend that the highway patrol car ahead of you on the freeway is the pace car, and as soon as he pulls onto an off-ramp you think "green green green" or "boogity boogity boogity?"

16. When you see a car with a bumper sticker of your least favorite driver, do you drive a little harder to pass it so the driver can see the bumper sticker on the back of your truck?

17. Have you ever kept your right foot "squarely on the throttle" through winding turns and "dragged the brake pedal" with your left to keep your engine wound up?

18. Do you find yourself using the words "camber," "caster," and "Ackerman" in inappropriate places in a conversation?

19. Do you ever find yourself laughing uncontrollably whenever you see someone wearing sandals and think to yourself "there's a toe out that needs to be toed back in?"

20. Have you ever spoken into your Bluetooth headset while driving and pretended that you were talking to your own personal crew chief?

21. Before getting on the freeway at the beginning of a long road trip, do you ever zig-zag a little to warm or scrub your tires?

22. Does seeing those "AAA" stickers on cars make you immediately think of David Ragan, Mark Martin, or the Auto Club Speedway?

23. Do you ever put your car in neutral, cut if off, then coast for a while pretending that you're near the end of a race and trying to win on fuel mileage?

24. Have you ever approached a stoplight and slowed down half a block early, backing off the car ahead of you so you can get a good run on him when the light turns green?

25. Have you ever entered a gas station only to realize you didn't need gas or didn't have any money and mentally dismissed it as a "pass-through penalty?"

As a tie-breaker question in case you aren't yet sure:

Have you ever thought about getting a carbon-fiber seat for your car and a HANS device to wear while driving?

If you answered yes to more questions than you care to admit, it's okay. Many of us had most of the same thoughts and took years, even decades, to admit we were NASCAR fans.

The Road Course to Self-Discovery

There is hope. Many of us have surrendered to our passion for NASCAR and in doing so began our path around the "road course to self-discovery"—a course of recovery from the many years through which we had hidden or repressed our feelings for NASCAR.

To do so we took the "10 Turns on the Road Course to Self-Discovery:"

1. Admitted to ourselves that we were NASCAR fans and that our lives were more satisfying because of it.

2. Came to believe that the power of NASCAR, embodied in men like Mike Helton and Brian France, would eventually restore NASCAR to sanity.

3. Made the decision to turn our keys and our credit cards over to our significant others before drinking at the sports bar on Sundays, or Saturdays when appropriate.

4. Made a searching inventory of our garages and attics, looking for collectibles and other memorabilia we had hidden from our significant others when we first got together.

5. Admitted to other NASCAR fans the exact incidents where we and/or our favorite drivers might have been wrong.

6. Began to discuss our NASCAR fanhood openly with our family, friends, and co-workers.

7. Asked our significant others to help us with our shortcomings as fans—especially the shortcomings in our die-cast collections.

8. Listed all the people we had wronged in our often blind-loyalty to our sport and to our favorite drivers, and became willing to sincerely apologize to them, and to other drivers' fans.

9. Apologized to those fans, except when to do so might injure them or others in a pit road-style brawl.

10. Continued to compile weekly statistics and when our predictions were wrong simply admitted it instead of placing the blame on other drivers, on their fans, or on the NASCAR officials.

Having awakened our "inner NASCAR fan" as the result of negotiating these 10 turns to the best of our ability, we carried this message to other NASCAR fans still suffering in repression and denial as well as to fans of other sports.

Finally, at long last we "crossed the finish line" by learning to be "anonymous no more" and instead became proud of our NASCAR fanhood, showing it whenever and wherever possible.

[Photo credit: M Brian Ladner]

[For more info on NASCAR Anonymous, please email us at info@nascaranonymous.org]

18 Quotes About Kyle Busch

M Brian Ladner — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:34:36 -0400

Whether he wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship this year or not, there is no doubting the fact that Kyle Busch has been the single most talked about driver in NASCAR this year.

Throughout 2008 it has been impossible to swing an unhooked swaybar and not hit someone in the garage, in the media center, or in the stands talking or writing about him.

Below are 18 quotes about the driver of the No. 18 car I've compiled throughout the year from drivers, commentators, and fans—Kyle Busch fans and "anyone-but-Kyle-Busch" fans alike.

And to show that we citizens of "Rowdy's World" have a sense of humor, I have mixed in all three types of quotes about Busch—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. "He's the only driver I know who can go three-wide all by himself...He's hoppin' around down there like a little league shortstop." - Darrell Waltrip

2. "I jerked him by the helmet and just rattled his cage a little. He's just a little girl about it." - Steven Wallace (May 2, 2008)

3. "That's the way dad raced and Kyle has that same style—very aggressive." - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (May 8, 2008)

4. "50 bucks to the driver who takes out Kyle Busch (and I don't mean a date)." - Fan Sign

5. "Kyle Busch fan since 2 to go at Richmond." - Fan Sign

6. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and so should Kyle Busch." - Fan Sign at Dover (June, 2008)

7. "Hopefully the fans will enjoy it. They get to boo me in three different areas this weekend, and we'll have a good time." - Kyle himself (June, 2008)

8. "Kyle Busch, you've been bad. I'm watching you. God." - Fake church sign

9. "You hear that? People are cheering...for Kyle Busch." - Kyle Petty (June 22, 2008)

10. "Don't tell him that because what you're telling me is if he focuses he can be that good. We don't want him focusing, OK. Let's have him going back to run trucks and the Busch stuff." - Kyle Petty (June 22, 2008)

11. "If he can win here, he's probably going to think he can win anywhere...and maybe he can." - Jeff Gordon (June 22, 2008)

12. "Kyle Busch has got to be the loneliest NASCAR driver ever. He's led so many laps he never sees anybody in front of him for two-thirds of the race. He just sees clean racetrack...He's the Maytag guy." - Kyle Petty (June 22, 2008)

13. "They're stinking up the show every weekend and loving every minute of it." - John Roberts (June 22, 2008)

14. "I just wanted to go out there and let Kyle beat me a few times so I can see why everyone hates him." - Tony Schumacher (Sept. 2, 2008)

15. "I can promise you one thing about Kyle this weekend—he's going to be going real fast and bouncing off pretty much everything there is to bounce off of." - Jeff Gordon (Sept. 19, 2008)

16. "Even if he was 200 points back with just five to go, I wouldn't count him out. I mean there's just no telling when they could flip the switch and make it happen." - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sept. 19, 2008)

17. "Kyle who?" - Kevin Harvick (Sept. 19, 2008)

18. "M&M's melt in your mouth, and crack under pressure." - Fan Sign at Dover (September, 2008)

As a bonus, I have added one of the first quotes I ever read about Kyle:

"You think I'm a pretty good race car driver? Wait until you see my brother. He's the best driver in the family." - Kurt Busch (2001)

Those are my 18 quote picks about Kyle from this year. What are some of yours?

Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat: NASCAR's Good Winners and Bad Losers

M Brian Ladner — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:32:37 -0400

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.—Henry "Red" Sanders
It isn't whether you win or lose but how you play the game.—Grantland Rice

After nearly every NASCAR race, there appears yet another in a long list of stories involving a frustrated driver saying or doing something that every one of his detractors points to and says "What a sore loser."

And every time it happens, that driver's fans rally behind him and come up with some "rationalization" for their favorite driver's behavior.

"The reporter goaded him on." "He was just frustrated." "Let them stick a microphone in your face at time like that and see how you respond." "He just doesn't like to lose, and why should he?" "Radio communications between team members are not meant for public consumption."

And the list goes on, as does the list of incidents of drivers exhibiting "bad behavior" that have drawn fan and media attention alike. Here's a few we saw in 2008:

Greg Biffle spoke on-camera about how frustrated he was over consistent mechanical or pit road failures earlier in the year. Afterward, everyone began talking about how he might be looking for a new ride next year. The outcome: Biffle came on strong through the second half of the season and, with the help of some crew member changes, made it into the Chase. He then proceeded to win at Loudon and Dover, moving up to third in the points.
Denny Hamlin threw his team under the bus during a post-race interview after an engine failure at Michigan. Pundits and fans alike conjectured about how much such an on-camera tirade was going to hurt team morale. The "damage:" Hamlin reeled off three consecutive third places finishes locking him in the Chase.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. curses at his Crew Chief, Tony Eury Jr., over his radio nearly every race. At Loudon, owner Rick Hendrick finally stepped in and onto the pit box in order to calm his driver. All the Junior haters jumped with joy at this new chance to bash NASCAR's most popular driver. One of the most telling comments from that conversation: "I'm pissed off. Sometimes you go your fastest when you're pissed off. So we'll see." And we did see, as he recovered from a batch of bad tires and finished fifth.
Carl Edwards and his Crew Chief Bob Osborne got into such a heated disagreement over a pit call during a red flag period at Pocono they had to separate themselves. After the race, they were still obviously wound up about it in their respective post-race interviews. Oh, by the way, Edwards won that day.
When asked about his competitive spirit on the ESPN show "E:60," Joey Logano responded that although he is a "nice guy" most of the time, put him in nearly any competitive environment and, for him, "Second place is THE WORST." He then followed that by quoting Vince Lombardi saying "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser." Suddenly, many wanted to brand him the "next great sore loser" and began decrying the loss of "good sportsmanship" amongst NASCAR's future young guns.
Tony Stewart chewed out his crew after finishing the race at Richmond. The scene aired repeatedly in the post-race analysis shows. Speculation ran rampant about how bad things must be between he and Greg Zippadelli and how it must be affecting their championship chances. Stewart's finishing spot that day: second. In having to "explain himself" after the fact, Stewart seemed unrepentant saying "You show me a guy who doesn't get frustrated once in a while and I'll show you a guy I can beat nine weeks out of 10 every year for the rest of my life."
Villain of all villains, Kyle Busch's list appears endless as he openly airs his frustrations nearly every time he crashes, gets bumped on track, or loses a race in the final laps. At the first Chase race in Loudon he streamed profanities over his radio about a penalty handed to him for "pulling out under yellow" to get back to pit road in a vain effort to fix a badly broken race car. The outcome: Busch buckled down and held onto an undrivable "rolling wreck" for another 20+ laps before it snapped loose and spun, leaving him with a badly damaged car.
To top it off, Busch had the unmitigated gall to leave the garage area without speaking to the media after finishing 12 laps down in 34th place. The tough race saw him fall from atop the points standings for the first time in 18 weeks all the way down to eighth, 74 markers behind the new leaders. Endless articles and editorials cropped up about what a "bad loser" he is and how he needs to "learn to lose gracefully before he can become a winner."

The fact is, by normal standards, everyone listed above could be called a "sore loser," and they are not the only ones.

How many times have we seen a crew chief throw his headset and storm off his pit box when something bad happens to his car or driver?

Crew members come to blows with other crew members, and sometimes drivers, when accidents happen that affect the outcome of the race.

The important fact to keep in mind is that NASCAR drivers and their teams don't operate under "normal standards." They are under extreme pressure to win from the media, their sponsors, their owners, their fans, and most importantly, the fires in their own bellies.

Being a gracious loser is considered a virtue in most normal walks of life; no one likes to see a child throw a bat after striking out or watch as one friend belittles another after winning a game of checkers. No one wants to be called a loser—especially not to their face—nor do they want to be known as a sore loser.

Those who constantly cry "foul" whenever a driver vents his frustration in "socially unacceptable" ways don't seem to fully grasp that this is the Sprint Cup Series—NASCAR's premier series—where only the best of the best make it, and not all of them survive.

This is not tee-ball, this is not little league, and this is not the Special Olympics. Not everyone is a winner and not everybody receives a trophy or award at the end of the season. At NASCAR's highest level, only one will take home the trophy after each race, and only one will hoist the Sprint Cup over his head at the end of the year.

Millions of dollars are at stake every race. Not all of it comes from prize winnings; much comes in sponsorship dollars, manufacturer dollars and support, fan support through merchandising, and overall good-will.

And most importantly in the minds of the drivers, the teams, and the owners, there's the immeasurable value of the championship points that determine who will walk away from the Awards Dinner in November with the biggest check in hand, bragging rights for a year, and the words "Cup Champion" forever fixed in front of their names.

Nowhere have I ever heard or read that being a "good loser" or even a "good sportsman" is a prerequisite to being a NASCAR Cup Champion. Very few people I know would describe either Kurt Busch or Tony Stewart as "good losers," yet they account for three of the last six Cup championships. And that's to say nothing of many of the champions of the 53 years before either of them took home a title.

Many people are quick to point out that drivers like Mark Martin and Jeff Burton always seem to show great grace under the pressure, and rarely, if ever, resort to on-camera tirades worthy of mention. But some facts are often overlooked in doing so.

Martin and Burton are cited as examples nearly every time some other driver explodes in anger because they are more the exceptions to the rule than the rule, at least amongst the upper echelon of Sprint Cup drivers. As for those outside that elite few, it's much easier for a driver to be a good loser when he consistently finishes outside the top-20.

Secondly, both Martin and Burton have always been described as "nice guys" by their fans and by the media, and we all know the saying about where nice guys finish—and it's not generally first. Neither of them has ever won a Cup championship. Burton has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in his 14 years of driving full-time in the Cup series. Martin has four second place finishes in the championship points, 12 top-fives, and 16 top-10s in his 20 years of full-time Cup racing.

And finally, oftentimes fans and the media alike question whether or not being such "nice guys" is what keeps them from ultimately winning a Cup championship. Their fans, along with many members of Junior Nation (and others) wish their favorite would be a little less "sportsmanlike" and a whole lot more "aggressive" when it comes to dealing with other drivers on the track - particularly those as unrepentant as Busch and Stewart.

Bottom line, although there are many great quotes and philosophies about the relative importance of winning and losing, I don't think you can pick one and apply it across the board and expect the results to be the same. Nobody LIKES to lose, and some handle it better than others. For some the sheer hatred of losing is a driving motivational force, but makes them no less hospitable as people once they are away from the highly-rarified, highly-pressurized air that surrounds the track on raceday.

Those who succeed at the uppermost levels of high-adrenalin, ultra-competitive sports handle disappointment on raceday in many different ways, almost all of them far different than how you or I might handle losing a game of Scrabble on a Saturday afternoon.

In my not-so-humble opinion, the most appropriate philosophy that could possibly apply to all the NASCAR drivers is the Vince Lombardi revision of Red Sanders' quote: "Winning isn't everything, the will to win is the only thing."

Beyond that, no single philosophy should be used to measure the character of a NASCAR driver, or any professional athlete for that matter.

As Alonzo Harris, Denzel Washington's character in "Training Day," tells Ethan Hawke's Jake Hoyt, "This shit's chess, it ain't checkers."

Different people have different temperaments and different things that motivate them, and those things change from situation to situation.

In closing, I believe David Byrne summed it up best in The Talking Heads' aptly-titled "Life During Wartime:"

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey,
I ain’t got time for that now.

That's my $0.18. What's yours?