NASCAR Nuts and Bolts: Kyle Busch Is Not a Sore Loser!

Saturday night Kyle Busch was a happy person.

He had just won the Nationwide series race at Loudon, New Hampshire, his 26^th win in that series.

He was cordial to the media, and didn't smash the trophy.

Kyle is not always a happy person. His whereabouts after a race can be a huge mystery if he is not in victory lane.

During his post race media session, Kyle was asked about his temper and his antics, especially after a loss.

How long could he keep boiling over about losing a race before he finally just explodes?

This question brought to mind a fairytale character named Rumpelstiltskin, who became so enraged he tore his own body in two.

While this might be a stretch for Kyle (no pun intended), some of his antics are a bit bizarre.

This type of behavior could be likened to being a sore loser, but Kyle insists he is not

“When our car is leading all the laps and we come up short at the end, it’s very frustrating,” said Busch. “That does not mean I am a sore loser. If we are capable of winning the race, then we should win the race.”

“If our car is only capable of a top five finish," he continued, "then I am happy with what the car is capable of doing.”

These words are very noble on the surface. It is just hard to accept that a guy who makes it very clear that points don’t matter, and he only wants wins, is willing to accept less.

“Tonight our car was not as good as everyone else. Lagano was much better," said Busch. "I would have been happy with second or third.”

Really?

Is this the same guy who exited his car and left it on the track after a race? Was that his way of telling the fans that he should have won?

The same guy who blamed his crew for their poor qualifying performance at the All Star race? So we are to believe his car should have been on the pole?

Granted, without some of Kyle’s antics, NASCAR would be more of a snooze fest than it already is.

It seems that Kyle is not the issue here, it’s the fans.

If we understood him better, if we were more in tune with his subliminal actions, then we would be more acceptable of his behavior.

Behavior brought on by not winning the race.

Racing is full of disappointments, losses, and results beyond our control.

Maybe Rumpelstiltskin isn’t such a stretch.