There is something special going on in NASCAR and it may be coming at just the right time. Young Kyle Busch has been tearing up NASCAR in a manner not seen for many years if at all. Last night Busch once again came from a lap down to almost pull off another improbable victory. Fighting a car set-up that was termed tight on the straights and loose in the turns, Kyle took every opportunity to pit his ride as the number 32 crew kept making adjustments, trying to find the right combination. The eight yellow flags almost worked out for Kyle as he and teammate Denny Hamlin took the chance and pitted on the sixth yellow while both were in the middle of the top ten. Race leaders Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Mike Bliss (first through third, respectively) kept their cars on the track, risking the outcome on worn tires. Both Hamlin and Busch had good pit stops and were back on the track in good shape. The two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers were poised to press the issue as the green was once again unfurled. Hamlin and Busch immediately jumped to the high side and began to pass the cars right in front of them when the seventh yellow came up only mere seconds into green racing. The writing was on the wall though as I’m sure Harvick, along with Edwards and Bliss, had to be second guessing why they’d stayed out on the course. The new rubber was going to make all the difference…
But back to the original premise made here, why is Kyle Busch’s special run coming at the right time for NASCAR? Well, like it or not race fans, attendance at the tracks has been down this year. The initial reason for this is thought to be the current poor economy, but it appears to be deeper than this. The sport’s southern fan base may be reacting to the changes NASCAR has implemented over the last few years while the economy has brought it home to roost. The loss of racing at Rockingham, a long-time southern racing venue with a storied history along with Darlington’s loss of the Southern 500 has something to do with the problem. NASCAR’s expansion to western tracks in an effort to appeal to the country as a whole has taken a bite out of the southern exposure and left fans shaking their heads, The move away from manufacturer’s cars to a standardized racing frame and body has removed some of the sport’s luster, and finally the acceptance of a foreign automaker’s cars into the family has worked to also turn the original fan base further away from the sport. Out of the midst of all this doom and gloom there steps a new phenomenon the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years around NASCAR. He’s enjoyed more success before the age of 23 than such notables as Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison. Compared to Jeff Gordon, who has always been pointed to as the driver to put up any hot new driver’s numbers against, Kyle Busch is already ahead in terms of both wins and laps led. At the end of his season at the age of 23, Gordon had won two cup races and led 676 laps. Kyle Busch celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday and has won 5 Cup races and led 1,969 laps, almost tripling Gordon on both counts. With this type of start to his career and if he can maintain his fearless driving style, Kyle Busch may re-invigorate fan interest in the sport at just the right time.
The scant Nationwide crowd on hand at Richmond last night was going to be in for a real treat as the race had boiled down to less than 20 laps to go with the Harvick Chevy, the Roush Fenway Ford (Edwards) and the number 1 Chevy driven by Mike Bliss in first, second and third, being pushed by the Gibbs number 20 Toyota in fourth and Joe’s number 32 Toyota a little further back, both on fresh rubber. Before the end of this race there would be two more yellow flags resulting in a green – white finish. Both Hamlin and Busch were right on it as the green came out after the seventh yellow and by the time the eighth yellow came out Hamlin was in first and Busch had closed to third. The final green flag racing saw Hamlin pull away from Harvick and before Busch could make another move he was bumped from behind by Steve Wallace on the back straightaway that almost caused Busch to lose control, but he recovered in time to swoop in and around Wallace to retake third. Kyle's mad dash from the back of the pack with a car that never was really set up right was almost ruined by young Wallace and there would be words between the two drivers after the race as Hamlin celebrated his home track win in victory lane.
Although it wasn’t the finish Kyle would have liked to help celebrate his 23rd birthday, this is the kind of stuff that NASCAR needs to refocus fan interest. Thanks for the great run guys!
The Spectacle…
Denny Hamlin has qualified first for tonight's Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 back on the Richmond International Raceway with Kyle Busch sitting on the inside of the fourth row, qualifying seventh...
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
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