Kyle Busch won the latest Nationwide race while driving a Toyota racing car that featured a NASCAR mandated 15% horsepower reducing restrictor plate so the other racing teams would have a more fair chance...

What if another one of the Toyotas wins a Nationwide race?

Will it be crying time again?

What will NASCAR come up with next?

The top ten things NASCAR may now consider to give the domestic car race teams a better chance against Toyota.

10. Teams that drive Toyota cars will now have to start every race from the 30th position in the field or lower, regardless of their qualifying times.

9. All Toyota race cars will be forced to use a smaller fuel tank than the domestic race cars so they will have to pit more often.

8. All Toyota race cars shall adhere to a 50% speed reduction compared to the domestic race cars while driving on pit road (if its 50 MPH, Toyotas have to go 25).

7. All Toyota race teams will only be allowed two people on their pit crews that service the cars during a race.

6. All Toyota race teams will only be allowed one set of four tires per race.

5. All Toyota race cars will not be allowed to use any air flow spoiler devices on their vehicles.

4. All Toyota race cars must stay at least three (3) feet away from any other car during the race or be disqualified.

3. If a Toyota race car wins a race, it will only earn half as many Nationwide Cup points as would normally be awarded.

2. All Toyota race cars must be turned over to NASCAR at the end of every race for inspection. The cars shall become the property of NASCAR at that point and will not be returned.

And the number one consideration NASCAR may be mulling over to give the other racing teams a "fair" chance against Toyota race cars...

Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin are all banned from the NASCAR Nationwide Racing Series unless they switch to a domestic car manufacturer's vehicles.

Those are some pretty crazy things to consider aren't they? Well they're not any crazier than what NASCAR just pulled with their 15% horsepower reducing restrictor plate on all Toyota engines. An engine that was supposedly NASCAR approved in the first place.

The domestic auto manufacturers and the teams that race those cars didn't or couldn't cough up the funding to make the same engine modifications that Toyota was willing to make, so NASCAR has forced Toyota back to the pack instead of expecting the pack to play catch up...

Yep, that's the American way anymore. If you can't beat them, then complain to a higher authority. It's not your fault, it's theirs... Makes me want to get right out there and wave the flag! Thanks NASCAR...

The LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland was won by Kyle Busch, thus proving once and for all that NASCAR has allowed Toyota an extremely unfair advantage… By allowing Kyle to drive a Toyota. 

All this talk about the unfair advantage Toyota has been given by NASCAR just went out the window. The only advantage Toyota has is Kyle Busch driving for one of their teams.

In what turned into a showdown between Hendrick Motorsports’ latest Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch, their former driver who was unceremoniously cut loose last year over Casey Mears (who they’ve set free at the end of this season) to make room for NASCAR’s hottest commodity, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With 20 laps to go, and coming off a rare caution during this race that may have set the record for the highest average Cup race speed at Chicagoland, Rick Hendrick’s hope for a happy birthday, seeing Jimmie Johnson in Hendrick’s 48 Chevy wind up in Victory lane was about to come true. Jimmie had just driven around Kyle Busch who had at the time led for 164 of the 247 laps run. Johnson pulled away and it appeared Busch might also be in trouble as Kevin Harvick looked to be making a run to take over second. Then as the race wound down, the one thing the Hendrick faithful didn’t want to see happened as David Gilliland’s number 38 Ford blew its engine and out came a late caution. This brought Johnson back to the pack for a single file two lap run to the finish.

So it all boiled down to a showdown. Johnson seemed to be in control as the 48 was obviously the stronger car. All he would have to do is run his best line and in two laps it would be over. Let’s face it, Kyle Busch would be satisfied with a second place finish wouldn’t he? The only remaining question concerned whether Busch had enough to hold off another strong Chevrolet that was running right on his bumper as the pack approached what would turn out to be a green/white/checkered end to the LifeLock 400. Apparently all would be right with the world according to Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet. Rick Hendrick had to be eyeing a big birthday cake with VICTORY! scribbled  across it. That cake would be fantastic! He must have been all set to hug a soaking wet Jimmie Johnson. It would be about time that darned Kyle Busch would get his! The script was written.

Jimmie decided to play it slow on the restart, trying to surprise Kyle and get a good jump. Kyle would have none of this. He hadn’t read the script! All he knew was he had been presented with yet another chance to rub Hendrick’s nose in it. Kyle put the hammer down and nosed his M&M’s Toyota right into the rear end of the Lowes Chevy. Johnson floor boarded his ride in response and together the two lead cars jumped away from Harvick. Kyle did the only thing he could do, as Johnson stayed near the white line on the inside. Kyle jumped out and ran to the high line, a place that he had shunned the whole race. He kept his pedal firmly planted to the metal and held on hoping against hope that the car would stick.

Johnson, who had run magnificently on that very same high line most of the evening was stuck down low and low wouldn’t be good for Lowes… Kyle dove down off the high line and began running side by side with Jimmie. As they negotiated a turn the two cars just touched and the Chevy bobbled. Johnson was forced to ever so slightly get off the gas. It was all Kyle needed. He took the lead and made it count over the course of the final lap.

Please allow me a little leniency here…

For somewhere birds are singing, and somewhere the stars shine bright, but there is no joy in Hendrickville, mighty Johnson lost the showdown last night!

Anyone who didn’t enjoy the final few laps of this race just can’t be much of a NASCAR fan, even if you wanted Johnson/Hendrick to win. Yes, there was luck involved, there always is, but anyone who passes off Kyle Busch as just having an unfair advantage didn’t see the race I saw.

This guy is in the driving zone and it’s a zone few drivers have been in for quite some time. He is breathing some pretty rarefied air as he now has 7 wins in 19 cup starts this season tying Darrell Waltrip for second behind the great Dale Earnhardt who accomplished 8 wins in 19 starts one season. Incidently, both Earnhardt and Waltrip won the Cup in the seasons they had this type of success. Face it folks, the kid’s good!

* * * * *

Kyle Busch runs down a two time Cup champion and sweeps Chicagoland, 2008!

Kyle celebrates at Chicagoland!

Is it any wonder why this man is smiling?

In earlier posts I began following the money winnings in NASCAR as a basis for looking at success. I understand that some races generate higher winning amounts than others do and some look at these results with a wary eye for that reason, but in my mind this IS the bottom line…

Here are the teams and drivers that would be in the Chase if earnings were the determining factor:

1. Kyle Busch – Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota - $4,145,588 – Points Rank – 1

2. Carl Edwards – Roush-Fenway Racing #60 Ford- $4,014,425 – Points Rank – 4

3. Kasey Kahne – Gillett Everham Motorsports #9 Dodge – $4,009,621 – Points Rank – 8

4. Ryan Newman – Penske Racing#12 Dodge– $3,901,483 – Points Rank – 17

5. Tony Stewart – Joe Gibbs Racing#20 Toyota – $3,454,734 – Points Rank – 12

6. Jimmie Johnson – Henrick Motorsports#48 Chevrolet – $3,352,543 – Points Rank – 5

7. Jeff Gordon – Hendrick Motrsports#24 Chevrolet – $3,027,227 – Points Rank – 6

8. Matt Kenseth – Roush-Fenway Racing#17 Ford – $2,928,176 – Points Rank – 9

9. Jeff Burton – Richard Childress Racing#31 Chevrolet - $2,898,632 – Points Rank – 3

10. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing#11 Toyota – $2,883,896 – Points Rank – 7

11. Kurt Busch – Penske Racing Dodge – $2,780,755 – Points Rank – 18

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Hendrick Motorsports#88 Chevrolet – $2,777,070 – Points Rank – 2

Other Points Ranked Drivers/Teams not in the top money earners:

14. Greg Biffle – Roush-fenway Racings#16 – $2,545,864 – Points Rank – 11

18. Clint Boyer - Richard Childress Racing#07 Chevrolet - $2,438,970 – Points Rank - 10

You’ve heard me say it before… This is where the rubber truly meets the road!

Isn’t it interesting who moved from second in the points ranking to “on the bubble” in the money earnings? 

It's kinda like in baseball when your best hitter keeps getting hits when no one is on base and then looks like a deer in the headlights when a hit could score lots of runs (or make lots of money, as the case may be...).

Has the dust settled yet? The audacity Kyle Busch displays is just terrible. How could he purposefully wreck Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then turn around one week later and win on a track that he’d never won on before? He deserves a beer bath! This seems to be the thinking of many over the last couple of weeks when it comes to Kyle. How did we get here people? Let’s take a little closer look at this young man. Maybe some of you will lighten up.

Kyle, like most of the drivers at NASCAR’s Cup level, is from a family that has been involved in and around automobile racing for many years. He started out maneuvering an old go kart around the streets where he lived at the age of six. He wasn’t tall enough to reach the pedals so his Dad, Tom, would set the throttle on high and let him go. Now that would be some ride and may open a few eyes to the driving style that was to come. Kyle grew up shagging tools and parts for his Dad and older brother, Kurt, in the family’s garage learning to build and repair race cars. Having a quick mind, he soon became a proficient mechanic. Kyle became so adept as a racing mechanic that he assumed the role of crew chief for his brother’s dwarf car team. He wasn’t yet 13 years old! His formal racing education began when he did turn 13 as he became eligible to race in the “everyman’s racing circuit”, the Legends Series. Over two seasons at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle won 65 of these Legends races while taking both annual championships. Undoubtedly using his all out style learned as a child running that go kart with the throttle on high played a huge role in it. Through this time, Kyle had to keep his nose in his school books as his parents drilled the importance of education into him. He became an honor student while most of his spare time was spent one way or another with a race car. His family didn’t have a lot of money and consequently he learned the importance of keeping his race cars on the track without mishap since he was responsible for not only repairing his cars himself, but also for paying for those repairs out of his own pocket. This brought a newfound respect for driving and for his opponents. Having to spend your time working to repair a wreck and then having to dig in your own pocket to cover the costs will do that for you. Anyone involved with racing as a hobby can certainly attest to that! By 2001 Kyle was racing late model stock cars while still in high school and his accomplishments continued to mount. He caught the eye of Roush Racing where his brother was driving and the next thing he knew he was signed and scheduled to race in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series. He was 16 years old when he started in 23rd position and finished 9th at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Out of the blue, NASCAR decides to put an 18 year old age restriction on the drivers in NASCAR sanctioned races. Undeterred, Kyle began racing in the American Speed Association and ran the entire 2002 schedule. He ended the 20 race season with 5 top five and 10 top ten finishes and wound up 8th in the point standings at 17 years old. While all this was going on, Kyle worked on his school work, graduating from high school a year early.

While still not old enough to drive in NASCAR events, Kyle moved to the ARCA RE/MAX Series where he won his first race driving from the pole position at the Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. He backed up that performance by also winning the second race of the year at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta and more people took note of his accomplishments. Later in 2003 he turned 18 and started seven Nationwide Series events where he posted a runner-up finish in his first start while running at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Five of those 7 Nationwide starts found Kyle finishing in the top ten.

In 2004, Kyle started off the season winning the ARCA race at Daytona on February 7th. His first full year running the Nationwide Series found him in Victory Lane five times as he placed second in the points standings and became the youngest driver to win Top Rookie honors. The stage was set for Kyle’s entrance into the elite NASCAR Cup Series. But there was one problem in Kyle’s eyes as he was perceived to be Kurt’s little brother. He was able to do something about that perception when at the end of the 2004 season he accepted an offer to take over Terry LaBonte’s number 5 car with Hendrick Motorsports. This move left brother Kurt and Roush Racing behind and allowed Kyle to stand alone.

At the age of 19 in 2005, in only his 8th NASCAR Cup start, Kyle won the pole at California Speedway, becoming the youngest driver in NASCAR history to do so. He went on in his rookie year and drove the number 5 HMS car to nine top-fives, 13 top-10s, two wins and a 20th place finish in the standings. This earned Kyle Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup Series becoming not only the first driver to win both the Nationwide and Cup Series Rookie honors in back to back years, but also the youngest driver to win each honor. Kyle Busch had arrived…

How can anyone look at this young phenomenon and not wish him well?

I can understand the feelings NASCAR fans have toward Kyle Busch’s youthful exuberance and his sometimes misplaced comments while having microphones constantly shoved in his face. I know, I know, in this day and age everybody’s expected to be politically correct. These race car drivers are all expected to toe the line, smile and not bad mouth anyone. Well, I’m here to tell ya, that attitude and demeanor just don’t work for this guy. If you expect the good guy image to be normal in a hectic, high-pressure business such as driving in NASCAR, you’re living in a special world all your own. Being a nice guy here is the exception, not the rule. The keys to success include a strong will to win, not to just participate, but to WIN. Once that will, or thirst to win is entrenched, there’s only one thing that will quench it. Now it can be argued that everyone has this will to win, and that’s true, but how strong is it? Think about this now… Some people will go to the far ends of endurance and still not find victory, but they are undeterred and persist. Others will give it the good try and eventually move on when victory isn’t forthcoming. Some will taste victory and be satisfied for the rest of their lives. Then there are the few who are visited by success on a regular basis and yet it’s never enough. These are the special ones. The people that harbor a will to win that is so great it can never be completely satisfied. In all of life’s endeavors there are these special people. Most are hidden from us as they go about their lives, although their accomplishments are all around us. Then there are the very few that happen to be involved in endeavors that allow the multitude to watch. If we have a true appreciation for what we’re seeing, we get to enjoy it. This is the stuff that makes us fans, by the way. Another attribute these few special people have when it comes to success is they have not only a certain amount of ability, they also have what we call talent. This is something that stems from certain God-given skills that are then recognized and honed over time. If the abilities are there, and the lessons used to fine-tune them are taken to heart and they “click”, then success may follow. If the individual is recognized for his talent, a certain amount of adulation then follows. This in turn may lead an individual to have what we call an “attitude”. The individual is good and, for better or for worse, he knows it. This trait is usually found in younger people who haven’t been knocked in the dirt too many times and it is what many bystanders have a problem with. This person will eventually mellow out. Finally, NASCAR is a team sport, and as in any team sport, when the first two characteristics are in place and connected to an owner and group of people talented in other areas that are committed to winning while using sound teamwork practices, then success will be assured.

Kyle Busch’s will to win is huge. His talents have been honed to a fine edge. Finally, what initially looked like a possible hit to the young man’s psyche, that being dropped from NASCAR’s premier racing team in favor of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has actually turned into a marriage made in heaven. Joe Gibbs Racing welcomed Kyle into the fold and has provided the teamwork and vehicles to match young Busch’s will and skill. Joe’s mentoring has evidently had some effect on young Busch as many have commented on his newfound patience in certain race circumstances and it has paid off handsomely to this point in the NASCAR season.

This all leaves me wondering about Kyle’s past employer I doubt that the owner with Hendricks Motorsports would ever admit it, but I’m sure he has had second thoughts about his decision to cut Kyle Busch loose.

With a third of the 2008 NASCAR season in the books it’s fair to say that Joe Gibbs Racing has dominated with Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

The M&M's Indiana Jones Number 18 that won at Darlington

Here are Kyle’s career marks to date:

18 Kyle Busch

     Toyota

     Joe Gibbs Racing

Poles    Wins    Rank    Points  Behind            Rating

   1             3          1          1690         -                   112.0

Ht: 6-1   Wt: 160

Born: 05/02/1985

Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada

1st year: 2004

Career Stats              Top

Year Starts Wins 5 10 15 20 DNF Avg. Strt Avg. Fin.

2008    11      3    7   8   9 10    0           10                8

2007    36      1  11 20 24 28    2           15              14

2006    36      1  10 18 24 25    2           15              16

2005    36      2    9 13 16 16    8           19              21

2004      6      0    0   0   0   0    4           27              35

Career Stats

Year Laps Led (% all laps)        Tot Laps Earnings

2008    567    (16.00%)                       3605  $2,474,863

2007    637     (6.00%)                      10280  $4,685,518

2006    571     (6.00%)                      10013  $4,821,093

2005    362     (4.00%)                        9705  $4,185,239

2004       0        (.00%)                        1098    $394,489

* * * * *

Well folks, I continue to hear that Kyle will cool off as the year continues, he’s got a target on his back now and will be taken out, he’s a dirty driver that wrecks people on purpose and that he’s just a flash in the pan. On the other hand, I’ve heard very knowledgeable NASCAR people and fans state that Kyle Busch is one of these drivers that seems to come along once every ten years or so. He has been likened in his early career to several of the greatest drivers this sport has known   and that has drawn fire from many who simply deny that it’s so.

If Kyle Busch can maintain his points lead and win the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, he will still need to do it again and again to finally gain acceptance as a great driver. Right now it’s turned into a very enjoyable time just watching him race to the finish with his hair on fire!           

Resources: 

KYLE BUSCH - Driver Biography

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id
=162957

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...

Win number six Kyle?

Resources:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports/autoracing.
apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-05-03-0184.html>

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-autosc
onfidential0208may02,0,4610968,print.story>

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/nationwide/
news/story?id=3379327

"He has great seat-of-the-pants feel for a car," the man who took his spot on the Hendrick Racing team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "And he can drive them pretty sideways."

Two-time series champion and former teammate Jimmie Johnson said he is an "amazing talent."

"I don't know if he's the next great one; I think he is it right now," Dale Jarrett said. "He is an amazing young man talent-wise. Pretty incredible what he can do with a race car, a truck, just different types."

He's ranked third in the Sprint Cup Driver's Standings, fifth in the Nationwide Series and first in the Truck Series.

He is 22 years old and turning NASCAR on its ear.

From his win at all costs driving style, where there is no opening too small to fit through, to the hard feelings these tactics inevitably create, Kyle himself put it best, "People either love me or hate me," he said. "So love me or hate me. I don't care. My personality is what it is."

Busch was cut loose at the end of last season by Hendrick Racing as Rick Hendrick had to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and it certainly appears young Busch is using this as another form of motivation...

The big winner in all of this has been Joe Gibbs as the owner of the team Busch decided to drive for after being courted by virtually all of the major teams. "He's been a great fit for us, and he's a phenomenal talent," Gibbs said.

Now we're beginning to hear comparisons being made between Busch and some of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport, not saying that he will equal or surpass the same career heights these champion drivers have attained, but with respect to his driving. This in turn creates heated debate. I'm here to tell you folks that Kyle Busch is probably the best thing to happen to American auto racing in several years.

Dale Jarrett states: "He's fearless and has that youth about him that he doesn't think the race car can ever get out from under him, and he drives it to that limit every single time. Obviously, he has to win some more races and race for that championship in the Cup series to consider him as our next superstar. But he's right there on the verge of it."

Superstar? At age 22?

I have to wonder what Rick Hendrick might have to say?

The assault continues this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, a track where two and a half years ago Kyle won the 2005 Checker Auto Parts 500.  

Resources:

http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/kbusch01/cup/a>

http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/data/standin
gs_official.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20
08/04/08/20080408nascarbusch0409.html