Tuesday, May 5, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.
After Saturday night’s race at Richmond, race winner Kyle Busch was quoted as saying, “This is a phenomenal team right here. They never give up. We’ve had four bad weeks and we knew we had to get back on track somehow.”
Did he say they had four bad weeks?! Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t won since June of last year. Jeff Gordon recently broke a 47-race winless streak. Mark Martin just had his first win since 2005. But Kyle is upset because he went four races without a win? I can’t think of a greater indication of Kyle’s burning desire to always be first. Heck, this kid would bump out of the check-out line an elderly lady with a shopping cart full of groceries if it meant he could get to the cashier first.
The fire in Kyle’s gut is what sets him apart from every other driver in the Sprint Cup series. And the fact that he’s got the boundless energy and reflexes of a 24-year old doesn’t hurt either.
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Busch’s boss, Joe Gibbs, was quoted on Scenedaily.com about the fans’ reactions to his driver. “I got to tell you, what I hear is more and more cheers,” he said. Well, I wasn’t at the Richmond race, but judging from the decibel level of the boos as Kyle took the checkered flag, I’d say the coach is engaging in a little spin control. I was recently at the Phoenix race and the boos for Kyle during driver introductions were almost as loud as the pre-race flyover.
Nevertheless, one thing I have noticed is that Kyle is gaining respect. I frequently read reader comments on the Internet and in letters to the editor that express fans’ displeasure with Kyle’s personality but also express a healthy respect for his immense talent. Maybe fans are beginning to realize that they are witnessing NASCAR history in the making.
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