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Point-counterpoint: Busch strikes a chord, and discord

Racing front-runner won the race, then smashed the prize

donn jones / associated press

Kyle Busch poses with Sam Bass, right, the artist who painted the guitar that Busch accepted and then smashed after the Federated Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race.

By Ron Kantowski (contact), Mark Whittington (contact)

Saturday, June 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Kyle Busch

This behavior is right for bad boy — and NASCAR

Call out the instigators

Because there’s something in the air

We’ve got to get together sooner or later

Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right

And you know that it’s right.

— “Something in the Air,” Thunderclap Newman

By RON KANTOWSKI

NASCAR has an instigator and his name is Kyle Busch. Although the stock car sanctioning body will never admit it was right for him to smash the Gibson Les Paul custom guitar he received for winning last weekend’s Federated Auto Parts 300 into tiny bits (and pieces) in Victory Lane, it sure was a lot more interesting than watching somebody named Ricky or Rusty getting up there and thanking his sponsors.

Kyle Busch is an iconoclast, man. He’s Pete Townshend in fireproof coveralls. Rock on, dude!

Another driver, Carl Edwards, says Busch was being disrespectful to the artist who painted the guitar and the artisans who constructed it. Carl Edwards should look in the mirror. He should stop posing for beefcake photographs without his shirt on before he starts complaining about the way other people act.

Who does he think he is, Matthew McConaughey?

The artist said if Busch had only come to him and said he intended to smash the guitar, he would have made him a cheap replica.

Do you think Pete Townshend warned the producers of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” that he was going to smash his Vox Cheetah on national TV? Do you think Keith Moon warned them he was going to blow up his drum kit?

They black-flagged the establishment. That’s what made The Who famous.

Were it not for smashing guitars and blowing up drum kits, The Who might still be playing at Arizona Charlie’s. Then what would Herman’s Hermits do?

Were it not for his bad boy image, Kyle Busch might still be running around with Carl Edwards and Michael Waltrip at the back of the pack, listening to Air Supply and signaling before making left-hand turns.

Meet the new boss, NASCAR. He’s not the same as the old boss. Not by a long shot.

And don’t get fooled again into thinking his bad boy image is detrimental to a sport in which TV ratings and attendance are significantly down.

Hate him or hate him, Kyle Busch puts rear ends in the seats.

And you know that it’s right.

Musical artistry to be appreciated, not destroyed

There ought to be a law with no bail

Smash a guitar and you go to jail

With no chance for early parole

You don’t get out till you get some soul

— “Perfectly Good Guitar,” John Hiatt

•••••••••••

By MARK WHITTINGTON

Shame on you, Kyle Busch.

You thought you’d inject a little rock ’n’ roll spirit into the festivities after your win at the Nashville Superspeedway.

But that was a Gibson Les Paul that you tried to smash on Victory Lane.

How would you like it if somebody took a tire iron to your engine?

The artist who hand-painted the guitar said he was “stunned.” Then Sam Bass tried to be diplomatic. “In the spirit of rock ’n’ roll and, as someone who appreciates rock ’n’ roll, he put on a show.”

Rubbin’ is racin’, that’s a show. A slingshot pass on the final turn, that’s a show. Leading from the pole to the checkered flag, even that’s a show.

But a race driver dressed like an advertising billboard cracking a beautiful guitar isn’t much of a show, at least not for me.

As a musician, I never understood the guitar smashing bit.

Look, I love Pete Townshend, saw him destroy his SG once. It didn’t make the music better.

I stood on the stage in Monterey where Townshend had smashed another guitar, and you could still see the burn spot where Jimi Hendrix flamed his Stratocaster in 1967. It’s a bit of history.

But what I cherish most are the memories of The Who and Hendrix playing music.

I’d have to side with John Hiatt when he sings “Oh it breaks my heart to see those stars, smashing a perfectly good guitar.”

Hiatt’s a motor head. He may record in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry), but he grew up in Indianapolis (home of the Motor Speedway). He even raced Legends cars on ovals when he wasn’t writing hit songs. (You might not recognize Hiatt’s name, but I’ll bet you know the songs he writes, like “Thing Called Love,” “Riding With the King,” and “Angel Eyes.”)

Although Hiatt once said NASCAR had become “too polite,” I’ll bet he appreciates the way Kyle Busch puts the pedal to the metal.

The 24-year-old bad boy from Las Vegas has won nine races this year and more than 50 times in his short NASCAR career. And I’d love to see the hometown hero keep going ’round in circles for years and years to come — ignoring the siren call of “My Generation.”

Don’t burn out like all those rock stars, Kyle.

Keep burning doughnuts like Jimmie Johnson.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

By Vegas_Vic_14

6/13/09 at 1:16 p.m.

Suggest removal

There's a huge difference between what Kyle Busch did and what Pete Townshend did when it comes to smashing a guitar. One was given a gift/trophy which an artist spent many hours creating just for this occasion and then in a split second, this guitar was destroyed in a disrespectful demonstation of immaturity. The other was a demonstrative action brought about in a musical frenzy and most likely was one of dozens of guitars that could have been selected for this event and any one of them was expendable.
Busch was being a jerk and if this is to be lauded, then NASCAR is evolving into nothing more than WWE antics..in other words, no longer something worth viewing.
By LasVegas2009

6/13/09 at 2:58 p.m.

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Vegas Vic 14 get a life! Kyle was being Kyle and nothing wrong with what he did. Sounds like you got a hard on for him maybe you should go let of some steam and destroy something.

Congrats to Kyle! Keep it going!
By MUR005

6/13/09 at 3:42 p.m.

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Kyle isn't a bad boy -- He's an idiot !!
Everything that comes out of his mouth,
seeing his house on Cribs, and not talking
to his brother at the dinner table during
a holiday meal --- shows he's a complete,
Imature IDIOT!!! One day, he will regret his
imature remarks (and that day will come) and
I can't wait to see him "eat crow". He'll stay
single for a lot of years. Women might like your wallet but they won't be able to put up with
you long!!! Kurt even grew out of his "prickliness". Must be something in the water in Vegas (or those prickly plants that grow there make for some Prick"ly" people)! GROW UP
KYLE !! Mr and Mrs Busch you must be so proud raising such
nice, classy gentlemem ! Kurt I will give you credit: After meeting your Wife, you grew up - Happy to see it!!! I can almost "root" for you now and forgive your past incidences. It'll take me "forever" to forgive Kyle
for his stupid, idiotic statements and actions !!
What a JERK! At Dover, everyone was boo'ing you !!!
Kyle is so insecure, he'll take boo'ing as a form
of getting attention!!! Like a child; negative attention
is better than no attention Kyle ??? UGH! Can't stomach
you !!!
By 007_fan

6/13/09 at 4:56 p.m.

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you people need to get a life if all you have to worry about is someone good-naturedly smashing a guitar/trophy. personally, I take more offense at athletes who injected themselves with steroids to break their sport's most hallowed records.
By drillmaker

6/13/09 at 5:13 p.m.

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Kyle is just a punk kid who should be known as a a**hole dumb sh#t who should not be in a race car.
He has no respect for the sport and i think the owner of the car that he drives should find another driver with more talent and understand that children do not belong in race cars.
By 007_fan

6/13/09 at 5:47 p.m.

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you show your ignorance with posts like that, drillmaker. find another driver with more talent??? who exactly, other than jimmy johnson, fits that bill? you sound like a fan of dale jr., who couldn't carry kyle's jock. in case you hadn't noticed, kyle has won 12 times as many cup races as jr. since jr. replaced kyle at the "best team in nascar."

you and jr. are both losers.
By stevem

6/13/09 at 6:33 p.m.

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what a jerk.

he COULD have done the right thing and signed the guitar, and auctioned it off for charity.

anyone with an ounce of class would have done that.

but this is nascar...and the fans and the racers live up to the stereotype they try so hard to deny.
By MUR005

6/13/09 at 6:45 p.m.

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The Busch's give Vegas a "bad" name.

Kyle, there's something to be said for
being "humble". Look up the word as you
have no resemblance of it in your persona.

Like I said Kyle is a child -- trying to
immitate a "rock musician". But his fans
are saying "he's being who he "is". Yeah OK.
What's that? A guy who tries to impersonate
someone else is not being TRUE to yourself !!
HELLO! Do you fans need a psycology lesson??
By 007_fan

6/13/09 at 7:31 p.m.

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ok, mur, you're repeating yourself now. go play somewhere else.
By DouglasDemocrat

6/13/09 at 10:08 p.m.

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"you people need to get a life if all you have to worry about is someone good-naturedly smashing a guitar/trophy"

Good-naturedly? Hardly.

I like it when Kyle shows passion in the race car. When he gets fired up, he puts on one heck of a show. But sometimes he crosses the line - there's a difference between being an intense competitor and a petulant child.

This was one of those times.
By WatchDat11Go

6/13/09 at 11:35 p.m.

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Wow. I've never seen anything like this. You NASCAR fans are worse than a bunch of hausfraus cackling over the latest episode of "Days of Our Lives." What happens ON THE TRACK is what matters. Who gives a rat's a$$ about anything else?

Now go back to your programs.
By Boots

6/14/09 at 1:12 a.m.

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"Kurt" grew up once Jimmy Spencer used him for a punching bag. Ahh the good old days!
By SgtRock

6/14/09 at 11:14 a.m.

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Kyle is not so bright.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 hightest), he as about -5 on the PR skills scale.

Too bad, the sport needs strong young drivers that can attract fans.

He ain't it.

If he started to dominate the races then the ratings and ticket sells would crater.
By skerlahdee

6/15/09 at 12:46 a.m.

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I once saw Honky Tonk Man smash a guitar over Macho Man's head while the Lovely Elizabeth watched helplessly. Now that was entertainment!