Not that bad for bad-boy Kyle Busch
Driver’s solid season at odds with demeanor
On auto racing
Kyle Busch should be a happy man. He is rolling along, with the fourth most points in theMonster EnergyNASCAR Cup standings, a reason to celebrate. Or not. Instead, he is Pouty Face. Busch has yet to win a points race despite six top-five finishes. It’s a disappointing look for a driver who haswon nine times over the last two seasons, including a championship run in 2015.
But there’s more negative juju. Busch, a volatile sort over the years, seems to be atwar with theworld.
He ripped Goodyear tires after crashing atDaytona to start the season. He started a brawl with Joey Logano and his crew members after awreck in Las Vegas. He threw shade at Talladega by implying it wasn’t a real race track. He was then dismissive of Austin Dillon’s victory at Charlotte in a video snippet thatwent viral in the NASCAR community.
These are not highly egregious offenses, but if you stitch them together they reflect badly on a man whose superb driving skills are often overshadowed by temperamental issues. Take the Charlotte example, with Busch failing to pass Dillon in the closing laps.
Asked to put Dillon’s victory in perspective, Busch said, “I’m not surprised about anything. Congratulations.”
And then he dropped the microphone. Nomore questions. #Soreloser.
“There are some really funny bounces in life, especially in this motorsports world,” said BradKeselowski, a frequent NASCAR antagonist. “But your desire to win is not connected to howangry you get.
“That’s oneway of expressing it, but it’s not the onlyway to win. So when people go out and write articles or the media comes out and says that’s a reflection of him having the most desire to win it makes me want to throwup. Not only is that a terrible message to send to anyone who’s aspiring to be a part of the sport, it’s a terrible message to send to anybody in general in thisworld— that it’s a reflection of your desire to win.”
Busch has a chance for a reset atDaytona International Speedway on Saturday night. He has a chance to send another message to theworld by winning— or at the very least, not coming across as an ungracious loser.
Either-or, the hope is that nobodywants to puke afterward.
Junior’s puppies: The NASCARNation is famous — and sometimes notorious — for giving stars unique parting gifts. Just ask Jeff Gordon about the two ponies he got fromTexas Motor Speedway a few years back.
The folks at Sonoma Raceway also dipped into the animal kingdom category when saying adios to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup competition after this season.
Whodoesn’t love puppies?
Three of them in fact, Labrador retrievers, with an added human touch:
The puppies— named Dale, Amy and Junior— will be trained as service dogs on Earnhardt’s behalf. They willwork with children who have disabilities.
“I think it’s a great thing that the track did,” Earnhardt said. “Amy (Earnhardt, his wife) is going to love this idea and she is going to be a little sad she wasn’t here to see the dogs today, but it’s nice to know that these types of things are happening and you guys are making a difference in people’s lives.
“We really appreciate that and obviously thank the track for their investment to make this happen. Itwarmsmy heart. We do love dogs and love making a difference in kids’ lives and this is a two-fer.”
The track collaborated with Paws As Loving Support Assistance Dogs, a group out of Forestville, Calif. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to enhancing the human-animal bond by providing specially trained dogs to help children with disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome and mobility impairments.
Next up: Daytona, where the folks have come up with an interactive experience.
A #Daletona mosaic will be located in the Axalta Injector at the property. Fans will be able to create a piece of artwork to commemorate Earnhardt’s final start atDaytona as a fulltime driver by posting photos on Instagramand Twitter using #Daletona.
Submitted pictures will be printed out and placed onto the 15-by-5.5-foot mosaicwall. All the fan pictures in the mosaic will create a piece of artwork celebrating Earnhardt’s career atDaytona and will be delivered to him after the event.