Playoffs may be in for rowdy finish
Kyle Busch gets into mix with pair of wins
On auto racing
And here we thought Martin Truex Jr. was cruising down the highway, heading to his first NASCAR Cup title.
Not so fast, my friend. Things are about to get disruptive with Kyle Busch, aka Rowdy.
Busch has won two consecutive playoff races and is only 18 points behind Truex in the playoff standings. Every point is critical in trying to move forward to Homestead in late November for the final-four matchup near Miami, but victories are a surefire way to advance.
We are down to 12 drivers in the championship mix after Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman were eliminated Sunday.
As for Kyle Busch, it’s catch him if you can.
“We’ve got to win Charlotte,” he said after winning at Dover, looking ahead toward this weekend’s race. “Apparently I haven’t won there before, so I need to ... check that one off the list and that will put us into the next round and we’ll go from there.”
Busch won the Cup title in 2015, capping an impressive comeback after breaking his right leg and left foot in a horrific crash the day before the Daytona 500 in an Xfinity Series race. He missed 11 Cup races, had to learn to walk again and, with the help of a NASCAR waiver, advanced to the playoffs and won the whole thing.
But he has been in it full time in 2017 and up to his usual “does not play nice” personality traits that endear him to many fans and annoy so many others.
A year in review includes Busch ripping Goodyear tires after crashing at Daytona to begin the season, starting a brawl with Joey Logano and his crew members after a wreck in Las Vegas and throwing shade at Talladega by implying it wasn’t a real race track.
He was then dismissive of Dillon’s victory at Charlotte in a video snippet that went viral in the NASCAR community and may or may not have included Busch picking his nose.
But his combative piece de resistance remains his feud with Brad Keselowski that goes back a few years. When Keselowski implied on Twitter that NASCAR was giving Toyota favorable slack in setups, Busch fired back with a dismissive “STFU” tweet.
Keselowski’s turn: “It’s 2017. When you’re about to lose an argument, you call people names rather than face facts.”
Busch then volleyed with a picture of “Sweet Heat” Skittles (a sponsor), adding, “It’s getting (hot) in here!”
Boys will be boys in cyberspace, but this will have zero relevance moving forward unless NASCAR announces the formation of a social media police. Keselowski, by the way, is fourth in points, which would put both drivers in the championship crosshairs at Homestead. Oh, my!
“It just needs to stop,” Busch said in an interview with Kaitlyn Vincie on Fox Sports’ NASCAR RaceDay. “It goes in cycles. We weren’t the ones complaining when we knew (Keselowski) had an advantage over the rest of the field when they won their championship. We had to go to work to try to figure it out. We were too late when it was said and done.”
There are seven races to go. We can easily say that all is not said and done among Busch, Truex and Keselowski.
Remembering Yates: NASCAR Hall of Famer Robert Yates died Monday night at age 74. Yates, a team owner and engine builder in his career, had been battling liver cancer.
He was widely respected in the industry, and his legacy includes winning 57 Cup races and three Daytona 500s while an owner for drivers such as Davey Allison and Dale Jarrett.
“Robert excelled in multiple NASCAR disciplines, earning the respect of an entire industry and an everlasting place in the hearts and minds of the NASCAR fan base,” NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France said in a statement. “And though he was a master at his craft, it was Robert’s passion and character that endeared him to every single person he encountered and will ensure that his memory will live on for generations.
“On behalf of my family and all of NASCAR, I extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of a NASCAR giant, whose legacy will impact an entire industry forever.”