Jeff Gluck: Kyle Busch could go down as the greatest of all time
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COMMENTARY
LAS VEGAS – Kyle Busch was in the middle of it all, soaking in every moment and spare drop of champagne.
Victory Lane – in the midst of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's sparkling Neon Garage fan zone – was surrounded by Busch supporters.
Busch supporters? At this time last year, who even knew there was such a thing?
Now the public address announcer was asking for all the "Rowdy" fans to make noise for their favorite driver.
And they did, letting out a hearty roar – the kind of cheers not typically heard for Busch.
A woman in M&Ms apparel standing on the upper deck of the fan zone clapped and raised her hands to the sky.
"This is sweeeeeeet!" she said.
Face it, Busch-haters: This is Kyle Busch's world; the rest of us just live in it. And if you're wise, you might as well jump on the bandwagon while you still can.
Busch is 23 years old, but 24 going on 40-something – 24 wins in the past two seasons, that is, headed for probably 40-plus by the time this year is over.
The dude is going to be around for a while. Is it really going to be worth your energy to hate him for the next 15 years?
Busch said his win at Vegas, the track he saw rise from the dirt as a hometown kid, was "the feeling of a lifetime."
In victory lane, he was embraced by his older brother, Kurt, and then his emotional mother, Gaye.
All of this after he crossed the finish line to thousands of popping flashbulbs, did a Vegas-effect-style smoky burnout and emerged with his hands raised in triumph, ready to bow yet again.
He kissed the finish line and patted the ground gently. This was his turf.
Pretty soon, all of NASCAR might be.
Is there any driver more exciting in the sport today? Busch isn't always the nicest guy, but he is perhaps the most talented – maybe ever.
If he keeps this up, he could go down as the greatest driver in history.
Let that soak in for a minute. Yeah. It's that serious.
So a word of advice to those who still won't accept Rowdy as a guy they can support: If your favorite driver can't beat him, you might as well join him.
