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A NASCAR BLOG BY Art Weinstein

History in the making

Jul 16
There’s an old saying in sports that there is no cheering in the press box. Who wants to read a news story, or watch a TV report, provided by a reporter who is cheering for a particular driver?

For the record, I was not in the press box, but sitting at home on my sofa watching the Chicagoland Speedway race when Kyle Busch passed Jimmie Johnson to win the LifeLock.com 400.  I did not cheer, but it was very exciting to see such a bold move, pulled off with incredible skill against the two-time defending series champion.

What made it even more exciting was the realization that I was probably watching history in the making. The warm and fuzzy feelings about Busch’s winning pass at Chicago remind me of how I felt watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase baseball’s home run record back in 1998. Or watching Peyton Manning set the NFL mark for touchdown passes a couple of years ago.

That was Busch’s seventh Sprint Cup victory of the season. He is more than halfway to breaking NASCAR’s post-1972, modern-era record of 13 victories in a season, shared by Richard Petty in 1975 and Jeff Gordon in 1998.

I think Busch smashes the record (the way he’s going, he could set it in October).

Many fans are tired of Busch’s dominance this year. I don’t enjoy seeing the same driver win every other week, either. I inwardly groaned after several of his previous victories this year (oh, no, not HIM again).

Maybe I’ll feel that way after Busch’s next win or two. But after seeing that incredible move at Chicago, it was hard not to feel a thrill watching an athlete at the top of his game continue his march toward history.

Average Rating: 5.0

Comments

5 responses to "History in the making"
  1. 1
    Chazzo Ozzahc said:
    Jul 16, 2008 at 8:51 AM

    ...its amazing how many people like to dislike Kyle Busch and his talents...i'm not a Kyle fan at all...but I really don't mind watching him win each week...it makes me chuckle knowing that there are fans out there hating life the moment he takes the checkered flag....let him dominate...appreciate it...you may never see it again....

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  2. 2
    Worm Dirt said:
    Jul 16, 2008 at 11:16 AM

    I remember when I was a kid....and that movie "Footloose" came out....and everybody loved the soundtrack and it was all you heard playing at any birthday party...or coming from any teenagers t-top firebird...etc.etc. THEN, maybe THREE or FOUR years later, I had this friend come running up to me with the widest smile, so incredibly excited because his aunt had just given him a tape of the "Footloose" soundtrack!!! And he was like, "MAN, YOU'VE GOT TO HEAR THIS!!!!!!" My question to you Art is this.......Have you ever heard the "Footloose" soundtrack? It's pretty snappy.

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  3. 3
    anonymous said:
    Jul 17, 2008 at 12:04 PM

    We don't care about your childhood stories Dirty Worm. Stick with the article and stop the philosophy lessons, nobody is interested.

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  4. 4
    Run Jump said:
    Jul 17, 2008 at 7:13 PM

    Hello, I'm one of "those fans" who really doesn't like seeing KB win every week. So, guess what? Not being a masochist, I don't watch! When the 18 starts to dominate...I turn the channel. Let's be realistic. The Toyotas ARE running an enhanced set up, whether it be the motors or some hidden adjustment to the COT template. It's in Toyota's (and NASCAR's)best interests to make these first few years profitable for the new manufacturer. Once Toyota gets its first championship, NASCAR will make some changes and the playing field will even out again. Go ahead and annoint him as your king this year. Have fun.

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  5. 5
    dalejr88 denver said:
    Jul 18, 2008 at 11:19 AM

    Kyle winning every week is getting just as old as Gordon in 1998. However, if Jr. was winning every week that wouldn't get old haha.

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