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Hard Turn

A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens

Kyle Busch not being among title contenders is a shame

Oct 3
A lot of people are down on Kyle Busch right now for the way he has reacted to the earth-shattering misfortune that has crippled his championship hopes in the first three weeks of the Chase For The Sprint Cup.

Heck, most fans have been down on Busch all season.

Now, much of the media has piled on, ripping Busch for either not doing interviews or being surly after the last three races.

I won’t defend him, and I won’t condone his behavior. Being a long-time journalist, I don’t defend any athlete or celebrity who doesn’t meet his media obligations and responsibilities.

But I do believe that the misfortune that has stricken Busch in the Chase is a real shame.

Busch, almost single-handedly, made this year’s season exciting and interesting. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver stirred things up this year with his aggressive driving style, his creative postrace celebrations and his sometimes controversial off-track comments.

More than any other driver this season, he has made fans watch each week to see what he will do next. Whether he’s popular or a villain, having a driver like that is good for the sport.

It is not good for the sport that he is so suddenly out of championship contention. 

It’s disappointing that he has not able to continue his spectacular run in the Chase and that bad luck has robbed him of the chance of battling Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle for the title.

Though the Chase is off to a thrilling start, it would be much more exciting if Busch were not already out of contention.

Average Rating: 4.0

Comments

18 responses to "Kyle Busch not being among title contenders is a shame"
  1. 1
    chris welch said:
    Oct 3, 2008 at 10:31 AM

    Agreed

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  2. 2
    david larison said:
    Oct 3, 2008 at 1:53 PM

    It's called Karma.

    Report as Abuse
  3. 3
    Terry Anderson said:
    Oct 3, 2008 at 2:00 PM

    Don't make the racin gods mad!

    Report as Abuse
  4. 4
    Timothy Schultze said:
    Oct 3, 2008 at 2:14 PM

    PUTZ

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  5. 5
    JOE COUNTS said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 8:29 AM

    KYLE WON THE SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP BUT IS HAVING NO LUCK IN THE STUPID 10 CHAMPIONSHIP!

    Report as Abuse
  6. 6
    catherine cammack said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 9:39 AM

    Maybe he won't be so eager to count all his wins like a fool in victory lane, he acted like he was better than anyone else. His attitude might need an adjustment before he can win a title.

    Report as Abuse
  7. 7
    jim blazek said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 12:42 PM

    It is a shame he,s out so early but that,s how the deal works.Some of the others were having their problems earlier-He,s having his now.They all get their mulligans.The one with the fewest in the chase wins IT.

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  8. 8
    Sharon Bundy said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 1:14 PM

    Chase or no Chase, the performance has to be there for the entire season, Kyle Busch just proved that.

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  9. 9
    Robert Wingert said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 5:04 PM

    I can't stop crying, it's so sad.

    Report as Abuse
  10. 10
    anonymous said:
    Oct 5, 2008 at 5:15 AM

    Cry me a freaking river!!!!!!!!!!!!! Karma baby, act professional next year and just maybe, the outcome will be different. What goes around comes around.

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  11. 11
    S Beau said:
    Oct 5, 2008 at 4:18 PM

    Can't say I think its a shame that Busch is out of contention. We've known for 5 seasons now that this is part of the game. If were gonna keep changing rules each year to appease a certain demographic, the chase will never find any legitimacy.

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  12. 12
    Wiley Hartsoe said:
    Oct 6, 2008 at 5:10 PM

    Hope his luck turns better for the last five races.

    Report as Abuse
  13. 13
    beth emerson said:
    Oct 7, 2008 at 5:34 AM

    I am no kyle fan but the kid does have alot of talent. He also has alot of growing up to do and needs an attitude adjustment before he will ever be a real contender for the title. Maybe over the winter he will do alot of this but I wont hold my breath.

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  14. 14
    Sharon Ellison said:
    Oct 7, 2008 at 3:19 PM

    I feel so bad for Kyle. He is a great driver and I can't believe his bad luck. He is a very nice guy and people are so wrong to boo him the way they do. I have met him and he was very polite and respectful to me. I wish him good luck. Go Kyle!

    Report as Abuse
  15. 15
    emily bagwell said:
    Oct 8, 2008 at 4:23 PM

    I'm with #'s 9&10--Robert and Anonymous! Tell it to the drivers the shrub has wrecked or knocked out of the way---see how much sympathy you get!

    Report as Abuse
  16. 16
    Philip Ahrendt said:
    Oct 8, 2008 at 7:40 PM

    Kyle Busch, like Tony Stewart, is a great race car driver, but both of these guys suffer from severely inflated self-images. Their success has gone to their heads causing them to act arrogantly both on and off of the track. Perhaps this major turnaround in Kyle's fortune will bring him back down to earth and remake him into an admirable driver again. As for Tony,...I don't think there is much hope of his ego ever returning to this planet.

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  17. 17
    otis gleason said:
    Oct 9, 2008 at 1:21 PM

    During the regular season no driver had anything for kyle, The chase however has screwed the top performer out of the championship for the third stright year thank you nascar!

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  18. 18
    emily bagwell said:
    Oct 9, 2008 at 7:11 PM

    What did Kyle have for the other drivers except disrespect---payback is hell!

    Report as Abuse

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