Saturday, June 6, 2009

You Can't Call Busch a Guitar Hero

Kyle Busch put on a show in Nashville Saturday night. He was on the pole. Led almost every lap. And was never really challenged for the lead.

But the fireworks didn't begin until after the race. That's when he literally set the track ablaze in a race-winning burnout and smashed the Gibson Guitar trophy in Victory Lane. Yup. Smashed it. With all the grace of a coked-up death-metal front man, Busch hoisted the custom-designed award over his head and broke it to pieces on the concrete.

This is why no matter how talented he is (and he's remarkably talented, no doubt) most race fans don't cotton to him. He doesn't race with respect. He won't hang around when he has a bad night and answer a simple media question. He leaves his teammate to take the heat for his own bad finish. And when things do go his way, he puts on a display worthy of a three-year-old chimp.

If Kyle ever grows up, fans may come around. But after this business in Nashville, he'll be nobody's hero for a while.

31 comments:

  1. I sincerely hope that NASCAR fines the idiot and docks him in points. He owes everyone an apology.

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  2. Kyle told the artist who painted the guitar that he meant no disrespect, he just wanted to smash it so he could give a piece to each crew member. I'm not a fan of Kyle, but I think it was a pretty cool idea (that might have went over better had the guitar actually smashed and he'd been able to give the pieces to his crew on camera). And guitar smashing isn't death metal, Pete Townshend of The Who started it in the '60s.

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  3. I gasped in shock when I saw what he did. That was the worst display of disrespect and immaturity I have seen in a long time. His owner and crew must be so embarrased, let alone his sponsors. What a role model.......his mother must be so proud.

    That was disgraceful!

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  4. Wow,
    First, people get upset by the way this guy treated his team at Bristol. Now they are upset because he shared his trophy with the entire team at Nashville. They complain when he wins, they complain when loses. Complain when he talks and complain when he doesn't. Do you want NASCAR to punish him for smashing his trophy? Or, do you want NASCAR to fine him for just winning? How about being in the Nationwide Series? I suppose we all all be happy if he would just curl up in a hole and die. That would never work though, then all the sportswriters would have to right about is how Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn't win consistently if his life depended on it. I guess we are all just better off complaining about Kyle since Junior will never win.

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  5. Fine??? Points??? for WHAT??... you never seen anybody smash a guitar before??... it's a real rock&roll thing to do.....

    might interest you to know that the man who paints those guits, Sam Bass, was very excited to see one finally smashed... Kyle took him aside in victory lane and told him there was no disrespect meant at all to him, the track or Gibson.... besides there are usually SEVERAL of those guits made for each win, and Kyle has already ordered 2 more... that one was for his crew... he promised them last year if he ever won at Nashvile, he'd smash the guit and give everybody a piece !!... couldn't get that Les Paul to break either... so they're going to cut it up in little pieces at the shop on Monday...

    When I saw him do it, I immediately thought, "There'll be a bunch of #88 morons screaming bloody murder about it".... seems I was right...
    Rave On !!!!

    CC

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  6. Smashing a trophy is smashing a trophy no matter what it is. It is the ultimate in disrespect to the fans, promoters and sport. The kid should have given some though to these actions. But, in typical Kyle Busch fashion he thinks of no one but himself. This single mindedness is great to win the races...but, show a little graciousness when you do win. Besides he's got the money to buy everyone one the crew a guitar.

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  7. Talk about selective reporting.....Kyle had said all along that if and when he won the guitar as a trophy, he would smash it and each team member would get a piece of it.

    You can read this in several places, written by a REAL reporter.

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  8. I liked it. He won it and can smash it if he likes. Much better than the usual boring post race banter. He's not a redneck so of course they don't like it.

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  9. That PUNK makes me sick. I can imagine what Sam Bass was thinking. All the work he puts into making those guitars and some MORON smashes it. I cannot beleive Coach Gibb is putting up with his crap.

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  10. Why should he get in trouble. IT IS HIS TROPHY!!! He wanted to give a piece to each team mebmber. Sam Bass, the artist, didnt seem to mind "When I went to Victory Lane to take the picture with Kyle as I traditionally do, the first thing he said to me was there was no disrespect to me, or the trophy, or the speedway, or any of the sponsors" He even said if Kyle requested it, he would paint up a new one for the race winner. So get over it and stop looking for any and every little thing to rag on Busch.

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  12. Check out the blog post at RestrictorPlated for a few objections to the pro-guitar-smashing arguments...just to add fuel to the fire!

    http://www.restrictorplated.com/2009/06/06/kyle-busch-wins-nationwide-race-at-nashville-turns-custom-painted-gibson-les-paul-guitar-into-kindling/

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  13. Wish I had that Les Paul. A real beauty and a guitar player's guitar.

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  14. Busch is a moron.

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  15. I haven't eaten an M&M since that idiot got them for a sponsor. That't the least I can do.

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  16. I used to just dislike the guy, but now I hate him. As a musician's wife I respect a good guitar. I know it infuriated my husband who wouldn't mind adding a fine piece like that to his collection. Oh and btw, Kyle's a racer not a rock star, and an idiot as well.

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  17. Kyle Bush goes to this Truck and Nationwide series and races against the up and comers as a sprint cup driver. He stinks up every race he is in. Then on top of that he disgraces their series by smashing the trophy by being the idiot he is.
    He`s just like Mike Tyson and bitting off his opponent`s ear. A talented racer but a disgrace to his sport. IF he had any class he would have bought all his crewmembers a guitar. Carl gave his guitar to a handicapped fan. He has class.

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  18. Kyle is one of the best drivers in Nascar's top 3 series today...Jr who???

    Larry Mcrynolds was right when he said that Nascar needs more excitment after a race by the winner. Kyle didn't mean any disrepect by smashing the guitar. He and crew had planned that long before that race.

    Let me ask this, if Jr did that would you be having this same discussion? Probly not..

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  19. Here's a thought to you Junior haters....Kyle's idiotic behavior has nothing to do with Junior. You're just trying to deflect any criticism of his questionable attitude and behavior with slams against Junior and Junior fans. Sorry, but it's not working.

    You can make excuses all your want for Kyle. He's just a maladjusted weirdo who happens to drive a race car for a living.

    Root for him if you choose, but it's got nothing to do with Junior so get over yourselves.

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  20. How Long beore he decides to burn the American flag....just to give his team some ashes to stomp on! He is a very immature young man who happens to be an excellent driver. But as a person with values he sucks!!! What about the rule book...actions detrimental to racing Nascar,You fine and critisize other things so what about this!!!!

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  21. Kyle may be a maladjusted weirdo who happens to drive a race car for a living..... but he wins...and you may not think this is about Junior...but seriuosly its all about Junior, everytime Kyle wins he makes Junior more washed up and pathetic. Think about, Bump Kyle out of Hendricks so Jr. can finally have top notch equipment... and Kyle is the only one winning. Heck Truex and Montoya are running better than Jr. in old DEI stuff. You'll do anything to discredit the guy who is making Jr. look bad, look at what you did to Jr's own cousin. You'll be hating Logano and Keselowski soon enough. And you people call yourselves NASCAR fans.

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  22. Well, as a guitarist and owner of a Gibson LP, I just about cried. A one of a kind, custom built LP would be worth around $40, maybe $50 k. Maybe more.

    I think I would have simply ordered a few knock offs for each team member instead of destroying something that was hand crafted by someone who felt privileged to make it.

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  23. The Kyle apologists claim there's nothing wrong with smashing the guitar because weeks ago he said he'd do it if he won the Nashville race. So, if a month ago if Kyle had said he was going to spit in the face of Sam Bass or the Gibson guitar rep in Victory Lane it would be OK because he forewarned everyone? Although there is no proper way to destroy something made for you, the most appropriate way to do this would have been to take it apart at the shop on Monday, unwitnessed by national television. Respect from other drivers and the fans is something that was a long way from Kyle, but with his moronic display Saturday, it's safe to say he'll never get it. But that's OK, because he's "talented" and "exciting." He's a joke!

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  24. Everyone of you JR fans think about it your hero can only win one race haha MIS last year while he was passing the pace car and shutting his car off to save gas. He should have been put at the tail end of the line for that crap. Now as for Kyle he is one talented driver and I bet Rick Hendrick is kicking himself for that one hahaha. HE stated before he was going to give his entire crew a chunk of that and he did. It was his his and wait yeah that was his to do whatever he wanted to with. Kyle adds the flair NASCAR needs and I will always be a fan go KYLE!!

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  25. Kyle is the most arrogant person that has ever been in racing. I can't wait for somebody to whip has arrogant a**.He wants respect but shows none. I can sure think of a place to put that guitar, splinters and all.

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  26. Who cares? He won the race....It was HIS trophy to do as he saw fit with.....Personally, I enjoyed the show.

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  27. A few years ago a driver named Tony Stewert had a problem with a driver named Kyle and banged into him every chance he got. They became teamates but that didn't last. I have been a Kyle Busch fan since he came on the scene but I cant't support him any longer. I don't care if checked with people before he smashed the trophy or got an o.k. from nasfarce. This last month with his B.S. has been enough from basically throwing his pit crew under the bus to puposely screwing up the burnout comp. to making Joey think he wrecked him when he stayed out just to mess everyone else up and cause a wreck so he can win has been enough for me. Time to root for a guy who will appreciate winning a race like Ambrose or Hornish.

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  28. As a Musician, I own 2 les pauls. if I could afford it, I would bust one up every night! But I can't sfford to do that but Kyle can. Rock on Kyle, you ROCK STAR!

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  29. Kyle would have to work his way up to moron.

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  30. Ya'll people didn't think Hendrick got rid of him for his driving, did you?

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  31. I don't think Kyle Busch is really stupid, he just conducts himself as if he was. Rude, surly, selfish, stupid... what a champion he's going to make.

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