Kyle Busch talks about Dale Earnhardt Junior so much, that I sometimes wonder if he doesn't have a bit of a man crush.
Of course it's more likely that Busch has yet to get over the wound Rick Hendrick inflicted when he was ousted in favor of NASCAR's most popular driver. But whatever the reason for Busch's Junior fixation, it's clear that Junior is always on Kyle's mind.
From Busch's Junior-directed comments after winning the race at Bristol, to his condescending radio chatter as Dale Jr scored a lucky dog, Busch spends a lot of time and energy on kicking Junior when he's down.
Let's face it, Junior hasn't been much of a threat to Busch this year (or last) on the track. So Rowdy's Junior obsession has got to be personal. And frankly, it's getting annoying.
No matter what Kyle says, it's clear he's painfully aware of Junior's popularity with the fans and more painfully aware that he doesn't garner the same adulation. To Busch, winning is the only thing that matters. But to lots of race fans, having a halfway decent personality matters more.
The best way to keep Busch quiet is for the #88 car to beat the #18 to the checkered flag a few times over. And if that doesn't work, I have another theory as to why Kyle talks so much about Dale Jr--he must be a closet member of Junior Nation.
I really feel that the media is the biggest reason Kyle Busch can let go of this "fixation". In every interview, the rivalry is brought up. Maybe if the subject was cast aside for a while, Rowdy would speak of it less.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment was e-mailed to me by a reader named Marybeth:
ReplyDelete"What has always struck me as odd is, Rick Hendrick let him go...after being voted out by his teammates. Jr. did not let him go...nor was he a teammate that voted him out. It somehow escapes Kyle that he is taking his anger out on the wrong person...?"
People want to compare Kyle to the Intimidator but if Junior acted like Kyle, Sr would have put him in his place.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder how much Kyle really enjoys his wins when his inspiration to win is to rub it in Dale's face.
Kyle may beat Junior to winning a championship but off the track...Junior is a champion. Kyle could learn a thing or two from the humble Junior.
There is much more to being a champion than winning trophies. It's also a thing called being a good sportsman which Kyle sure doesn't have a clue how to be. Take a look at how he acts when he loses a race and you'll see just who he is. A spoiled brat. He might be winning more races than Junior right now but as we saw last year in the Chase, his luck didn't hold out for very long did it? As my mama taught me, you'd better be careful how you treat people because it has a way to come back to bite you. Mind your manners Kyle Busch because that's one other thing that Junior has on you...he's a gentleman. Junior's day of winning races is far from being over.
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