Kyle Busch is what NASCAR claims its needs but doesn’t want

Credit: NASCAR.com

I watched Kyle Busch smash the guitar. I loved it. It was a surprising yet entertaining response from NASCAR’s resident villain.

Kyle Busch is (insert deragatory term here) and is everything NASCAR needs. Who else can turn a sparsely attended Nationwide race into a national controversy?

He is everything NASCAR claims it needs, but nothing that it wants. NASCAR claims it wants more personalities, for its racers to “be themselves”, yearning for the days of yesteryear with Dale Sr. and DW.  Honestly, it wants more Jeff Gordons and Jimmie Johnsons, and more dry commentary and non-threatening corporate imagery. From a business standpoint, I understand. NASCAR needs maximum dollars today, never mind squashing the momentum for the future.

Fans – don’t think you are off the hook, always clamoring for more “rubbin’ is racin’” and for more “bad boys”.

Who fits that description? Kyle Busch. He has a full throttle, Ricky Bobbyesque “If yer not first, yer last!” mentality – with honesty to the brink of brutality – and a competitiveness that nudges hubris.

So how do the media and fans respond? He gets CRUSHED. Why? Because he is not the villain WE want him to be. He is not Dale Sr. or DW. He lacks the envious intimidation of Sr. and the devilish Southern charm of D-Dub. Instead he looks like a pencil-necked Poindexter more likely to crunch numbers than 42 other cars.  He doesn’t fit the stereotype.

Is Kyle Busch sometimes smug, boorish and childish? Absolutely. We shouldn’t want him any other way.

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