Kyle Busch Presents: A Tale Of Two Seasons

Check out this line: 6 wins, 13 top 5s and 16 top 10s- that kind of performance would be the envy of any driver in any racing series. That’s what Kyle Busch has accomplished in 19 races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series season.

I’ve seen a lot of brilliant performances before: Michael Jordan’s 63 points in an NBA playoff game, Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in a World Series clinching game, Giants QB Phil Simms owning the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl (quite painful for a Broncos fan I might add). What Kyle Busch is doing in Nationwide competition is nothing short of downright dominant. With 3 victories and 4 second place finishes in his last seven races, you can’t help but be blown away.

Larry Bird said of Jordan that night referenced earlier, it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan.” I won’t go near that far! I’ll simply say Kyle Busch and his performance in the Nationwide Series has been “otherworldly.”

I watch and I marvel. Yes, Joe Gibbs Racing has blessed Busch with top notch equipment, but it’s more than that. Have you watched this guy on re-starts? Kyle Busch nails it every time. You couple this with that trademark fearlessness he possesses, plus a monster machine and you can’t help but think, “No one is catching this guy. Absolutely no one.” They may as well start engraving Shrub’s name on the Nationwide trophy the way I see it.

Ah, but then there’s the other side of the story.

Since Kyle Busch finished sixth at the Coca-Cola 600, he’s finished 13th or worse in six out of seven races. For the season, Busch has finished 20th or worse eight times. For perspective- consider that this time last year, he had four finishes below 20th. On the other side of the coin, he had 12 top 5s and 7 wins. This season, Busch has four top 5s and three wins. Granted, those three wins rank him second behind Mark Martin in a season the spoils of victory have been spread around.

One little problem though: Kyle Busch ranks 10th in points right now. In and of itself, it’s not a big deal, except he’s just 13 points ahead of 13th place Greg Biffle. I ask myself, “How is this possible?” To me, it was strange enough Kasey Kahne missed the chase with two wins last season, let alone three for Busch this year!

Differing theories abound for this uneven body of work. Some say this business of pulling double, sometimes triple duty between the Cup, NNS and CWTS series is hurting Kyle’s performance. O.K., it’s true that Jimmie Johnson rarely ventures over to the others. Tony Stewart only made 12 starts in what we once knew as the Busch Series when he took the Cup in 2005, brother Kurt never even so much as ran a race on the other side in 2004.

Some say trying to win a championship in both series is like trying to love two women at the same time. It’s hard enough  to make one happy, what makes him think he can please two?

“Nonsense” I say. I’ll give you one example: Carl Edwards. Cousin Carl gave Clint Bowyer a ran for his money on the Nationwide side and he made a spirited run at Johnson in Cup competition and led all Cup competitors with 9 wins. Like Edwards, Busch is young, he’s got the passion, he has the energy, and the time. No one’s making him and he’s done fairly well at it for the most part. People forget this guy was a 4.0+ GPA in high school, finishing early to pursue a racing career. I think Busch is smart enough to know when he’s burning the candle at both ends.

It’s not the CoT, that’s the car he was winning in last year. It’s not because of Toyota, because that’s what he was running in that last year. It’s not crew chief Steve Addinton, he’s the same guy Busch had last year.

So what is it?

It’s a combination of things. One move made differently, and Busch either wins or gets no worse than a top five at Daytona. If you go all the way back to the Daytona 500, K.B. had absolutely nothing to do with that 41st place finish- a victim of someone else’s mess. He’s been sporty enough, and really, his circumstances aren’t a whole lot worse than Mark Martin’s. Heck, Martin is looking up to Busch! Think about it, there’s 7 races worth of wins that may not get in the chase. Unbelievable.

I’m not any different than anybody else. I don’t care for the “Dennis The Menace” act when things don’t go well. I just don’t think that’s what the real problem is. By every indication they’ve accepted it as “Kyle being Kyle.” You know those other athletes I mentioned earlier? They were no day at the beach either. In fact, MJ got a whole book devoted to his capacity for being a “divo.”

It’s been argued that Kyle Busch doesn’t “points race” very well, and as much as the idea of playing conservative makes me cringe (I’m a “race for the win” kind of guy), a change of thinking changes the outcome of the most recent stop at Daytona. What I’m getting at, is Busch needs patience. Thinking about the big picture may add as many as 50 points to his total, and suddenly, Busch has breathing room, sitting firmly in the middle of the pack- cruising into the chase.

As it stands now, if he makes it, he’s the number two seed.

Kyle Busch’s struggles on the Sprint Cup side could come from a number of sources. No matter, because truth be told, he will get in.  I don’t see anything coming up that Busch can’t conquer. Indy? Busch ran seventh there in 2007 and fourth in 2006. Pocono? Why not? Watkins Glen? Shrub’s won there. Bristol? Ditto. What happens after the chase beings is another story, but getting in? He’ll get there.

For his fans, the Gibbs organization and Kyle Busch himself- one can only hope a break from Cup and a Nationwide win will prove therapeutic. The good news for Kyle is he has good people and good equipment around him. Anybody who knows Coach Gibbs in particular knows he can make right a head that is not. Busch can’t be any bigger challenge than John Riggins and Joe Theismann

If he steps back and realizes the possibilities for success that lie ahead of him, Kyle Busch will weave a new tale of two seasons- with a new crafting of the story, he writes a very different ending than the 2008 version. It becomes a story of triumph, of overcoming adversity and an ending no one sees coming right now.

With his talent, Busch has the making of a best seller in his grasp.

Bump Drafts News: I am pleased to announce that Bump Drafts has been selected as a member of the NASCAR Citizen Journalist Media. I am honored and humbled. The selection opens up a whole world of resources to better serve the readers, and it’s been my experience you rarely see a sports governing body embrace the “new media” in such a way.

Without you, the readers, I am just a guy banging away on his computer, talking to no one in particular. This is your success too. Thank you.

PHOTO CREDITS- Busch at Gateway by Jamie Squire/ Getty Images for NASCAR Media, middle right photo by colleen0313. For more of her work, visit flickr.com or click on the hyperlink. Lower left photo by Rusty Jarrett, courtesy of Getty Images for NASCAR  Media.