LOUDON, N.H. – Martin Truex Jr. knew who hit him. He knew he wasn’t the one at fault. He knew that Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires when the green flag waved. He knew his bright green TomTom No. 1 wouldn’t be taking off any time soon and right now, with his helmet in hand, he knew exactly at which car he’d be throwing the potential missile.
That’s right. In mere seconds, our favorite bad boy, Kyle Busch, was tried and convicted of reckless driving. In fact, as I stood in the stands and watched the replay, a unanimous roar rose from my neighbors.
“Did you see that? It was Busch!”
“Of course, it was. What would you expect?”
“He took out the entire field!”
In fact, it seems that Kyle’s fellow drivers were equally eager to throw him under the bus… for being the unfortunate driver three back in a restart pile-up.
Brian Vickers‘s comment, “Stupid is forever,” may go down as one of the best quotes of the year, even if it proves to be inaccurate.
Now, don’t get all bent out of shape. If you follow my column, you know I have little respect for M&M’s boy. I cringe whenever a microphone gets within shouting distance of Bratboy and fear for any trophy he might get his hands on. However, I do marvel at his driving ability.
On Sunday afternoon, the condemnation that poured from Truex and Vickers and a large group of fans in Section F South, proved that Kyle Busch is now reaping what he has sown.
Had the turn 1 wreck at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that resulted in a red flag been caused by almost anybody else in the field, I doubt blame would have been assigned with such alacrity or vehemence. In fact, usually I can find level heads among race commentators and even rabid fans. But not this week.
In a media feeding frenzy, pit reporters thrust microphones in any available face and asked, “So what do make of that?”
The producers just couldn’t stop it! THIS was a gift from the ratings gods, Kyle Busch caught in yet another controversial moment. Make sure you get the soundbite! Put the near-helmet toss on permanent playback. The fans in the stands… that kind of energy you can’t hope, or want, to put a halt to.
It seems even the Shrub is eager to welcome this kind of attention. He practically accepted blame for the wreck, climbing from his car and actually apologized for the carnage.
What ever happened to, “That was just a racing deal?”
After watching countless races for more decades than I care to admit, what happened on lap 174 had very little to do with aggressive driving, or better yet, a certain driver’s personality.
Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires. Truex Jr. was forced to back off to prevent running Junior over. Busch, focused on picking up speed and finding the right lane, swerved to the right and then left, making contact with Truex Jr. The rest of the wreck occurred because cars spun in front of other cars… there was no time to react.
Is that what happened to those who stand in judgment of Kyle? No time to stop and consider the facts before jumping on the bandwagon and boo the one we’re all so eager to put down. What does that say about us – the NASCAR fans?
Oo! That’s not so flattering, is it?
I’m all for frowning on Kyle when he says something imbecilic. I’ll write scathing paragraphs when he smashes guitars. I will even boo his very appearance on the driver introduction stage simply because it’s fun. However, I’ll not hold him to a double-standard on the track.
Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires on the restart. That was the cause of the wreck. Everybody else involved in the pile-up were innocent bystanders.
Kyle? Well, for this week, I will give you your due. You ran a relatively clean race. Do you think you could do it again next week? Then again, what would we talk about if you did?
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The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.
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