| | | | | | WILD THING | Busch deserves more respect | |
| | By Allen Gregory / TriCities.com Sunday was an historic day for NASCAR.
The headlines from Atlanta Motor Speedway should have focused on the first win by a foreign-based manufacturer since 1954 and the latest masterpiece by 22-year-old prodigy Kyle Busch.
Yet, the spotlight was stolen by a familiar ham.
NASCAR fans have come to expect, and even love, the sound and fury from Tony Stewart. In fact, the two-time Cup series champion was praised for his attack on Goodyear tire engineers after Sunday’s tedious race.
Stewart might have had a valid point, but Busch and Toyota deserved better treatment.
The travails of Toyota were well-documented last season. A cheating scandal by one of its flagship teams [Michael Waltrip Racing] led to a season of empty races, broken promises and general discontent.
Busch ended the 40-race wait for Toyota with his victory at Atlanta. It was signature Busch, as he used every inch of the track to gain speed while competitors stuck to the cautious approach.
Instead of being toasted, Busch was relegated to the background by Stewart — his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
It’s not popular to be a fan of either Busch or Toyota. Busch is forever being labeled as bratty despite his on-track bravery, versatility and almost unmatched dedication to roots racing.
Just one day after his victory at Atlanta, Busch was in rural North Carolina to watch his Super Late Model team begin a two-day test at Hickory Motor Speedway.
And the progress of Toyota teams has been almost as impressive. One year after struggling mightily just to qualify for races, Toyota driver Brian Vickers is ninth in Sprint Cup points.
Much to the dismay of some old-guard fans who fear Toyota as some sort of metaphorical Godzilla, there was no great backlash against the Japanese automaker or its followers after the Busch victory.
Stewart generated the backlash, and fans have been praising his "rugged honesty" ever since.
Like him or not, Busch is an amazing talent with a limitless future and ample supply of guts. He deserves headlines and more.
| | Posted March 15, 2008 , 3:40 pm EST
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