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DESPAIN: My Take on Kyle Busch and NASCAR’s Core Fans
Written by: Dave Despain   
05/07/2008 - 09:07 AM
Charlotte, NC
 
Kyle Busch became 'Persona Non Grata' with Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans after the Richmond incident (Photo: Doug Benc, Getty Images) ยป More Photos

It occurs to me that NASCAR has done exactly what it promised in February...this was to be the year of the core fan. Granted, the definition of core fans is vague...we assume they've been around a while...loving the traditional venues...and cheering for the legendary stars...especially Dale Earnhardt Sr. From sponsorship shifts to so-called cookie cutter tracks, some don't like all the change they see in the sport. Young guns might be another example.

So Brian France makes his "core fan" speech prior to the Daytona 500 and now, just three months and ten races later, those core fans...the old guard...those lovers of tradition (and indeed of The Intimidator and his legacy) are united in a ratings-boosting, ticket-selling frenzy...of Kyle Busch hatred!

Last night, in front of the 33rd straight sell out at the historic Richmond International Speedway, on the very site of the old Strawberry Hill NASCAR dirt track...on the same hallowed ground where Jaws and the Intimidator tangled in '86...at this historic venue made modern in the wave of NASCAR change...Kyle Busch bashed his way into the Sprint Cup point lead in a style reminiscent of that all-time core fan hero. You remember those moments, right?...filling the highlight reels at many of the core fans' favorite tracks...often followed by the winner interview in which the Earnhardt Senior allowed as how that was "just racin."

The fact that Shrub's victim Saturday night was the Intimidator's kid makes this the core fan moment of the year.

Yeah, I know...a bunch of you are out of your chairs and half out of your minds by now, wanting my head for daring to compare Kyle Busch to Dale Earnhardt. But think about it...

# 1...each of them stepped proudly into the role when NASCAR needed a bad guy.

# 2...each of them just might qualify as the best driver of his day

WHAT? Now Despain is sucking up to a geeky, snot-nosed punk with the too-fast Toyota that shouldn't even be allowed in an American stock car series, calling him the best current driver...AND comparing him with the Intimidator?

Kyle, I know you're considering our invitation to appear on Wind Tunnel in the next few weeks - please know that the "geeky snot-nosed punk" stuff is solely a reflection of all these emails and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Speed, SpeedTV.com, Fox, Newscorp or...well, you get the idea.

But for the record, hell yes I think Kyle Busch is the best driver out there...at the moment. He's won 2 truck races, 3 Nationwide races and 2 Cup races so far this year...and he's the Cup point leader. After his Saturday night Richmond controversy, what did he do on Sunday's day off? He went late model racing in Madison, Wisconsin. Core fans swoon over such pure love of racing...if we were talking about Kenny Schrader.

What's more, a scientist with freeze frame and a protractor could, I'm convinced, easily prove that Kyle spends more time more sideways than anybody else in the Cup series, and that kind of car control is one measure of greatness.

But most importantly, Kyle had the temerity Saturday
night to run over Junior in front of 100,000 fans, most of whom would like nothing more than to kick his skinny butt into the middle of next week. That clearly qualifies as stepping into the role of NASCAR bad guy.

And that brings us back to my point...I have not seen NASCAR's core fans so united in a very long time. And for that we have Kyle Busch to thank - or to blame!


SPEED will televise the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV and the NASCAR Sprint Showdown live on May 17, as well as provide more than 90 hours of support programming prior to the event. Stay tuned to SPEEDtv.com for frequent updates on the history of the event and all the details about this year’s action. Watch and Win!

VISIT THE WIND TUNNEL SITE

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