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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
PEMBERTON: All A Matter Of Perspective
I think we need to allow a full season or two before we confidently can proclaim that Kyle Busch has changed for the better...
Randy Pemberton  |  Posted November 18, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Randy Pemberton on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Kyle Busch was faced with another challenging situation last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, but we probably won’t know how he really is handling these bumps in the road for another year or two.

He had to face the media and his peers for the first time since his sponsor, M&Ms, announced it was removing itself from his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the last two races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The sponsor did so in an effort to voice its displeasure with Busch’s actions at Texas Motor Speedway.

To add insult to injury, Busch’s No. 18 Toyota suffered engine problems throughout the weekend at Phoenix and then blew a motor in the race. With that misfortune and the resulting interviews, Kyle had his first opportunity to show his intention to change and rise above his negative behavior of late.

Did he do a good job in keeping his cool with his team and the media? Certainly.

Does that mean he has turned the corner? Not at all. One race and a cooler head do not exonerate him from past transgressions.

In fact, I think we need to allow a full season or two before we confidently can proclaim Busch has eradicated “bad Kyle” and replaced him with a more polite, even-keeled version of himself. While the next few races are crucial to ascertaining how Busch is adhering to the standards of decorum likely demanded by Coach Joe Gibbs and M&Ms, it’s the next couple of seasons that truly will tell the tale. There will be that huge incident down the road at some point that really tests his patience, and until that occurs and he negotiates it well, the jury will be out.

Most drivers, despite how popular and accomplished they are, get the “big picture” and understand they need to be congenial on camera and take an extra minute or two to speak to the media. It’s part of their job. It doesn’t matter how many races or championships a driver has won – he or she still should treat others, media members included, with respect.

Carl Edwards, for example, can have a bad weekend but still be polite in an interview. I also can walk up to someone like Greg Biffle three times in a weekend and he still doesn’t mind speaking to us.

Richard Petty never turned anyone down for an interview. Neither did Buddy Baker, Ned Jarrett or Dale Earnhardt. If they couldn’t do it at that precise moment, they always offered another time, usually within a few minutes. Were those guys under less pressure than today’s drivers? I’ll guess “no” because those guys had to build, set up and haul their own cars back and forth from the track, hoping and praying to make the race in order to scrimp together enough money to get to the next one. That is pressure.

With the current level of corporate sponsorship and its inherent obligations, there probably are more demands on drivers today than back in Petty’s generation, but it’s all a matter of each driver’s perspective and the manner in which he handles those expectations.

Kyle Busch (Pictured) addresses reporters after now-infamously wrecking Ron Hornaday at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
It’s all a matter of perspective. Sometimes I wonder if Busch thinks he’s above the rest of us and that he therefore is entitled to decline most interviews. For that matter, does that excuse the fact he usually walks right past as if he doesn’t see you? The consistent failure to acknowledge another person from two feet away portrays a lack of respect. Most drivers will acknowledge you with a nod, a wave or a “hello,” but Busch almost always walks by as if you’re invisible and will not make eye contact, despite the fact he has known you for years.

By no means do I mean to “pile on” Busch after the rough last couple of weeks he has had. What I do want, though, is for him to begin to demonstrate respect for others – drivers, media and fans – and truly learn from the Texas fiasco. I hope he can progress to the point that he doesn’t find it so intrusive and inconvenient when we request an interview. All we’re trying to do is present him to his fans.

Fortunately for Busch, Joe Gibbs is sticking by him because he has a significant investment in him. As an owner, you certainly don’t want to let Busch go because you can be guaranteed that wherever he lands, he will outrun you on the race track. That would be like trading Peyton Manning away within your division. No one wants to do that because he will beat you somewhere down the line.

Busch is one of the most talented drivers ever to strap into a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. No one will argue that. But being a great driver also necessitates the ability to control one’s emotions and treat others in the proper manner. We don’t want to “neuter” Busch and extinguish his aggressive fire. We just want him to temper his aggression and anger a bit, because once he puts the whole package together, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who can beat him.

Randy Pemberton is a 25-year veteran of motorsports journalism who currently serves as host of NASCAR in a Hurry and NASCAR Race Hub, as well as a reporter for NASCAR Live on SPEED. He has hosted, produced, reported and written for numerous motorsports programs and specials over the years. Pemberton won the Russ Catlin Award of Excellence for broadcast journalism three times, in addition to being named a multi-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association award for spot news. Pemberton, who joined SPEED in 2007 after years with other networks, has produced, written and served as the talent for more than 500 feature packages for national television productions.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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