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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: Kyle’s Evil Twin
The old Kyle Busch routinely gave abrupt answers to reporters after finishing second, but the new Kyle searches for the positive in his run...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted August 12, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Has anyone seen Kyle Busch’s newfound twin brother the past couple of weeks?

He walks, drives, looks and smirks just like Kyle, but he certainly doesn’t talk like him.

Now when he addresses the media following a race that he lost, this Kyle look-alike is much calmer, upbeat and, dare I say, appreciative of his equipment and team.

The old Kyle routinely gave abrupt and often rude answers, if any response at all, after finishing second, but the new Kyle searches for the positive in his run and applauds his team for their effort.

Is this the politically correct and cheery Kyle? Absolutely.

Is it the real Kyle? Hell no.

Kyle’s new public face is nothing more than an attempt to put out some fires and take a little control over his emotions in the hope, whether his or that of Joe Gibbs Racing, that a few attitude tweaks will reap benefits on the race track and right the listing ship that is his No. 18 Toyota team.

But you can’t change Kyle. He hates to lose more than anyone I’ve seen since Dale Earnhardt Sr. and I love that about the kid. The reason Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and their kind went down in the record books as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions was because they refused to lose. Some of today’s drivers are content to run 10th and go to the next race, but Kyle isn’t one of them, which is why he has won more than 50 NASCAR races in his short career.

Without “The Shrub,” we’d have a personality drought in NASCAR right now. He wears his heart and emotion on his sleeve but the media and fans tend to criticize that display when it’s a negative one. He routinely gets booed by the spectators but I think it’s cool to witness an entire grandstand jeer a winner. Earnhardt used to tell me, “Spencer, when you cross that podium and the fans say nothing, you’re not doing your job.”

Kyle obviously is doing his job. But I think the media don’t always do theirs properly when it comes to handling him. The kid is out there busting his ass to win and when he finishes second and is devastated, the media irritate him with an inappropriate or improperly-worded question. The seventh-place finisher is never as disappointed as the one who came in second because victory wasn’t within his grasp, so the manner in which reporters and writers approach Kyle is part of the problem. Tony Stewart went through a similar situation for a while where he didn’t want to talk to the cameras and always appeared ticked off at the end of a race.

While a reporter’s mission is to get the story and accompanying soundbite from the irate competitor struggling to deal with a multitude of emotions upon climbing from a hot race car, there are times when he needs to be left alone, even if for just a few minutes. NASCAR drivers don’t have the luxury of retiring to the locker room for half an hour before participating in a press conference, but there needs to be a smidgen of consideration for privacy given on a case-by-case basis. Several drivers would love nothing more than to shut reporters completely out, but that’s not possible in a sport so driven by its fan base.

I will be surprised if this new “change” in Kyle’s attitude translates to better results on the race track and quite frankly, I don’t want to see him alter his demeanor. Winning is what it’s all about. Some drivers comment that they had a great day after a sixth-place finish. Well, guess what? Five other guys had a better day.

My advice to Kyle would be to employ Ol’ Man Earnhardt’s tactic when upset – say a couple of quick words without the attitude and walk away. Earnhardt hated to finish second or third, so he’d keep the interview short and sweet and move on.

Kyle needs to do the same thing and a simple change in the tone of his voice would go a long way toward getting a lot of critics off his back. I hope he gets it all figured out soon because I’d love to see Kyle hit that 200-win mark he’s shooting for … and to be happy to talk about it.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
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