Nascar at Bristol: Carl Edwards Vs. Kyle Busch

I sat on the edge of my seat tonight watching the NASCAR Sprint cup race at Bristol, TN. Admittedly a fan of Dale Earnheardt Jr. I was hoping the best for him. However, that hope was lost at the drop of the green flag when he passed before the start/finish line and was black flagged and given a pass through penalty putting him a lap down. Despite this I was not left disappointed by the end of the race but rather, sitting on the edge of my seat. You have to admit that any race where making the top 20 does not mean you are on the lead lap is exhilarating to watch.

Throughout the race watching the close competition between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, I had my fingers crossed that something would keep Kyle from getting yet another win. In my opinion, he has not shown himself to be worthy of winning the Sprint Cup. This would be due to his lack of humility and direct insult to other drivers on and off the track. Kyle's ego throughout this season has been one that no NASCAR fan I know can appreciate.

Luckily to my surprise when many of us thought all hope was lost for Carl taking the lead one more caution flag flew with 40 laps to go. With fresh tires and slight adjustments to his car Carl finally had the quicker of the two vehicles. The disturbing part in this was when Kyle was too over zealous to allow Carl to pass him. I was more than ecstatic however to see Carl bump Kyle out of his way, even knowing that he could have caused a race ending wreck for him and Kyle all at once. Kyle was in need of knowing that if he did not let the faster car go by he was going into the wall, and Carl kindly reminded him how short track racing really works.

Carl did get the honors of taking the checkered flag and performed the signature back flip we have grown to appreciate. But, before Carl could even lower his window net, he was disrespectfully bumped twice by the egomaniac Kyle Busch who could not accept taking a second place even with a slower car. Thank God for us all Carl Edwards was not willing to take the bully like gestures from Kyle and spun his attitude filled car around then graciously continued his victory lap. Honestly, if I were Carl, I would have given him what he deserved and slapped him with my racing gloves like the bitch he has proven himself to be
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We all thought this display of immaturity at the end of the race would be the end of the battle. Then, during the post race interviews we were all shown yet again why Kyle Busch needs a serious attitude adjustment. When asked about the post race contact and if he felt he was not passed fairly Kyle stated "He hit me gettin into turn one... but you know whatever Carl is goin to say 'he's sorry, and he didn't want to race that way' cause that is what he always does, ya know Mr. Ed like... we'll race him that way in the chase if that's the way he wants to race." I was thoroughly surprised that someone, in this league of professionals, would resort to second grade name calling when he obviously had a slower car. It becomes more and more apparent to me why he is booed time and time again at every race track. When will this boy become capable of noticing that his childish remarks and reactions cost him fans and respect from other competitors.

Carl Edwards, while in victory lane, was also asked about the situation. He respectfully stated "I couldn't get by him, and I asked myself 'Would he do that to me?' and he has before so that's the way it goes." He went on to say "They keep talking about rivalries, we might have one now." Carl also said "All I could think about was Richmond, at a Nationwide race, when he was tryin' to get through the field and he piledrove me. It's just racin', it's just the way it goes." I gained so much respect for Carl in that statement alone. I have been unsure of Carl throughout this season of racing however he showed me a side of him that I did not expect.

In my opinion it is going to be a hard learned lesson for Kyle Busch as to why drivers earn fans. He has yet to realize that drivers can have a secure following without winning races. Earnheardt Jr. did not win a race for a year but, due to the fact that he remains a down to earth, humble, ego-lacking race car driver, he is still loved by the racing community. We, as fans, are not looking for the world's greatest driver, but someone who touches us. We all want the most deserving driver to win, not someone who drives the best but has the worst attitude. Kyle seems to take pride in being booed at every track and sucks up the negativity like a teenager being scolded by their parents. My hope for him is to realize that if he can stop acting like a punk kid, then people will stop looking at him as one.