Love him or hate him – and let's face it, the majority of fans hate him – Kyle Busch is great for NASCAR.
Yes, he's immature. Yes, he's an ass.
But in a world of vanilla corporate pitchmen, Busch's antics provide the character and drama that fans need to get excited about the sport.
He's more likely to disgust you and make you want to punch your TV than make you want to high-five or hug him, but Busch's tremendous talent and brash personality turn him into someone so easy to hate that you can't look away. You have to watch.
And that's very, very important for NASCAR, which needs all the eyes it can get right now.
Think about it.
If Jimmie Johnson is about to win a Cup race, you might turn your TV off in disgust. You might even skip the last few laps if you think he's about to head to Victory Lane.
But you can't turn off your TV when Busch is about to win. You have to see what he'll say or do next. Will he smash a guitar? Will he insult the fans?
Busch got out of his car on Friday night and made an exaggerated crying gesture at the tens of thousands of haters who were raining boos down upon him.
Classless. Arrogant. Not a role model for your children.
Yet at the same time, it was oh-so-entertaining and hilarious.
Here's a guy who 90 percent of fans in attendance wouldn't share their water with if they were stranded in a desert, and he has the balls to stand there and taunt them right back, then smirk at them in Victory Lane.
Go ahead and hate him. Let your blood boil. He brings it on himself. There's a reason a group of fans on Twitter refer to him as "Vile Kyle."
At the same time, though, you can't stop watching him. He gets all of us talking. He makes things interesting.
No one's saying you have to like him, but in an era when we're all crying out for more personality in the sport, let's hope Busch doesn't change his ways anytime soon.
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'Vile' Kyle Busch Is Just What NASCAR Needs
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i keep watching
in hope that someday, someone will give him whats coming to him. he’s as arrogant as Kurt was when Jimmy Spencer broke his nose. and Kurt’s been a lot more tolerable since then. somebody’s going to knock some sense into kyle one day, and i can’t wait to see it.
by thekevo23 on Aug 20, 2010 10:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Not much of a choice
We either get a boring ‘yeah I won again’ from Johnson or we get Kyle who’s developed this arrogant “I wanna win so I’ll just wreck whoever is winning” attitude
Not much of a choice there. Maybe that explains why ratings are dropping race after race…year after year. Fans don’t have to turn off their TVs if they never started watching the race.
by Bobbie1231 on Aug 20, 2010 10:50 PM EDT reply actions
Keep the boos coming!
The more the merrier! Kyle loves it.
by Keith_KaGee on Aug 20, 2010 10:56 PM EDT reply actions
He backs up his attitude..
In victory lane..over and over..and over…
10 wins this year in Nationwide alone..if he hadn’t of missed a few races, he’d be leaps ahead of BK, and well on his way to his 2nd Championship in that series.
You don’t like his attitude? Tough shit. He’s a winner, and THAT is what really pisses people off. He wins, wins, wins, and people can’t stand it.
But, they keep watching and waiting for whatever will happen next.
Spot on, Jeff…;)
by Sky inLas Vegas on Aug 20, 2010 11:03 PM EDT reply actions
Easy to win in a development series in the best car in the field.
by Jon Doble on Aug 20, 2010 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Vile Kyle's arrogance does not make racing fun to watch.
Not for normal race fans, anyway. As said on TPB, he lacks the cl in class. But I am more angry with NASCAR tonight than with VK. He just behaved the way we expected him to behave – abominably. He admitted he purposely dumped Brad Keselowski. Any other driver pulling that trick would have been black flagged and that is what should have happened to VK. Now, last time I heard a driver admit he did something wrong, he lost points and money….Think that will happen to VK? NASCAR needs to take action this week…points and money since Kyle admitted doing something he isn’t supposed to do. Anyone want to take bets on what will happen? Doubt they will do anything to the jerk.
Carol Dahlberg
by RVnGrammy on Aug 20, 2010 11:03 PM EDT reply actions
I wouldn’t say anything Kyle does or says is hilarious. I don’t turn off the race to see what Kyle has to say, I keep the TV on hoping to see what my driver has to say. Kyle, imo, is just a waste of a good race car driver.
by Corrine on Aug 20, 2010 11:04 PM EDT reply actions
Kyle's paid to win...
…and tonight, it was at all costs. It looked like a race straight out of the past, and I loved it. I like both Kyle & Brad. Kyle’s comment about the “Earnhardt move”. Brad’s stoic “yeah he got me, and there will be another time”. This was classic Bristol racing on a track that doesn’t even resemble the old Bristol. These guys get it.
NO intervention needed from NASCAR, this situation was entirely different from Carl/Brad at Gateway.
by DRLDeBoer on Aug 20, 2010 11:13 PM EDT reply actions
Couple of observations...
When was the last time NASCAR penalized someone @ Bristol for dumping someone (honestly don’t know)? I know KB and CE were both put on probation a couple of years ago, but that was for POST RACE shenanigans. Isn’t this race famous for the bump and run? Kyle just didn’t wait until 10 to go (ok – or a restart).
Kyle must have a few fans, isn’t he in the Top 5 in merchandise sells.
When did BK become the poster boy for clean racing? Wasn’t it last year he wrecked 4 people getting to the front to win (in 1 race)?
Ok – I’ve said my peace, have a great night everyone.
by kwms on Aug 20, 2010 11:16 PM EDT reply actions
Quite the opposite
I have quit watching Nationwide because of Kyle. I also hate to see brats throw hissy fits. I watched tonight because Jr was in the race. If you can appreciate Kyle, you can surely endure an extreme case of hemorrhoids which may visit you at any time now. Remember Brad is on probation and can’t defend himself. Perhaps you would like it if somebody tied your hands behind your back and an opponent knocked your teeth out. No penalty and no probation. If Nascar wants to kill itself, they’ve got a good headstart.
by factfinder on Aug 20, 2010 11:24 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
B**ch move
He tried pulling slide job and failed which resulted in him wreck himself. Then he wrecked BK for no reason. BK should stick him in the mouth.
by Joelg88 on Aug 21, 2010 4:22 PM EDT reply actions
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