It's a Win-WIn Lose-Lose Situation: Can Kyle Busch find the middle ground?

*originally posted on Racerbook on 7/17/09

Your adrenaline is pumping. Your eyes widen with your arms stretched out. Everything you have done up until now is for this exact moment. This moment of glory and immense satisfaction is right at your fingertips; it is so close you can taste it. Your heart beats faster and louder, and you have to remind yourself to breathe. And in an instant, something happens. You hesitate for a split second and you can’t make the final step to the end. It was right there in reach, you had no choice but to watch someone else take the glory.

Oh well.

Oh well??? Psh! Whether what happened was a mistake that I made, or someone else that cost me the opportunity – I am going to be mad as heck. Now, who I am mad at depends on the situation. Ever been so mad at a person that you just walk away? I guess some Nascar fans would call it the Kyle Busch way of doing things. One aspect of the sport that helps separate Nascar from others is pure emotion. The fact that when a guy wrecks he has reporters waiting outside the infield care center waiting to interview him while he is still hot headed. Yes, some drivers can compose themselves a lot better than others, but those are usually veterans like Jeff Burton or Mark Martin. Even media friendly Carl Edwards has been known to loose his cool (remember his friendly conversation with Matt Kenseth in 2007?).

So what is it about Kyle Busch? The problem is this - Kyle does not have a censor. He will not change to appease others. When he opens his mouth you can be sure that you will know exactly what emotions are running through his mind at that instant. He could be at the highest of highs, on the brink of tears, as he was during his Las Vegas win in 2009, or you could get a nice dose of the brash Kyle Busch which is the side that everyone remembers most.

Every time Kyle wrecks or comes in second, he has a choice – to walk away and calm himself down on his own terms, or to spew things into a microphone that people will misconstrue to their liking and hold it against him for however long they feel like it. Fans chastise him when he speaks, and chastise him when he walks away. It is a lose–lose situation for Kyle. Whichever road he takes, the fans will tell him it was the wrong one.

At the end of the night, Kyle‘s favorite number is 1, and his favorite letter is W. So he declined a few interviews, snuck away from the media, he has even thrown his HANS device (albeit several years ago)... if you think about the reason behind all of that is because he's emotionally invested and cares about the win - which is what racing is all about right?

Yes.

However lately it appears as if Kyle is channeling his frustrations the wrong way. He is a little more on edge and is focusing more on the negatives opposed to the positives. He will fly off his handle a little quicker than normal when his car is not handling the way he would like it to. Kyle Busch himself is like having a second crew chief to bounce ideas back and forth with Steve Addington. Not all drivers are as concerned with the tiny details under the hood (or the entire car set up) as Kyle. His mind and knowledge is a great asset to the 18 team, as well as his driving talent. But when he lets his anger and frustration get in the way, you can only hope that Steve Addington can work miracles.

Look back at Chicagoland 2008. Kyle was not happy starting behind Jimmie Johnson, but
1. He did not give up
2. He calmed himself down and listened to his crew chief
3. Took the frustration and said “oh yeah?? Wanna play that way? Let’s go!” Instead of “#%*$!@!!!!!!!!”

Kyle needs to understand that us fans want to see the real Kyle – the good and the bad. We want to hear his side of the story. At the end of each race, Kyle just needs to pause for a second, take a deep breath. It may not make much of a difference, and it certainly will not turn Kyle Busch a nice happy go lucky 2nd place interview. But that split second might help Kyle collect his thoughts or put his emotions in check to actually give an interview.

Is giving the media interview really THAT important? No, unless you have an obligation to give an interview based on your on track performance. What is important is that walking away from these interviews is some sort of byproduct of Kyle’s current attitude. Do not get me wrong, the reason so many dislike the guy is one of the reasons I root for him week in and week out. But this season Kyle has taken it to a new level that I truly believe is affecting his performance on track.

Whatever it is, it is something personal and kept behind closed doors (as it should). And despite being a part of a great crew, and having a great car owner such as Joe Gibbs, ultimately it is up to Kyle himself to figure out what is going on in his head. This (semi) off weekend might be one of the best things for Kyle right now.