Getting Rowdy in 2009

2008- There is a five-car race simulator in the Fanzone at Dover. I proudly ‘strap’ into my car. The most famous words in NASCAR are said and the green flag waves! I quickly pass a bunch of cars to find myself in the lead pulling away from the rest of the pack. As the MC was calling the race he mentions how I am so far ahead from everyone else. I see nothing but an empty track in front of me and scream out, “So this is what it feels like to be Kyle Busch!” The MC laughs - and all the fans waiting in line boo.

Kyle went on to win a personal season high of eight races on various tracks in the 2008 season (and that’s just the cup series!). Kyle’s trophy and checkered flag collection quickly grew. Although he had trouble once the chase started, Kyle officially became a threat at each and every track and solidified himself as ‘the one to beat’. Not to mention that it was his first year with a new team and organization.

Now with nine races to go in the 2009 season, the only thing that the broadcasters are saying about Kyle is ‘he missed the chase by 8 points’, ‘don’t forget you have Kyle Busch sitting 13th in points…’, ‘Kyle can win all 10 races and the highest he’ll finish is 13th!’. Kyle Busch…

People might call this a disappointing season, however I truly believe that this might be one of Kyle’s best seasons. It was important for him to have a powerful breakout season with Joe Gibbs. It helped solidify Kyle’s place on the track and show that he did not need to be a part of Hendrick Motorsports to win races. But this season is the season of learning and personal growth. No one can question Kyle’s ability to become a champion, but is the person behind that immense amount of talent ready?

It is easy to take things for granted when they come to you so easily. Kyle cherished every single trophy and win last year, but it is not about how you celebrate but how you bounce back from your struggles. I recall from an interview in 2008 with Kyle, where Kyle jokingly said, “we haven’t won in 4 weeks, and you’re calling it a slump”. Despite the issues the 18 team had in the Chase, the true slump came the following year.

After the first few races Kyle was looking strong, but troubles started after his Bristol win. Caught up in other accidents, tires, ill handling cars, frustration soon swept over Kyle. Being a long time fan of Kyle I started to see some sort of change. It did not have to do with him ignoring reporters or declining to interview, but the way he relayed information over the scanner. Kyle seemed to just shut down and let Steve Addington take guesses off of what vague info he could get out of his driver.

This was something new that Kyle was experiencing – how could we be so dominant last year and struggle so much this year? Instead of using his knowledge to try to work with Addington to salvage a decent finish, Kyle let his emotions take over. Chicagoland was the turning point where Kyle really started to spiral out of control. But between Chicago and Indy, Kyle was noticeably different. He started working with his crew instead of against them. Whatever or whoever got to Kyle after that dreadful weekend at Chicagoland taught Kyle the lesson on how to be a winner, a future champion. It showed in the many weeks following.

Lets not forget that this year Kyle won for the first time at his hometown track, on his birthday and twice at Bristol. Those wins are wins that he will carry with him forever – how many times have you seen Kyle get down and kiss the track, or become virtually speechless in victory lane. Does Kyle realize that wins like these are intense for the fans too? We know how important certain tracks are to our drivers and we celebrate a little more when our drivers win there. And lets not forget about Kyle being the current forerunner for the Nationwide Championship. (Trying to choose my words carefully.. I am superstitious with sports)

So 2009 is shaping out to be a not so bad year for Kyle, with four emotional wins (with a chance of more to come) and a possible championship, and most importantly the tools and knowledge to become a true champion in NASCAR’s highest division. There is a plan for Kyle somewhere, and perhaps 2009 was the year of tough love… a little bitter sweet. You cannot learn to be better by simply being the best, because eventually your competition will catch up to you. You need the hard times to test yourself, mentally and physically, to push yourself harder and to the next level.

2009 was the year to test Kyle, to push him to that next level. So everyone beware, because Kyle will show up more prepared, and even more determined in 2010.