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November 19, 2005 8:42 pm EDT Champ's comeback?
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports Not the best of buds these days. (AP)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Kurt Busch has endured plenty of criticism since the incident outside Phoenix International Raceway last weekend which featured some unprofessional and definitely un-champion like demeanor during a verbal confrontation with a deputy who pulled Busch over.
Had he not been testy with the man with the badge and gun, Busch probably could have skated away free and clear with just a warning instead of being cited for reckless driving. And no one – particularly the media – would have been the wiser if Busch had gotten a real-life Lucky Dog.
When the sheriff's office wouldn't throw the book at Busch, team owner Jack Roush did, suspending the defending Nextel Cup champ for the final two races of the season. There were a few verbal digs from both Roush and team president Geoff Smith directed at Busch when the suspension was announced, but most of it was nothing more than immature posturing.
Last week I criticized Busch. Now I'm defending him, but for a completely different reason.
Roush has made it clear that he does not want Busch to be anywhere near Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday for the season-ending Ford 400. But in being so obstinate, Roush has left NASCAR with yet another embarrassing situation.
Tradition in the sport dictates that the defending champion pull down the champion's banner and then yield to the new champion who raises his own banner. This year, that should have been Busch pulling down his banner after Sunday's race, followed by Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards or Greg Biffle raising his own.
But that won't happen this year. Roush has forbidden Busch from taking part in the ceremony.
Busch, like a whipped puppy, has acquiesced to Roush's request, saying he doesn't want to be a distraction to the championship-deciding race.
"It's going to hurt me a ton not being there," Busch told the Associated Press on Friday. "Drivers dream of those type of honors and I will not have the chance to enjoy it the way that I envisioned."
Forget all that, Kurt. Hop a plane in Charlotte Sunday morning, chartering one if you have to – with the nearly $9 million you earned last year, you can afford it – and get your chewed-up butt to Homestead-Miami for the postrace activities. You earned that right by winning last year's championship.
Sure, Busch likely would suffer some embarrassment – not to mention scorn and boos from fans – but being the defending champ supersedes everything else, including Roush's wishes.
Simply put, whether he was wrong or not in Phoenix, the right thing still would be for Busch to be here at Homestead this weekend.
Roush said he wasn't sure who will handle the handoff to the new champion; maybe it would be himself and crew chief Jimmy Fennig, maybe someone else.
The person it should be is Kurt Busch.
Granted, Roush owns the team and Fennig oversaw all the mechanical work and pit strategy for the No. 97, but there's no getting around the fact that it was Busch who drove the team to the championship last season. No Busch, no title.
Roush is being overzealous in his pettiness. He wants to continue to stick it to Busch in every way possible, a direct result of Busch's decision to leave the Roush fold for Penske Racing South as the successor to the retiring Rusty Wallace.
Busch made a business decision on what he felt was best for him and his future. Roush, on the other hand, is turning this into a personal vendetta to do everything he can to belittle Busch.
Roush may have been right in suspending Busch, but he's totally wrong in this instance. And remember that because NASCAR has not suspended Busch, he has every right in the world to be here – but he has demurred because Roush told him to stay home.
Last week, Busch had no problem trying to show his bravado to a deputy who was simply doing his job. Now, perhaps Busch should show he's man enough to stand up to Roush and show up Sunday afternoon unannounced.
In fact, I dare him to do just that.
It would be interesting to see the fallout – it might be even more entertaining than the championship battle itself. Can't you just see Busch and Roush tugging the champion's banner between themselves, screaming at each other: "It's mine, damn it. I earned it, not you."
If Roush wants to stick it to Busch, maybe Busch should stick it back.
Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR analyst. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated on Saturday, Nov 19, 2005 8:42 pm EST
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports Not the best of buds these days. (AP)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Kurt Busch has endured plenty of criticism since the incident outside Phoenix International Raceway last weekend which featured some unprofessional and definitely un-champion like demeanor during a verbal confrontation with a deputy who pulled Busch over.
Had he not been testy with the man with the badge and gun, Busch probably could have skated away free and clear with just a warning instead of being cited for reckless driving. And no one – particularly the media – would have been the wiser if Busch had gotten a real-life Lucky Dog.
When the sheriff's office wouldn't throw the book at Busch, team owner Jack Roush did, suspending the defending Nextel Cup champ for the final two races of the season. There were a few verbal digs from both Roush and team president Geoff Smith directed at Busch when the suspension was announced, but most of it was nothing more than immature posturing.
Last week I criticized Busch. Now I'm defending him, but for a completely different reason.
Roush has made it clear that he does not want Busch to be anywhere near Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday for the season-ending Ford 400. But in being so obstinate, Roush has left NASCAR with yet another embarrassing situation.
Tradition in the sport dictates that the defending champion pull down the champion's banner and then yield to the new champion who raises his own banner. This year, that should have been Busch pulling down his banner after Sunday's race, followed by Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards or Greg Biffle raising his own.
But that won't happen this year. Roush has forbidden Busch from taking part in the ceremony.
Busch, like a whipped puppy, has acquiesced to Roush's request, saying he doesn't want to be a distraction to the championship-deciding race.
"It's going to hurt me a ton not being there," Busch told the Associated Press on Friday. "Drivers dream of those type of honors and I will not have the chance to enjoy it the way that I envisioned."
Forget all that, Kurt. Hop a plane in Charlotte Sunday morning, chartering one if you have to – with the nearly $9 million you earned last year, you can afford it – and get your chewed-up butt to Homestead-Miami for the postrace activities. You earned that right by winning last year's championship.
Sure, Busch likely would suffer some embarrassment – not to mention scorn and boos from fans – but being the defending champ supersedes everything else, including Roush's wishes.
Simply put, whether he was wrong or not in Phoenix, the right thing still would be for Busch to be here at Homestead this weekend.
Roush said he wasn't sure who will handle the handoff to the new champion; maybe it would be himself and crew chief Jimmy Fennig, maybe someone else.
The person it should be is Kurt Busch.
Granted, Roush owns the team and Fennig oversaw all the mechanical work and pit strategy for the No. 97, but there's no getting around the fact that it was Busch who drove the team to the championship last season. No Busch, no title.
Roush is being overzealous in his pettiness. He wants to continue to stick it to Busch in every way possible, a direct result of Busch's decision to leave the Roush fold for Penske Racing South as the successor to the retiring Rusty Wallace.
Busch made a business decision on what he felt was best for him and his future. Roush, on the other hand, is turning this into a personal vendetta to do everything he can to belittle Busch.
Roush may have been right in suspending Busch, but he's totally wrong in this instance. And remember that because NASCAR has not suspended Busch, he has every right in the world to be here – but he has demurred because Roush told him to stay home.
Last week, Busch had no problem trying to show his bravado to a deputy who was simply doing his job. Now, perhaps Busch should show he's man enough to stand up to Roush and show up Sunday afternoon unannounced.
In fact, I dare him to do just that.
It would be interesting to see the fallout – it might be even more entertaining than the championship battle itself. Can't you just see Busch and Roush tugging the champion's banner between themselves, screaming at each other: "It's mine, damn it. I earned it, not you."
If Roush wants to stick it to Busch, maybe Busch should stick it back.
Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR analyst. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated on Saturday, Nov 19, 2005 8:42 pm EST