I’m not against criticizing Kyle Busch, and have done it countless times in this very space … usually about his many childish acts off the track.

But I have to call into question the steady stream of outrage NASCAR fans have been expressing about Kyle Busch’s Pete Townsend impression after winning yet another Nationwide race, this time at Nashville on Saturday night.

After getting the fancy Sam Bass designed guitar trophy, Busch summoned his inner rock star and tried (pretty weakly I must say) to smash it into pieces so he could get some of it to all his crew members.

People are outraged, saying it was a “travesty,” that he showed a “lack of respect” for the trophy, and of course calling him plenty of words I won’t repeat here to keep things family-friendly.

Guess what people … despite what you may think of young Mr. Busch, he won that guitar and he can do whatever he wants with it.
He could cut it up with a chainsaw. He could throw it in a wood chipper.

And by getting all up in arms about a silly stunt, you’re feeding into exactly the ever-hated Busch wants … controversy. Do you think he did that stunt so no one would talk about it?

To be honest, I am more offended that Busch has decided to run the full Nationwide schedule, likely robbing Nationwide regulars like Brad Keselowsi a shot at the title. The #18 Gibbs car with a Cup series star like Busch in it is far better than any of his competitors, and everyone is basically fighting for 2nd in points.

I don’t care that he smashed a guitar.
I do care that he’s ruining any chance for the Nationwide title hunt to be exciting.

The real Carl Edwards is starting to show up
The biggest winner in the points after Pocono is Carl Edwards, who held on for a 2nd-place finish and moved up to 6th in points (the opposite of Denny Hamlin, who plunged 5 spots to 12th). Edwards is beginning to get his mojo back, and could be a threat for the title if this keeps up.

If you remember last year, he got hottest during the Chase, winning several races at the end of the season. If he can build momentum and peak in those final 10 races, he may be able to battle with Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and others for the biggest trophy of them all.

Debut for Dexter
Dexter Bean made his Cup debut this weekend at Pocono, and I have to give kudos to the small-team driver for sticking around on track for the entire race, at a time when so many teams on limited budgets are pulling in early to save money. He even got a mention on the broadcast, unfortunately it was for taking out the commitment cone. But just by finishing the race (in 36th, 4 laps down), Bean probably was the happiest guy in the garage.

Younger Truex wins
Ryan Truex, in his fifth start driving for Michael Waltrip Racing, won the Camping World East race at Watkins Glen this weekend. Results like this, as well as david Reutimann’s solid results in Cup lately, make it all the more likely older brother Martin Truex Jr. will be headed to MWR next year, potentially as a replacement for the team owner himself in the #55 car.

Robby wins Baja 500
Robby Gordon may be an average Cup driver on a good day, but he’s awesome at driving almost every other kind of vehicle. He took the first half of the weekend off and went down to Mexico, where he won the Baja 500 in a Trophy Truck. So don’t feel too bad for Robby when he comes home 30th every week. He’s got plenty of trophies in everything else.


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