Following Kurt Busch's dominating victory on Sunday in Atlanta, many news organizations took indirect shots at the oldest of the famous Busch Brothers in their headlines, calling him the "Other Busch", "Not That One", and other various clever ways to announce that it was not Kyle in victory lane. Lately, Kyle has been in the news more then Kurt. He has already won 4 races in the top 3 NASCAR series this season, and won a total of 21 last year. Kyle has 13 victories total in the Cup Series. Quite an impressive résumé.
Kurt, up until Sunday's win, has been out of the spotlight lately. He has not found the same success he had with Roush Racing since moving to Penske in 2006, but he has been in victory lane every season since 2002 with a total of 19 Cup wins (6 more then Kyle). The "Other Busch" has one thing that his younger brother does not have, a Sprint Cup Series Championship, the first crowned under The Chase format in 2004. As far as I am concerned, Kurt is not the "Other Busch". Regardless of what Kyle does in his career, unless he is crowned with a championship, Kurt is number one in the family, not Kyle.
NASCAR has had a great tradition of families in the sport, with many father/son and brother combos running in the top series at the same time, including the Pettys, the Earnhardts, the Allisons, the Waltrips, the Jarretts, and many more. If Dale Jr. was having a run on wins like Kyle Busch is now, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. won a race and was called "The Other Earnhardt" by a media outlet, they would have to install extra security in their buildings and shut down their website, and rightfully so. You wouldn't call a 7-time champion the "other" anything.
You can have a great career without winning a championship (see Mark Martin), but without one, you are not part of the elite. Kyle Busch has the talent to win tons of races, and be regarded as one of the best drivers of his generation, but his career won't be complete without that championship. I am sure some day, he will hoist that trophy in the air (unless he crosses the pond to F1), but until then, only Kyle should be called "The Other Busch".
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Struggle of the Shadow
Following the accident that took him out of the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Saturday, Steve Wallace called Dale Earnhardt Jr. a "moron" and an "idiot" for wrecking him after the caution flag came out. After hearing that, all I could think of was how these two drivers are very much the same.
Steve Wallace is the son of 1988 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace. Rusty, besides his Cup championship and 55 wins, he has won an ASA championship, Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup level, an All-Star race, and an IROC championship. He was also named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Steve, on the other hand, won championships in the INEX Bandoleros and a handful of ARCA races, but has not found victory lane in any of NASCAR's major divisions. His career is still young, but the pressure is building.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's father is Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered by many to be the best driver in NASCAR History. His 7 NASCAR Cup championships ties him with the most all-time. He is also a Daytona 500 Champion, a 4 time IROC champion, he won the All-Star Race 3 times, was a Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and won 76 Cup races during his career. There is a good possibility that he could have added to many of these numbers if his life had not been cut short in Daytona. Dale Jr, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver has had a great career by most standards; a two-time Nationwide Series Champion, past winner of the Daytona 500, the All-Star Race, and 18 Cup Series wins.
Steve Wallace is in the beginning of his NASCAR career, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the middle of his, but the sons of two NASCAR legends find themselves stuck in the shadow of their famous fathers. Steven Wallace has been known more for his on-track incidents then his driving abilities during his time in the Nationwide Series. His 2 top 5's and his 8 top 10's dont equal his 14 career DNF's. In 2008, his second year on the circuit, his average finish was only a 20.1. Even considering his age and experience, this is not what everybody expected from Rusty's son.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made his mark in the Sprint Cup Series. Regardless of how the remainder of his career goes, he will be regarded as one of the best drivers in the sports history. He is currently tied with Kurt Busch and others for 26th on the all-time win list. But the son of the great Dale Earnhardt was supposed to be the as good as his father. In 2008, many expected to see that come to fruition, after signing with the best team in the garage, Hendrick Motorsports, home to 8 Sprint Cup Championships. His victory in Michigan was supposed to be the first of many last season, but it wasn't to be. This year, Dale Jr. finds himself 29th in points, not where he wanted to be.
Steve Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are talented drivers, there is no doubt about it. You don't get to this level without some ability to drive a race car. The question is, where would they be if they had a different last name. Some will argue that their name got them here, and they otherwise would not have made it this far. What I wonder is, if they were not stuck with the added pressure of being behind the shadows of their famous fathers, could they have gone even farther?
Steve Wallace is the son of 1988 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace. Rusty, besides his Cup championship and 55 wins, he has won an ASA championship, Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup level, an All-Star race, and an IROC championship. He was also named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Steve, on the other hand, won championships in the INEX Bandoleros and a handful of ARCA races, but has not found victory lane in any of NASCAR's major divisions. His career is still young, but the pressure is building.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's father is Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered by many to be the best driver in NASCAR History. His 7 NASCAR Cup championships ties him with the most all-time. He is also a Daytona 500 Champion, a 4 time IROC champion, he won the All-Star Race 3 times, was a Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and won 76 Cup races during his career. There is a good possibility that he could have added to many of these numbers if his life had not been cut short in Daytona. Dale Jr, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver has had a great career by most standards; a two-time Nationwide Series Champion, past winner of the Daytona 500, the All-Star Race, and 18 Cup Series wins.
Steve Wallace is in the beginning of his NASCAR career, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the middle of his, but the sons of two NASCAR legends find themselves stuck in the shadow of their famous fathers. Steven Wallace has been known more for his on-track incidents then his driving abilities during his time in the Nationwide Series. His 2 top 5's and his 8 top 10's dont equal his 14 career DNF's. In 2008, his second year on the circuit, his average finish was only a 20.1. Even considering his age and experience, this is not what everybody expected from Rusty's son.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made his mark in the Sprint Cup Series. Regardless of how the remainder of his career goes, he will be regarded as one of the best drivers in the sports history. He is currently tied with Kurt Busch and others for 26th on the all-time win list. But the son of the great Dale Earnhardt was supposed to be the as good as his father. In 2008, many expected to see that come to fruition, after signing with the best team in the garage, Hendrick Motorsports, home to 8 Sprint Cup Championships. His victory in Michigan was supposed to be the first of many last season, but it wasn't to be. This year, Dale Jr. finds himself 29th in points, not where he wanted to be.
Steve Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are talented drivers, there is no doubt about it. You don't get to this level without some ability to drive a race car. The question is, where would they be if they had a different last name. Some will argue that their name got them here, and they otherwise would not have made it this far. What I wonder is, if they were not stuck with the added pressure of being behind the shadows of their famous fathers, could they have gone even farther?
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