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Fans' favorite target flailing

By JOHN ROMANO
Published May 29, 2006

CONCORD, N.C. - They are in the middle of driver introductions before the start of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. Unfortunately, the public address system at Lowe's Motor Speedway is difficult to hear in the garage area.

No matter how much you strain to listen, it is impossible to tell how far into the starting grid the introductions have progressed.

And then a rumble begins in the bleachers. Low at first, but quickly building. Until, seemingly, it reaches a crescendo of tens of thousands of boos.

Ah, someone says, they've introduced Kurt Busch.

In a sport measured by speed, Busch travels faster than most. He had a full-time ride in the Cup series by 22, had won the championship three years later and today, at 27, is easily the most despised driver in NASCAR.

A recent GQ piece named him the third most-hated athlete in sports, placing him behind Terrell Owens and Barry Bonds and just ahead of Curt Schilling.

If that weren't enough, Busch also is slipping in the current Nextel Cup standings at a blistering pace. After spinning out early Sunday, Busch has placed 29th, 19th, 20th and 39th in his past four races.

At 18th place in the Nextel Cup standings even before Sunday's flameout, Busch might have already driven himself out of the Chase for the Championship.

"I'm all right," Busch said after the single-car wreck. "I can't wait to go to Dover."

Can't wait to go to Dover, or can't wait to get this over?

These can't be pleasant days for the one-time wunderkind of NASCAR. His new team is struggling, with no end in sight. And his image continues to take a beating, despite a sincere effort to repair it.

There was another incident this weekend at Lowe's, though reports vary on Busch's culpability. While he was driving to the premiere of the new Disney film Cars, a security guard instructed Busch to stop. A track official in the car apparently told Busch to ignore the guard and keep going.

Moving ahead slowly, Busch struck the guard in the leg with his car. The episode was minor and the guard returned to work the next day, but the repercussions will probably live on for Busch.

"As far as the speedway is concerned, it's a nonissue," Jerry Gappens, senior vice president of the track, told NASCAR.com.

"But I guess ... he has a target on his back."

Bad boys are nothing new to NASCAR. The sport has a rich history of drivers who rubbed fans and competitors the wrong way. Darrell Waltrip was once loathed for his nonstop chatter and aggressive driving. Tony Stewart is another whose image was sullied by a surly attitude. Even the clean-cut Jeff Gordon has been high on the list of hated competitors in some circles.

The difference is those drivers also had large followings of devoted fans. Busch's appeal seems to tilt lopsided toward the negative.

The question is, what has he done to deserve this?

Busch, to be sure, has brought a lot of aggravation on himself. He can be smug. He can be condescending. And his ego was clearly out of whack considering his relatively tender age.

He also was in the new wave of outsiders, coming from Las Vegas instead of the dirt tracks of North Carolina or Tennessee. He had success without paying a lot of dues and wasn't shy about flaunting it.

Jimmy Spencer seemed to strike a blow for all of NASCAR when he popped Busch in the nose after a race in Michigan a few years ago.

All of this was enough to make Busch a favorite whipping boy for fans, but a traffic incident in Arizona late last year turned him into a full-fledged villain. Busch was stopped for traffic violations, and the situation escalated when he mouthed off to the police officers.

The incident happened months after Busch announced he was leaving Jack Roush to join Roger Penske's team in 2007.

Roush, who had given Busch his break, eventually released him from his contract, then suspended him for the final two races of the season. A team official said Roush was no longer in the business of being Busch's "apologist."

Little since has gone right for Busch. Although he has worked to present a more positive image at Penske - think Richard Simmons in a flame-resistant suit - the jeers continue to follow him. It hasn't been any better on the track, where he has two top-10 finishes in a dozen races.

Even when he does good - Busch donated $1-million last week to Kyle Petty's camp for children with life-threatening illnesses - it gets obscured by the incident with the security guard.

So does Busch deserve the jeers?

Is he really such a bad guy?

The questions are different, and so are the answers. Busch has earned the ire of fans, but he probably isn't the creep everyone suggests.

The one thing he has in his favor is time. Busch is young enough to repair his image, and he appears willing to do so.

If he's lucky, NASCAR fans will soon find someone else to pick on. Someone even more obnoxious with even more run-ins both on and off tracks.

Sort of like the fool who threw something at Casey Mears' car after a wreck Sunday night.

His name was Kyle Busch.

Thanks, li'l brother.

[Last modified May 29, 2006, 01:10:13]