Two years ago, Kyle Busch was Denny Hamlin.
He was the young, rising star most likely to knock perennial champion Jimmie Johnson off his throne.
He was anointed NASCAR’s next big star, the driver most likely to dominate the next decade.
But somewhere along the way, Busch got sidetracked. A big obstacle has prevented him from realizing his vast potential and becoming the champion most believe he can be.
That obstacle?
Himself.
No one can get in Busch’s head and in his way more than “Rowdy” himself.
Busch is widely regarded as one of NASCAR’s most talented drivers, and he has proven it in every series in which he has raced. He thoroughly dominates the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck series.
And he has shown the potential to dominate the Sprint Cup Series as well. His eight-win season in 2008 is evidence of that.
But Busch also has proven to be self-destructive, with his inability to control his temper, maintain his composure and overcome adversity big stumbling blocks in his path to true stardom.
We saw it at Texas Motor Speedway – twice.
While Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, wrested the points lead from Johnson with his eighth victory of the season, Busch blew up like one of those old-West powder kegs.
After losing Saturday’s Nationwide race to Carl Edwards, Busch was furious, claiming that Edwards jumped the restart (which he clearly did). He was so mad he dropped an F-bomb in a radio interview immediately after the race.
As if to emphasize his point, he dropped another one in his brief postrace press conference – just before getting up and storming out of the media center.
While his frustration and disappointment were understandable, his actions were clearly out of line.
Then on Sunday, he erupted again, berating NASCAR officials for a pit-road speeding penalty just after he had wrecked. As he returned to pit road to serve the penalty, he greeted NASCAR officials with a one-finger salute – or two fingers since he used both hands.
The obscene gesture got him another two-lap penalty and a $25,000 fine.
The outbursts were just another in a long list of examples of Busch losing his composure at a critical time, preventing he and his team from bouncing back from adversity.
Busch was running well when he spun on the track. Though he wrecked, he made a remarkable save and did not hit anything and did little damage to his car.
He easily could have overcome the speeding penalty and been right back in contention to win the race.
Instead, his temper got the best of him and cost him and his team two laps, taking them out of contention to win the race. He wound up finishing 32nd.
It wasn’t the first time he has cost himself and his team with such antics. At times, he has simply lost focus because his car wasn’t to his liking and instead of salvaging a decent finish he ran it too hard and eventually wrecked.
At other times, he has been so distraught and distracted that he was unable to give his crew the proper feedback to make improvements.
His profanity-laced tirades on Saturday didn’t cost Busch on the track, but they further sullied his reputation with NASCAR and his image with fans.
Though his love-hate relationship with fans and his role as villain are good for the sport, his whining and disrespect for officials and the media are not.
Busch supposedly has been improving in those areas. Winning last year’s Nationwide Series title was supposed to be a sign that he was maturing as a driver and a big step in the right direction.
His antics at Texas were a big step backward.
Though the poor finish at Texas may not have hurt Busch in the overall standings – he was already out of championship contention – it was a sign that he still doesn’t have a handle on his emotions and temper.
Hamlin, meanwhile, has surpassed him as a leading championship contender and the driver most likely to unseat Johnson.
A big reason is Hamlin’s focus and ability to maintain his composure.
This year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and Sunday’s race at Texas are prime examples.
Though he got off to a bit of a slow start in the Chase, Hamlin didn’t panic and focused on salvaging the best finishes possible at tracks where he didn’t have the best car. That kept him close to Johnson in the standings and set him up for his recent surge, which has included two wins and three top-five finishes in his last four races.
At Texas Sunday, Hamlin struggled early in the race while Johnson quickly worked his way to the front.
Again, he didn’t panic, maintaining his focus and composure while his team worked on his car.
When the race wound down, Hamlin charged to the front and beat Matt Kenseth in a thrilling finish to win his second Chase race and take the points lead from Johnson. He is now in prime position to win his first NASCAR championship and stop Johnson’s reign.
Hamlin could have given up on his season early this year. After tearing the ACL in his knee, he was faced with a gut-wrenching decision – have knee surgery and hope he recovered quick enough to be a factor, fight through the pain and underperform or sit out several weeks while his knee healed.
Hamlin had the surgery, returned to the track 10 days later and won his second race while recovering.
All season, Hamlin has shown impressive mental fortitude and a remarkable ability to bounce back from adversity.
That’s why he is a championship contender, and a big reason his teammate is not.
Busch, 25, still has plenty of time to get his act together. He will win many more races in his career, and possibly a Cup championship.
But he’s still got a lot of work to do when it comes to controlling his emotions and maintaining his focus.
F-bombs and one-finger salutes won’t win him many titles, or much respect.
