Before Saturday night's race at Darlington, S.C., the derision toward Busch continued. He was booed again after he won the event.
"I never looked at it as boos: I looked at it as noise," a smiling Gordon said yesterday after helping dedicate the "Monster Monument" in Dover International Speedway's spacious, new fan zone. "[Busch] has a unique opportunity to take advantage of it if he does it right. If he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder, it can build his fan base.
"We've always known that rivalries among the fans and the drivers are always something that's been good for the sport. We've been missing it. His brother [Kurt] was the last one I remember that kind of had that, but it didn't seem to stick.
"It's like when [Tony] Stewart had controversy following him. I found it very entertaining, as the media and fans did. I kind of miss some of that with Tony, but Kyle's making up for it."
It doesn't help Kyle Busch's standing with fans of rival drivers when he says "I don't care" about the booing.
"I am here to race. I am here to win," he said after his Darlington victory. "If I win, it just makes them more upset and crying on their way home."
While Busch is in his fourth full season in the Cup Series, he just turned 23. Still, many observers believe he is experienced enough to deal better with adversity.
Going fast is the main thing on Busch's mind. It's clear the Las Vegas native is one of the top young talents in racing. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings and is tied with Carl Edwards for most Cup wins this season (three). Busch also has won three Nationwide Series and two Craftsman Truck Series races.
Busch was a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Gordon's for 3 years. Busch now drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.
