"Calm down man, calm down. Calm down."
How hard is it to understand those words. Even in the heat of the moment, hearing the words "calm down" are not hard to comprehend. It's something every human being can understand, despite a lot of crazy emotions going on.
NASCAR drivers experience this at every lap, and as hard as it is sometimes to hold in, when a driver lets it out, it has consequences.
Kyle Busch has found that out the hard way.
After the minor incident in last night's Camping World Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch took it to a level that caused NASCAR to react. Yes, the "boys have at it" attitude still applies to the sport, but there is a limit to that attitude. Some drivers have taken that to a limit that caused some minor consequences, such as Busch and Kevin Harvick at Darlington this past May.
But last night was a major difference. Even NASCAR President, Mike Helton, felt that there was a line crossed.
"The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we've given back to the drivers came I think with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed," Helton said. "Obviously after the event, a lot of folks put their heads together to decide what, if anything, we would do. Then what I'm telling you today is our reaction."
In this writer's opinion, the only person to blame for last night was Busch himself, and not specifically for the actions on the track.
Sure, the on-track incident did certainly have an impact on the decision to park Busch for the weekend. It was quite obvious that he had full intention on payback, not to mention under caution. Crew chief Eric Phillips tried to calm Busch down via the radio, but it was almost like the switch was turned off, and Busch had his mind set.
However, in retrospect, it was more of what was said after the wreck that led to the decision to park Busch for the weekend, in my opinion.
"I've been wrecked four weeks in a row and finally I've just had enough of it. Sorry it was Ron Hornaday and he's going after a championship, but the fact of the matter is you can't place all the blame on one person -- there was two people that got into it to begin with and there's two people that ended it."
Really, TWO people ended it? What incident is Busch talking about?
Video clearly shows that Hornaday was avoiding a slower truck and slid up. Busch was already high, and Hornaday got loose, sliding up the track. Both trucks got into the wall, BOTH, with Hornaday having more damage than Busch.
It was Busch who did more pushing entering turn 3, under caution no less, that put both trucks out of commission for the race.
Sometimes a person needs to take responsibility for what they do AND what they say. This weekend was a very obvious reason for both of them. Busch has only one person to blame for the short weekend he will experience at Texas, and all he needs to do is look in the mirror. NASCAR made the right call for the weekend, not because of what was done on the track, but in fact what was said afterward.
Will more penalties come is uncertain, and we all won't know until possibly Monday as to whether more will be levied. But, the punishment that Busch is feeling is one that he must realize was of his own doing, no one else.
Old Kyle or New Kyle, it doesn't matter. Kyle Busch is the only one to blame for his early exit at Texas.
Written by:
