 | | A more-mature Kurt Busch sees a lot of his early self in little brother Kyle. Credit: Autostock |
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.com
March 11, 2006
05:44 PM EST (22:44 GMT)
LAS VEGAS -- Kurt Busch begged for leniency in the court of public opinion Thursday for his younger brother Kyle, who's recently been criticized for over-aggressive driving. But he also warned the blossoming 20-year-old Nextel Cup driver to look closely at what he's doing and to learn his lessons well. "I went through the same thing," Kurt said. "He has a tenacity to race hard and he has that drive to win. He's new and he's got that pressure on him. "But yet, he just needs to take a seat back in the second row and look at the big picture, I think -- so he'll be fine." Kyle Busch, driver of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 Chevrolet and one of a group of drivers tagged the "young guns" of the sport, was lampooned for some of his driving decisions during Speedweeks at Daytona. He's also contesting the full Busch Series for Hendrick. Last weekend at Mexico City in the Telcel-Motorola 200, Busch had an accident with local favorite Michel Jourdain Jr. that ended both their chances to win. Criticism again flooded Kyle, who to his credit took 100 percent responsibility and said it was a bad decision. "The poor kid," Kurt said. "He's got a bigger brother that did all the same things wrong, so he's going to get [critiqued]. I'm trying to help him get through that a little bit quicker and smoother. "He works for a great team owner, with Rick Hendrick and he'll be fine through it. Everybody has to have their ups and downs -- otherwise you wouldn't learn. "He's been getting some big beef for it. Down in Mexico, that's not the right place to get into a tiffy with Michel Jourdain, but he's learned from that and that will definitely help him in the future." Kyle Busch has often cited his brother's experiences as learning tools and the older brother lauded Kyle on Thursday for accepting his role in Jourdain's crash. "It means something when a driver stands up and says, 'Hey man, that was my fault,'" Kurt said. "Sometimes drivers say it's a racing thing. I used to watch Dale [Earnhardt] Sr. say, 'You guys watch the tape!' So if you can stand up there and say 'my fault' -- he knows that he's learned from it right away and that's what needs to be blended into the stories that are written." The elder Busch, 27, the 2004 Nextel Cup champion, is proud of his younger brother's accomplishments. "There was a time when he was just following me around, and now I'm looking out my windshield and he's out there in front of me," Kurt said. "The kid's fast, he learns quick and he's done a great job over at Hendrick Motorsports to blend into their program." Kurt executed the same type of meteoric rise at Roush Racing, gaining early success in the Craftsman Truck Series before jumping directly to Cup in 2001. Earlier in his career he was criticized for his attitude toward veteran drivers. Kurt won his first Cup race in 2002 at Bristol Motor Speedway after bumping veteran Jimmy Spencer aside. A couple years later, his public approval hit its low point after he and Spencer had physical confrontations at Michigan International Speedway, on the racetrack and then in the garage area. Busch executed a turnaround in his behavior and public perception. He had already announced he would leave Roush at the end of last season when he was involved in a verbal altercation after a traffic stop in Maricopa County, Ariz. That led to his suspension by owner Jack Roush for the last two events of the season. For 2006, Busch has relocated to Penske Racing South and Thursday he spoke on the behavior and appearance that's demanded by the owner of his No. 2 Dodge, Roger Penske. "You know, there's that image around Penske to have squeaky-clean things done," he said. "You see that at his [automobile] dealerships and I've noticed it at the race shop, of course. The place just demands performance. "But he's put his arm around me and he's just told me, 'Do what you need to do, Kurt. We're standing behind you 100 percent -- have some fun.'" | 
