Some may be put off by Kyle Busch, but team owner Rick Hendrick isn't one of them. Credit: Autostock

Busch trying to have some fun at Lowe's

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Busch stepped into the middle of a horde of reporters behind a Hendrick Motorsports hauler following Thursday's practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

There was just one problem.

Kyle Busch and his crew react at All-Star introductions. Credit: AP

It was teammate Jeff Gordon's hauler.

But Busch knew that. He was just having fun, just as he was when striking poses with his crew in dark sunglasses during driver introductions for last Saturday's Nextel All-Star Challenge at LMS.

"It was just something to have a little fun,'' Busch said. "Everybody was duds out there. All they were doing was walking out and kind of strolling along. You've got to put on a show.''

Busch, 21, hopes to put on a show in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 that will end teammate Jimmie Johnson's run of four consecutive victories at the 1.5-mile track.

There's no reason to think he can't. Busch was leading this race a year ago when his car dropped a cylinder. He was leading the October race at LMS when a tire went down.

He won the Busch Series race here in May of 2004 and 2005, and won the past two Craftsman Truck Series races.

He's so comfortable in Victory Lane at LMS that he had a photo shoot there before Saturday's Busch Series race to acknowledge an extension on a contract with his primary sponsors, Kellogg's and Carquest.

"We've been very, very fast in all the races here, but we just haven't been able to make it to the end [of the Cup races] like we need to,'' said Busch, who was 13th-fastest in Saturday's final practice.

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Busch's driving style definitely fits LMS. It's so similar to Johnson's that they have the basic same setup.

"When I came out here and tested for the first tire test, knowing Kyle's driving style and the way he hits the gas and the brake and all those things, the first thing I said on the radio was, 'This is a Kyle Busch track,''' said Johnson, who will start third in Sunday's race.

Busch's style got him into trouble early in the season. He was criticized by several of the sport's top names, including reigning Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart, for being too aggressive.

Fans have been increasingly vocal, booing Busch during driver introductions.

Busch has decided to have fun with the situation. He put "Rowdy'' Busch on his truck that won last Friday's race. He put his hand to his ear to egg on those that booed him during the choreographed All-Star introduction.

"I ain't going to change their opinion,'' Busch said. "It don't matter what they think.''

Team owner Rick Hendrick, watching the race on TV, couldn't believe his eyes.

"I thought, 'I can't believe this,''' Hendrick said. "Right now he's having a good time. That's a good thing.

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"He went through two or three races where people pointed fingers at him for being too aggressive. He brushed that off. Some of those things are not his fault. He didn't yield to some of those veterans and he's not going to yield. That's not his job.''

Busch's job is to win races and compete for a championship. Although he's winless this season -- he won twice last year as a rookie -- he is seventh in points with six top-10s in 11 races.

"One thing that we all recognize in working with him is that he is a huge talent and he is trying as hard and that's all you can ask,'' Johnson said. "Once the momentum shifts in direction, good or bad, it's hard to overcome.

"He's working hard to do the things right outside of the car and inside of the car he can hold his own.''

Hendrick said Busch, who reminds him a lot of Tim Richmond, has matured a lot during the past few months.

"He goes to the principal's office quite often, but he listens and you can see him making lots of effort with the other drivers on the track,'' he said.

Hendrick said if Busch were given the choice between winning a race by a lap and coming from fourth over the final laps to beat the top names in the sport he would chose the latter.

"I like that about him,'' he said. "He doesn't lack any confidence.''