Kyle Busch signs his name next to his plaque in Saturday's California Speedway Walk of Fame ceremonies. Credit: Autostock

Maturing Busch starting to turn jeers to cheers

FONTANA, Calif. -- Kyle Busch slipped off his size 11 tennis shoes, rolled up the bottom of his designer blue jeans and stepped barefoot into the hot concrete mix outside of Gate 12 at California Speedway.

"You da man, Kyle!" a fan yelled on Saturday.

Busch was here to commemorate last year's victory, his first in the Nextel Cup, on the track's Walk of Fame.

Kyle Busch places the plaque ...

Several hundred fans showed for the ceremony, including two that claimed with signs to be his "biggest fans." There weren't the boos that sometimes greet the 21-year-old Busch during driver introductions and Victory Lane celebrations.

This was a love fest.

"It's fun to be able to be not only recognized, but recognized in a good fashion and having cheers for you," Busch said.

Six months ago, the last time Busch appeared at California Speedway, he was public enemy No. 1 in the garage.

Defending Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart said he was out of control a week earlier at Daytona and going to hurt somebody with his aggressive driving.

... followed by the agony of de feet. Credit: Autostock

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Busch was pretty wild and "just needs to realize that he's right on that brink of really p---ing off somebody that he don't want to p--- off."

It was more a Walk of Shame.

Now Busch is a model citizen, earning praise from those who once criticized him and reaping the benefits on the track.

"He's matured a lot," Earnhardt said. "He's found his groove as far as attitude and personality. He's found his little area that is good for him. Nobody has any issues with him anymore. He doesn't have issues with people anymore.

"He's made an attempt to really gain respect and he's got a lot of confidence. He does have some arrogance to go along with it, but that makes a real racecar driver."

Busch, the younger brother of pole-sitter Kurt Busch, said his maturity as a driver and a person is a big reason he's fourth in points with two races left before the Chase for Nextel Cup begins.

"I have become a smarter racer," said Busch, who was the youngest driver [20 years, 125 days] to win a Cup race by three days when he won at California. "Before, I was just always out for the win and maybe just being too erratic and sometimes putting myself not in a good spot where I needed to be."

Team owner Rick Hendrick has been Busch's biggest supporter through this transition. He's helped Busch understand more of what it takes to win a championship and keep the sponsors happy.

"You don't want to be labeled as one of the poster children for NASCAR," said Busch, who will start 10th in today's race.

In a way, Busch was labeled before he arrived on the series because his brother had alienated himself from many fans after his high-publicized feud with Jimmy Spencer.

"I pretty much adopted that as soon as I ran my first Busch Series race where I got booed out of there," Busch said. "I didn't run a race yet, but I was already guilty by association.

Stats at a Glance Kyle Busch's 2006 stats Race Start Finish Daytona 4 23 California 7 10 Las Vegas 4 3 Atlanta 17 12 Bristol 20 8 Martinsville 17 5 Texas 26 15 Phoenix 1 36 Talladega 13 32 Richmond 21 5 Darlington 29 7 Lowe's 28 38 Dover 30 5 Pocono 9 22 Michigan 15 14 Infineon 19 11 Daytona 14 2 Chicagoland 23 3 New Hampshire 4 1 Pocono 8 12 Indianapolis 37 7 Watkins Glen 9 9 Michigan 11 39 Bristol 19 2

"It was tough to swallow it, but I've been trying to make my rounds the way I know how to make them and show people who Kyle Busch is."

Busch went on the offensive with the negativity at the All-Star Challenge, egging on the booing during driver introductions as though he enjoyed it. He later put "Rowdy" Busch above his door for a Truck Series race.

After finishing second to Matt Kenseth a week ago at Bristol he jokingly said he wanted to get to Victory Lane so "I could hear the fans say, "Booooo.' "

"I like noise," Busch said. "Noise is good, good or bad, as long as they are making noise. That was the famous words of Dale Earnhardt, and I'm going to abide by those."

Busch made light of that during Saturday's ceremony when the Master of Ceremony reminded that he was dubbed the "California Kid" here a year ago.

"Yeah, I've got a lot of nicknames," Busch said.

Busch was having fun, just as he was when he opted to become the first driver to leave his concrete impression barefoot instead of with driver's shoes, even though the ground temperature could have fried an egg.

"You're out in Hollywood," said Busch, who had to shift his skinny frame back and forth to make a deep enough impression. "Nothing is ordinary out here."

There's nothing ordinary about Busch's driving ability, either. The Las Vegas native won two of the last 11 races a year ago to win rookie of the year honors. He has six top-10s in the last eight races, including a win at New Hampshire.

Barring a major collapse the next two races, he'll be in position to become the youngest driver to win a Cup title.

"I don't think it matters what age you are," Busch said. "It's not about who you are. It's about what kind of racecar driver you are."

That Busch isn't getting the criticism he did here six months ago indicates he's a grown into a good driver.

"The biggest thing is just understanding how to race," he said. "You have to become a racer where you know how to race for points and not put yourself into some predicaments that will take you out of the running or a chance to get a top five or a top 10.

"I go out there every week and race as if we're going after a championship or trying to get into the Chase. For me now to have a shot at it, that's something that is pretty cool."