Smack: Not the Jimmie and Carl show as many thought

1. All the talk in the preseason was about Carl Edwards potentially overtaking Jimmie Johnson. Did we forget about Kyle Busch?

David Caraviello: Evidently so. But in all honestly, his last victory before Las Vegas was in August, which was a long time ago. And as poorly as he ran in the 2008 Chase -- which wasn't necessarily his fault, by the way -- it was easy for him to get overlooked.

Bill Kimm: I don't know if "forgot" is the right word, but maybe inadvertently left off the list. The thing is, he has yet to prove himself when it matters most -- in the Chase. And until he does that, he might be the "forgotten" man.

Dave Rodman: Rip Van Winkle, ahem, Kyle Busch, was in such a deep Sprint Cup slumber in the stretch run last season that it would have been easy to do that. I can't say I forgot about him any more than I gave the title to Carl. I didn't do that, either. But to my mind, KB is on his way to eclipsing last year's record win total. But great point, Bill -- that team needs to do it when it counts the most. But now that they got riddled in the 2008 Chase, I think they will be contenders to the end in '09.

David Caraviello: I think that was quite a statement win last Sunday. He's the forgotten man when it comes to the championship, and he goes out and wins a crazy race, just hammering past people at the end ... that says something.

Bill Kimm: The kid is a threat to win at anytime -- no question about it. And while all the talk was about Carl and Jimmie, and who will be there at the end, I do think Kyle's name needs to be added to the "watch" list, along with that of Jeff Gordon.

David Caraviello: But that 2008 Chase outcome wasn't because of the driver. The pieces and parts let him down. People tend to forget that. The heim joint doesn't snap at Loudon, and who knows where Kyle finishes.

Dave Rodman: Well, there's not much connection from what happened at New Hampshire to what happened at Dover. And the fact is neither the driver nor the team nor the crew chief -- I guess in conjunction with each other -- ever recaptured the magic they had from March through August. But that was a year ago.

David Caraviello: No question, Dave. The way last season ended probably led everyone to forget just how dominant Kyle was from March through September. Las Vegas was a reminder that the kid's still around, still has all that talent, and isn't backing down.

Sweet, sweet victory

• Busch race chatter at LVMS
• Vegas sights and sounds
• Menzer: Talent not in question
• F1 a possibility for Busch
• H2H: IS Kyle best on track?

Bill Kimm: And we wouldn't expect anything less. Scary thing is at 23, he could win his first title. He would have plenty of opportunities to catch Petty and Earnhardt's seven.

Dave Rodman: Maybe the most significant part of last Sunday was that "Bratty Busch" was rearing his head early in the race, and crew chief Steve "the Elder" Addington did his best to calm him down. And as he's often done, despite the public outbursts, Shrub keeps his focus and when it counts, as Jeff Gordon so eloquently pointed out, there may not currently be anyone better -- and scant few the equal -- of young Mr. Busch.

David Caraviello: Whoa, Kimmer. Bringing up the magic number already? The dude has to get one championship first.

Bill Kimm: Agreed, I'm just saying -- first one at 23, and the King better watch out!

Dave Rodman: Ha! Maybe -- if he doesn't branch out. It's pretty neat that in this era of specialization, Kyle could contemplate winning a NASCAR championship, wander around the world a few years, and then come back and finish his career in NASCAR. That is quite refreshing and a throwback to the Allison/Yarborough days of yore.

Bill Kimm: Come on Roadman, Kyle isn't going anywhere. He's just having some fun with everyone -- he will stay in NASCAR.

David Caraviello: I think Johnson is a bigger threat to the King and the elder Earnhardt right now. And yes Dave, Kyle didn't sound like he was joking at all when he talked about potentially running F1 cars one day. Wouldn't that be a sight.

Dave Rodman: But as DC opines -- he has to win the first, first. And I don't think he'd contemplate any new career branches without winning that first title. For JGR's sake, it would be cool if that didn't happen until 2011, because that means he no doubt would have a new deal in place -- though the fascinating thing is, who knows how long-term it would be.

David Caraviello: Well, regardless of where he ends up, I will say that nobody does a post-win celebration better. With all due respect to Carl's back flip and Jimmie's epic burnouts, I love Kyle's little bow. And kissing the start-finish line Sunday in Las Vegas was a nice touch. The kid has some style to him.

Bill Kimm: And as we know -- sports these days is all about "style"!

Dave Rodman: Bill, I think Kyle is unique enough -- and certainly uniquely talented -- that he is dead serious about an F1 dalliance. Mostly because he can. Think about it -- he's won in every major NASCAR discipline. That is something that takes some doing, and has taken most of his peers a good bit of time to do. Sky's the limit, and for race fans world-wide, that's a great thing. (Continued)