Kyle Busch never met Dale Earnhardt. He saw him once, when he was around 16 years old, from roughly 50 feet away. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver keeps an even greater distance between himself and any notion that he's some second coming of the Intimidator, a menacing figure in the rearview mirror who won't be hesitant to use the front fender if and when the situation calls for it.

Goodness, just the mention of the two men in the same sentence is sure to get the traditionalists hopping, and guaranteed to make certain that the inbox is overloaded with missives of discontent. Let's be very honest -- Busch is no Earnhardt, no seven-time champion, no larger-than-life figure, no icon of the sport. He surely realizes that, and treads carefully, almost sheepishly, around any questions that try to link him in any way with Big E.

In the same vein, though, it's foolish to see Busch's hard-charging driving style, to see his all-or-nothing attitude, and not think a certain man with a mustache would have nodded approvingly at the sight.

Such is the enigma that is Kyle Busch, the defending champion of this weekend's Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his hometown race track. He's persona non grata among the many fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr., by virtue of the numerous on-track scrapes the two have had in recent years. And yet, from a racing standpoint, at least, you have to wonder if the same people Busch most appeals to are those who once enjoyed watching Junior's dad.

No question, there's a stark difference in terms of force of personality -- despite his millions, Earnhardt was a sort of blue-collar figure who earned the adulation of the working man, something Busch has not and may never achieve. But give him a helmet and put him behind the wheel, and those differences blur. (Continued)