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 And now the reigning Sprint Cup champion is accusing NASCAR of
fixing races - or at least conspiring to prevent him from winning.
It is the sort of petulant response in the face of adversity that
made it such a long trek to the first championship for Busch. That's
because Busch so often failed to adjust to circumstances over the
course of a race when things went wrong such as pit crew errors or
the officiating didn't go his way.
To recap Saturday's events, Busch was leading the Xfinity race by a
wide margin when his left front tire blew headed through Turn 1 on
the white flag lap, allowing Austin Dillon to come from nearly a
half a lap behind to eventually pass him and take the victory.
From runner-up Busch's viewpoint, NASCAR should have thrown a
caution flag, which would have given him the victory since a yellow
flag on the white flag lap ends the race.
The circumstances were odd. Many drivers were trying to stretch
their fuel mileage and tire wear to the finish when Busch's front
tire let loose. That's why the field was strung out and the outcome
remained in doubt.
 Daniel Suarez briefly passed Busch for the lead before running out
of fuel. For his part, Busch did his best to block Dillon
approaching the checkered flag despite being on three wheels.
Since Busch elected to skip the post-race media conference, his only
comments came from a radio transmission, which was covered by Fox
Sports 1. "Debris is all over the race track and they don't throw a
yellow," he said from the cockpit. "I'm just so pleased with you,
NASCAR. Thanks. You all are awesome. Fixing races."
Did NASCAR conspire to take the victory away from Busch - who was
gunning for his fourth straight Xfinity Series win?
NASCAR generally tries to give fans a green flag finish. Also, if an
incident does not require an ambulance - and Busch was able to
complete the race - then there's no pressing need to slow the field
in terms of driver safety. As for debris, his Joe Gibbs Toyota tire
shed rubber, but it did not pose much danger to the other
competitors on the track for the remainder of one lap.
And finally, NASCAR is rarely inclined to throw a yellow flag that
allows the driver who brought it out to benefit. That lends itself
to race-fixing by teams and drivers. If a driver is in the Lucky Dog
position but brings out a yellow flag, for instance, then that
driver does not get to return to the lead lap.
So Busch is not on firm ground when he claimed in the heat of the
moment that NASCAR conspired against him. And, there's no further
explanation of his own point of view since he skipped the post-race
media conference. But there's a wealth of evidence over the years
that Busch has trouble handling adversity like, well, a champion.
The world has been - and evidently continues to be - out to get
Busch (when it's not trying to get his older brother Kurt, who has
had similar tantrums).
Last year's championship was not about Kyle Busch beating everybody,
apparently, but beating NASCAR, too. (Although to hear Busch's point
of view, maybe NASCAR thought it was finally his year to win the
title.)
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The "fixing" accusation made by Busch is the lowest any competitor
can throw at NASCAR. It's more than the equivalent of bumping a
Major League Baseball umpire or shoving an NBA referee. The
conspiracy theorists generally work overtime without any help from
the competitors suggesting that calls by officials are less about
judgment and instead are about dictating winners and losers.
(A word here for the conspiracy theorists on fixing races. NASCAR
desperately needs Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sports' most popular
driver by a wide margin, to be competitive and winning races. That's
happening currently, but what about the 2009, 2010 and 2011 winless
seasons? If NASCAR dictates winners, wouldn't Earnhardt Jr. have
gotten the nod during this long dry spell when TV ratings and
attendance were slipping?)
The anger from Busch and the conspiracy theorists all work on the
same wavelength. It's a way to vent anger about the people in charge
- not much different than yelling, "Kill the umpire." It may feel
good, but is hardly a rational process.
The sarcasm from Busch, which sure smells like sour grapes, and the
disagreement with the non-call are part of sports. That's enough to
sustain the passion and color that any sport needs from its
competitors, including NASCAR. As has been argued, the sport needs
that opportunity for expression. But the "fixing" comment was out of
bounds and clearly detrimental when it comes from the mouth of a
reigning champion.
In addition to fining Busch for not attending the post-race media
conference as required for second-place and third-place drivers,
Busch was fined $10,000 for "Disparaging the sport and/or NASCAR's
leadership" and placed on a four-race probation.
It remains to be seen if Busch apologizes after the off weekend for
Easter when teams gather for the next race in Martinsville, Va.
That's what a champion would do. Even a tweet will suffice. If the
"new" Kyle Busch who emerged from his trials with injury last year
and the birth of a son is for real, an apology is what one would
expect.
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