One Bad Mother
Posted May 11, 2008, 11:05 AM ET

I hope you survived Mother's Day.

Right now, NASCAR can't help but enjoy the one "Bad Mother" on the track...and his name is Kyle Busch.

At the "Track Too Tough To Tame" in Darlington, S.C., Kyle Busch put the finishing touches of his third Sprint Cup win of the season. The 23-year old became the youngest driver to ever win at Darlington, as he continues to impress on the circuit.

After his "run-in" with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last week in Richmond, Busch has been labeled a wanted man by Junior Nation. Apparently, there must be some unwritten rule that states that every driver must allow the #88 car the right-of-way on every corner of the track. Even if the rule existed, I wonder if Junior could win a race?

While Junior finished fourth at Darlington, it extended his winless streak to 73 races. I'll be the first to admit that I like the guy and I expect him to snap the streak and find Victory Lane at some point in time this year. My biggest problem with Junior stems from the fact that he doesn't win enough to garnish all the face time with the media, not to mention the marketing dollars.

The "face of a sport' should be one that wins championships and races....and right now, that seems to be a major problem for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Could you imagine if Tiger Woods was to go two straight years without a victory or major championship? Well, that's exactly the streak that is currently kidnapping Dale, Jr.

Even this week's ESPN "The Magazine" features Junior on the cover.....why? Dale Earnhardt, Junior might be the most over-hyped sports icon this side of David Beckham.

Now, let me get back to Kyle Busch....after the Richmond incident, there was tons of conversation about Busch and the comparison to Dale Earnhardt, Senior. The driver of the Black #3 car was my all-time favorite, and there will never be another guy like him. But I can understand the comparisons between their driving styles. They are both aggressive and intimidating.

Earlier this week, Junior was asked about that same comparison and his response was..."Give me a break. Give my dad a little more credit." I thought that was an interesting reply. You can already tell that Junior is getting tired of the play this discussion is getting around the water cooler and in the media.

What makes matters worse for Junior is the fact that Busch was basically canned at Hendrick Motorsports and replaced with Dale, Jr. There is no question that Rick Hendrick gained millions of dollars overnight by the sheer sales of Junior merchandise with the move. Plus, if Junior gets the great equipment that can be provided to him by Hendrick, who is to say that the #88 car can't win races and titles?

The count of races won up to and including Darlington stands like this: Team Hendrick, which includes superstars like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, has one victory this season; Kyle Busch has three by himself. At least Hendrick is kicking butt at the merchandise trailer. It's a good thing Mountain Dew is sponsoring Junior, because he is overdue to win a race.

I also find it interesting that after 125 career races, Kyle Busch has the same amount of wins (7) as the late Dale Earnhardt. Of course, at this stage of their careers, Senior also had one championship under his belt. But the way things are looking on the NASCAR front, who is going to bet against Kyle Busch from matching that total by the end of the year?

I have a funny feeling as we head into the All-Star week in Charlotte that Junior Nation will continue to boo, complain, cuss-out and whine every time they see Kyle Busch or the #18 car. But you know deep down in their hearts, they wish the #88 car and driver would be just as competitive, aggressive and successful as the guy that keeps finding Victory Lane.