By Staff
Like him or not – and in most cases it's not – you've got to give Kyle Busch a nod.
He's always had a reputation as an arrogant twit in the garage – and sometimes he drives like he's got one eye taped shut – but the kid can find victory lane on any track any day of the week.
While Darrell Waltrip's unwavering on-air man crush for Kyle Busch makes me a little uncomfortable, you've got to acknowledge his accomplishments. All he's managed to do this year is win three races and pull in eight top five finishes and nine top 10s in 12 races.
He's a threat to win week in and week out and the new kid on the block in Joe Gibb's stable is already taking his teammates to school. He's also banked nearly $3 million in winnings. Not too bad for three months work.
His utter domination of the season isn't likely to stop this week as the haulers roll into Dover – a track where Busch has four top-five finishes in six starts.
Nine different drivers have parked in Victory Lane in the last nine Dover races, so it's really anybody's game this week.
Dover is nicknamed the Monster Mile because its concrete surface is notoriously tough on race cars. Gibbs' Toyotas, especially those of Busch and Denny Hamlin, have seen more than their fair share of mechanical trouble this season. It's cost them both at least one win.
If those cars can't stand up to the asphalt surface, they're a dead duck on the Monster Mile.
Dover was the site of Martin Truex, Jr.'s first Cup win last season and it wouldn't be smart to count out Dale Junior. Earnhardt won here in 2001. Despite being winless this season, Earnhardt has led laps in 10 of 12 races, including the last seven.
I feel sure without some really bad luck the 88 would be sitting on two wins right now.
My pick to win this week is Tony Stewart. Bad luck and bad timing have hindered someone who is known in the garage as a slow starter.
In a career that spans a decade, Stewart has been winless seven times in the first four months of the season.
Smoke is sitting at the ninth spot in the Cup Standings and fell three from last week. Three of the guys sitting in spots nine though 12 are past winners in Dover and are perfectly capable of helping him tumble out of the Chase. The lone upside has been that he had dodged equipment failure that had plagued his teammates at times.
He swept the 2000 Dover races and has consistently fielded a strong race car.
If the people at Goodyear can give Smoke a good set of Eagles, you'll see him taking a Coke and confetti shower while hoisting one of the coolest looking trophies on the circuit Sunday afternoon.