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Feb212012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:47AM

February 22, 2012

America's Best Driver.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 2/21, 11:00 a.m.) Detroit. Cantankerous, petulant, meteoric, mercurial, irreverent, maverick, juvenile, incredibly talented and a whole host of other not-so-flattering terms have been used to describe Kyle Busch. And he has, for the most part, lived up to every one of those descriptors at one time or another. But after his scintillating performance in last Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout I will add one more: America's Best Driver.

I have been in and around racing since I was ten and I have been privileged to see many of the all-time great drivers in their prime. And I can safely say at this point in time that no other American driver racing today possesses the pure talent and sheer force of will that defines the 26-year-old Busch. Not even close, in fact. His breathtaking performance in the Bud shootout was mesmerizing and pure artistry for all to see. It was also a graphic demonstration that Kyle Busch has the uncanny ability to grab a car by the scruff of the neck and make it succumb to his will, an instinctively winning quality that the all-time greats have all demonstrated in the past.

There's a reason that the leader of the most conservatively-themed and led racing team in the NASCAR garage - Joe Gibbs - wouldn't let Kyle Busch go after his egregious knuckle-headed behavior on the track last year. It's because everyone in the NASCAR garage knows that the young man is clearly head and shoulders above every driver on the starting grid, and Gibbs pulled out all the stops to keep from losing him, despite his own personal misgivings.

I am not writing this to inflate Kyle's ego any further than it already is (it must run at a constant 150 p.s.i. at least). No, I'm writing this because I want racing enthusiasts out there to be mindful of what they're able to witness right now, whenever Kyle Busch takes to the track. Appreciate this young man for who he truly is: An Irresistible Force behind the wheel, a future all-time great, and America's Best Driver. Period.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Daytona Beach, Florida, February 27, 1966. Richard Petty (No. 43 Petty Enterprises Plymouth GTX) and Cale Yarborough (No. 27 Banjo Matthews Ford) lead the field into Turn One at the Start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 Grand National Race at the Daytona International Speedway. Petty would win by one lap averaging 160.927 mph, followed by Cale and David Pearson (No. 6 Cotton Owens Dodge). Watch a great video of that day here. - PMD

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.