Veteran drivers often say, “if you’re getting booed, you’re doing something right.” Well, Kyle Busch is doing a lot right these days, so maybe that explains why he nearly got booed off the stage during driver introductions last Saturday at Darlington Speedway.
Oh, and maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with him spinning out the series’ most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., from the lead two weeks prior in Richmond.
Anyway, Busch certainly has been doing a well this season. But in the Dodge Challenger 500 this past week, Busch had a pit road penalty that pushed him to the rear of the field. He said the car was arguably the worst he’s ever driven, and made contact with the wall numerous times.
Doesn’t sound like a top 10 car, right? It wasn’t.
It was the top.
Busch led a race-high 169 laps en route to his third victory of 2008. It was only after the struggles of Greg Biffle, who won the pole and appeared to be well on his way to a victory.
But Biffle saw his night end early when a broken timing belt forced him to head to the garage, and eventually he posted a last-place finish. Biffle was not very happy following the incident.
“It is really frustrating, but, you know what, I’ve just come accustomed to expecting it because it’s just week after week it’s something,” Biffle said. “Something breaks. Something falls off. We’ve got wheels loose. We had wheels loose twice tonight. I just don’t know anymore.”
Busch, on the other hand, was in a wonderful mood following the race’s conclusion.
“How many times did I hit the wall? I don’t know, one, two, three, four, probably five or six,” Busch said. “I’ve got to thank my team, they build them as strong as they can for me ‘cause I like to knock the walls down with them.”
Darlington, which has had a reputation for being one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, wasn’t hampered by its’ recently resurfaced track. The track saw record speeds, with 42 of the 45 drivers breaking the qualifying record Friday afternoon. But, the race also saw eight cautions.
Carl Edwards, despite starting 36th, worked his way through the field to finish second. Third went to the Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon, who posted his second-best finish of the season. Fourth went to Dale Earnhardt Jr., and David Ragan rounded out to top five.
Martin Truex Jr. ran in the top five nearly the entire race, but was involved in an incident with Denny Hamlin. He finished 14th.
Nationwide Series:
Tony Stewart led 90 of the 147 laps last Friday night to win the Diamond Hill Plywood 200. It was his fourth victory of the year and Joe Gibbs Racing’s eighth of the 2008 season. Clint Bowyer was second, followed by David Reutimann in third, Todd Bodine in fourth, and Steven Wallace in fifth. Only 23 of the 43 starters were running at the conclusion of the race.
Coming Up: Next week the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series gets back on track, while the Sprint Cup Series has the Sprint All-Star Challenge from Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Don’t miss any of the action!

 Bruce Knoll, 16, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknoll jr4cmcherald@yahoo.com