oh yes im enjoying the ride along with you and many others but he ,in my way of think at least,has a long way to go to even be "THE MAN"
PattyKay Lilley said: There will always be only one Dale Earnhardt, The Man. He was the epitome of what a racecar driver is. Some would say that he was the epitome of what a racecar driver should not be, but I find flaws in that theory. Seven Championships speak for themselves, and those will never truly be contested as long as we have the warped system of scoring that prevails today. His record, and that of King Richard, will remain unassailed.
But...I think some folks tend to have short or selective memories. Don't I recall a "youngster" of 29 or 30 years, absolutely tearing up the tracks and leaving mayhem in his wake? Don't I remember that guy with the bad 70's haircut and a bad mustache literally hitting everything but the pace car and raising the wrath of some very impressive personalities while doing it? (Later on, when Elmo was driving it, he did, of course, hit the pace car too. Repeatedly) ~LOL~
What I DO remember clearly was that while all that was going on, that same driver took Rookie of the Year in 1979 and took his first Championship in 1980, a feat never equaled before or since. Did drivers and fans call him names back then? You can bet your farm they did! Surely, some folks here remember going to a track and being harassed by strange folks wearing shirts that read "F.A.D.E." Fans against Dale Earnhardt. There were tons of them.
Those folks didn't bother Dale and I'm sure that the same breed doesn't bother Kyle. Dale used to say, "They don't sign my paychecks." Kyle probably feels the same. Kids tend to outgrow their rough edges after a while. Remember, Dale didn't come into Grand National until he was 29. Kyle started in Cup at age 19. He's been here since 2004, and I can see the differences occurring. Sure, they are subtle, but they are there.
Before the race, the media hounds sought to stir the pudding a bit between Kyle and Brad K because of the finish the night before, in the Nationwide race. Kyle was asked what he was thinking when he was about to put Brad a lap down. He replied that he was thinking, "I bet he wishes they'd given him a car as fast as mine and that handled this well." When they interviewed Brad with a similar question, his answer was, "Kyle Busch is an --- [Donkey]
Talent...the kind that makes great drivers...is there from birth in many cases. (Born to race) A suave demeanor and/or a pleasing personality take time to develop...and in some cases, that never happens. As someone already said, it is far too early for that sort of comparison. Dale is dead and gone after a long and successful career...but not long enough. Kyle is only beginning and won't reach Dale's age when he started, for another four years. Why don't we all just enjoy the ride?
~PattyKay
