Did Richard Childress make the second-best decision of his career by signing Kyle Busch?
One race does not a career make. For that matter, one win also does not a career make.
But after last week’s Daytona 500 and Sunday’s Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway, it is not too early to predict something very special is in the works at Richard Childress Racing.
While there was some concern among RCR fans, as well as Kyle Busch fans, whether the RCR-KB marriage might not work, what the younger Busch brother did at Daytona and particularly with his win in Sunday’s race at Fontana, it’s very possible that RCR is on the verge of returning to a similar type of glory days as it once enjoyed for nearly two decades with the late Dale Earnhardt.
Even though they were at one time enemies – let’s not forget how team owner Richard Childress wanted to pop Kyle Busch in the mouth several years ago after a confrontation at Kansas Speedway – their new marriage is starting to shape up as exactly what each man needs.
At 77 years old, it’s no secret or surprise that Childress’ better days as a team owner are likely behind him. Sure, he enjoyed great success – and six Cup championships – when the late Earnhardt drove for him. But now, in his waning days at the helm of RCR, Childress is starting to look reinvigorated with Busch driving for him.
Why, instead of potentially thinking about retiring and spending his time and millions of dollars on safaris and going hunting across the globe’s seven continents, Childress may very well be ready for Part 2 of his Hall of Fame career as one of the most preeminent team owners in the NASCAR Cup Series – something that many observers may have felt he’d never attain again.
And as for the 37-year-old Busch, he looks reinvigorated as well. After maybe getting a bit stale – if not potentially unappreciated when team owner Joe Gibbs picked 20-year-old grandson Ty instead of keeping the same guy who earned him two Cup championships to pilot the No. 18 Toyota – Busch could very well be kicking off one of the best years of his career to date.
Kyle Busch takes the checkered flag to win the Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Sure, I get it. Sunday was only the second race on NASCAR Cup’s 36-race schedule. But in the way Busch roared back after a pit road penalty and then proved unstoppable in the closing laps, breaking a 28-race winless streak, I’m ready to make a prediction that he is going to win several more races this season – maybe six or more triumphs, if not winning the Cup championship, as well.
Busch’s win Sunday was his 61st in the Cup Series and gave RCR its 114th win in Cup competition.
In a way, the Busch-Childress marriage could be the best thing that’s ever happened to the pair (well, maybe second to only Earnhardt racing for Childress). Busch was under-appreciated at Hendrick Motorsports, and became the guy who was forced out when Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to join ranks with Team Hendrick.
So, Busch went to JGR in a pairing that, to an extent, didn’t always seem to make sense. Joe Gibbs is a very religious and straight-laced individual who far too often had to make uncomfortable excuses for – if not simply put up with – some of Busch’s malfeasance and the controversy he brought about.
But now, with Childress, Busch may finally have found the exact same type of owner that will help him take his career to the next level. In fact, if Kyle races for another 10 years – which I don’t think anyone should rule out – is it too much of a stretch to predict he potentially could win 2, 3, 4 or maybe even 5 more Cup championships for King Richard?
And if Busch indeed does bring 5 Cup crowns to the Childress organization in tiny, bucolic and appropriately named Welcome, North Carolina, guess what: he would join Richard Petty, Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson as the only drivers to ever win seven Cup championships in their respective careers.
In what could very well be the first of several times this season, Kyle Busch celebrates with a major burnout after winning Sunday's NASCAR Cup race at Auto Club Speedway. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Believe me, I’m not trying to put the cart before the horse. I realize how difficult it will be for Busch to win one Cup crown for Childress, let alone five. But given all of the heartbreak and disappointment that RCR has endured since Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001, not to mention a significant downturn in performance and results ever since then, Busch could very well be the kind of driver that comes along once in a lifetime to get an organization back on track.
Look at Richard Petty’s organization under various names. Ever since he retired after 1992, that group has had a number of drivers, but it still has been nothing but a shadow of what Petty was at his pinnacle.
And then there’s Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. With the exception of Matt Kenseth’s championship in 2003 and Kurt Busch’s crown in 2004, RFKR has been more of a dismal, underperforming operation than a consistent race-winning operation.
RCR has been mired in mediocrity for far too long, certainly far too long for a team that has some of the best personnel and equipment in the sport. Sure, Childress could easily have walked away after Earnhardt passed, and no one would have blamed him. But he wanted to see what grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon would do.
Other than Austin winning the Daytona 500 once, and Ty struggling far too much, and maybe some of the success during Kevin Harvick’s years at RCR, the fact of the matter is RCR has been an operation looking for an Earnhardt-like driver to put it back on the road to significant success.
And now they may very well have one.
Tony Stewart made a very poignant observation during Sunday’s Fox Sports telecast when he quipped that Kyle Busch is the kind of driver that once he gets on a roll, he oftentimes keeps going for quite some time.
I couldn’t agree more with Tony. I think we definitely are on the precipice of seeing that once again from Busch. He goes back to his hometown this coming Sunday, then on to Phoenix before the series moves back East. I would not be surprised that by the time the first 12 races of the season take the checkered flag, Busch will have four or maybe five wins and at least a couple of runner-up or third-place finishes.
In racing, winning oftentimes begets more winning. A winning driver and team gain more confidence, swagger and even a good kind of cockiness that translates to even more success.
With Sunday’s win, Busch and crew chief Randall Burnett not only have the No. 8 team locked into the playoffs, more importantly, they now have 24 races to experiment and try new things, rather than worry so much about points and things of that type of ilk.
Instead, all Busch and Burnett – the Double B Boys – have to worry about for the next two dozen races heading into the playoffs is, as late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis was fond of saying, “Win, baby, just win.”
Circle back with me 10 races from now and let’s see how Busch does. Honestly, I think he’s just warming up and getting started en route to what could be the best year he’s ever had.
Follow Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski