Busch stepping away leaves a complicated legacy: The winner vs. the jerk

It was Tuesday nighttime of this week, I was connected the roadworthy for work. To termination clip portion sitting astatine the barroom waiting connected dinner, I was successful my phone, flicking and clicking my mode done each of the posts and stories speculating that Kurt Busch would denote his status arsenic a NASCAR Cup Series race. On Saturday greeting astatine his hometown racetrack of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he announced that helium would beryllium stepping distant from full-time racing.

The man sitting adjacent to maine was wholly speechmaking it each implicit my enarthrosis and yet tapped that shoulder, followed by a trio of questions.

"Hey man, however galore Cup races has Kurt Busch won?"

I replied quickly, "34."

"Hey man, however galore of those bash you deliberation you were determination for successful person?"

- Watch Formula One each play agelong connected ESPN
- Don't person ESPN? Get instant access

I replied conscionable arsenic quickly, "Probably 25 of them."

"Hey man, for real, what bash you deliberation happened much often, you seeing Kurt Busch triumph a contention oregon him cussing you retired to your face?"

OK, this 1 I had to deliberation about. For a agelong while. It has been days present since I was asked the question and I inactive don't cognize the answer. And that's truly each you request to cognize astir the complicated, door-to-door dual of the fates that is the Kurt Busch legacy.

The victor versus the jerk.

For astir a 4th of a century, Busch made his surviving successful NASCAR's premier series. He has so won 34 races, ranked 25th connected the all-time victories list, conscionable up of NASCAR Hall of Fame members Fireball Roberts and Dale Jarrett. In his trophy lawsuit are victories successful the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Among his non-points-paying triumphs are 1 each successful the NASCAR All-Star Race, Bud Shootout and adjacent an IROC championship. His 28 poles fertile 28th each time. His 10,292 laps led fertile 21st. His 339 apical 10s fertile 15th. Busch has won successful each 3 nationalist series, and helium has won astatine slightest 1 contention for each 3 existent manufacturers -- Ford, Chevy and Toyota -- and helium won 10 races successful long-departed Dodge. He won races driving cars owned by Jack Roush, Roger Penske, Tony Stewart, Chip Ganassi and adjacent Michael Jordan.

pic.twitter.com/2SMr0CBF2i

Busch survived the azygous astir nail-biting moments ever seen successful a NASCAR title play finale. In 2004, the archetypal iteration of the Chase/Playoff era, helium coolly shed a snapped-off close beforehand tyre and narrowly missed the h2o barrels astatine the extremity of the Homestead-Miami Speedway pit wall. He ended the contention arsenic the champion. He battled with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. He banged doors with Ricky Craven astatine Darlington successful possibly NASCAR's astir thrilling decorativeness of this century. He owned Bristol Motor Speedway. Just 5 months agone helium won astatine Kansas Speedway, earning his 34th triumph astatine property 43. Heck, helium has gone NHRA Pro Stock racing and won 2014 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

But each twelvemonth and seemingly each large infinitesimal of Busch's inevitably first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Fame vocation has ever been dogged by a "yeah, but ..."

He exploded onto the Cup Series scene. Yeah, but the singular aboriginal occurrence successful 2003-04 that led to that Cup rubric is remembered by galore much for his ongoing feud with Jimmy "Mr. Excitement" Spencer arsenic it is for his 7 wins implicit 2 years.

He won his Cup rubric with Roush Racing. Yeah, but his exit from the squad became testy erstwhile Roush felt arsenic though Busch hadn't fixed him just informing astir the racer's departure for Penske Racing, and helium missed what would person been his last races with Roush aft helium was parked by NASCAR for a DUI citation and resulting altercation with constabulary successful Phoenix.

He won 10 races for Roger Penske. Yeah, but aft helium was fined $50,000 for screaming astatine ESPN pit newsman Dr. Jerry Punch, The Captain had seen capable and they parted ways.

He landed with Phoenix Racing and embraced the underdog role, adjacent moving Ricky Bobby's "ME" cougar overgarment strategy astatine Talladega. Yeah, but helium was besides placed connected probation for an incidental with Ryan Newman astatine Darlington and the pursuing week received a one-race suspension erstwhile helium responded to a question from newsman Bob Pockrass astir his behaviour portion connected probation by saying, "It refrains maine from not beating the s--- retired of you close present due to the fact that you inquire maine anserine questions."

A six-month feud with member Kyle Busch had to beryllium fixed by Grandma astatine Thanksgiving. Profanity-laced vigor tirades. Having to beryllium pulled disconnected of newsman Joe Menzer astatine Richmond. Denying helium said thing connected unrecorded TV, being shown the transcript of it and past ripping up the papers and dropping them successful beforehand Associated Press newsman Jenna Fryer's face.

We each person those stories. Somewhere successful the ESPN video room is simply a clip of Kurt Busch responding to my question astir a clang astatine Darlington with a question astir my narration with my mother. Marty Smith has a clip of him having to explicate wherefore helium and Busch had an altercation successful the Michigan Speedway media halfway connected YouTube.

We're each grownups. We tin instrumentality it. I conscionable ne'er figured retired wherefore we had to.

In 2010, I wrote a communicative for ESPN the Magazine wherever I sat down the Busch brothers together, pursuing 2 years of asking. Kurt convinced maine that helium and his small member had changed their ways. I believed him. But 1 twelvemonth later, I wrote a confession and partial retraction. Kurt wasn't simply unchanged, helium was worse. In 2015, his bizarre narration with woman Patricia Driscoll led to a high-profile tribunal lawsuit and accusation of home violence that managed to overshadow that year's Daytona 500. He was suspended again, this clip lone 2 days earlier the Great American Race. It was embarrassing for the sport, truthful the suspension stood adjacent aft it was determined by investigators not to prosecute transgression charges against the racer. When helium was allowed backmost what did helium do? He won 2 races and made the postseason field, contempt missing the archetypal 3 races of the year.

To beryllium clear, helium surely wasn't unsocial erstwhile it came to tantrums, adjacent those that crossed the line. Tony Stewart was a instrumentality of dynamite, arsenic is Kevin Harvick, and of course, member Kyle. But those others, adjacent Smoke, their rage came successful waves. Kurt Busch was a nonstop tsunami. When it wasn't, it was a surprise. A pleasant one. Even now, arsenic helium has mellowed with age, it inactive catches 1 disconnected guard. That's what has ever made it truthful maddening erstwhile helium would ace unfastened the windows to amusement america each helium could beryllium a amended person. You ever knew it was going to beryllium slammed shut.

Perhaps the astir insightful speech I've had a with a banal car racer was an interrogation I did with Busch smack successful the mediate of those volatile days of the mid-2010s. The communicative was astir the worth of the quality down the instrumentality versus the instrumentality that racer drove. Does the operator inactive substance successful the property of engineering? He was genuinely superb arsenic helium explained however helium was capable to instrumentality the once-lowly similar of Phoenix Racing and Furniture Row Racing into being regular contenders. He said to me: "My roadworthy has not been easy. But what it has done is punctual maine however overmuch amusive this tin be. And that, successful the end, nary 1 is holding that steering instrumentality successful his hands but me."

That aforesaid twelvemonth I produced a TV bid successful which modern racers spent clip with legends of the past. Busch was connected our aviator episode, sitting with Buddy Baker. He was funny, brilliant, respectful and downright likable. I knew past helium would beryllium large connected television, and erstwhile the existent networks person enactment him successful the booth, helium has been. But the play that the amusement premiered, helium unleashed specified a vicious, profanity-laced tantrum implicit the squad vigor that his then-boss, Roger Penske, waited connected him successful the store to propulsion him into the squad hauler and outcry him down.

Amazing accomplishment*. Ridiculous talent*. Limitless potential*.

*Yeah, but ... *Yeah, but ... *Yeah, but ...

Him stepping distant from full-time racing comes with different asterisk, though 1 not of his ain doing, suffering concussion-like symptoms since a signifier clang astatine Pocono Raceway successful precocious July. But his departure from the store ignites different question, caller but besides familiar. Kurt Busch did truthful much. He volition beryllium a first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer and if I americium fortunate capable to inactive beryllium a elector erstwhile helium becomes eligible, I volition ballot for him immediately. But I besides cognize the question that volition beryllium raised successful that room. It's the question that ever comes up erstwhile his sanction is mentioned and ever will.

What could Kurt Busch person truly done if each of that different worldly hadn't gotten successful the way?