Should Drivers Racing For The Championship Get Off Easy?
Ron Hornaday seems to think so. He made a huge mistake in the first lap of Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series Race that cost him the race and could have cost him the championship. Afterwards he stated in an after race interview that Kyle Busch was racing him hard and that if Kyle is ever racing for a championship he will find Ron racing him just as hard. Good for you Ron. That is exactly what you are supposed to do. Every driver out there is getting paid to race hard.
This is not the first time Ron Hornaday and for that matter Johnny Benson has complained that Kyle was racing them hard and he should back off because they are racing for the title. I have only one thing to say to these two, “Suck it up, Bubba. That’s his job!” All the drivers have owners, sponsors, and fans that they must answer to. They are expected to win. If they don’t put the effort in, these drivers will end up watching the race on television like the rest of us. Some of these guys are looking for a ride next year. They need to make a good impression. Others need a sponsor. The best way to get one is to finish up front. There are some out there that may move up a position with a good finish. But Hornaday and Benson expect them to ride around the track and get out of the way when they come by? If that’s the only way they are going to win that championship, then they are not a champion and don’t deserve the title. From a fan’s point of view, I want it to go to the wire. I want to see some bumping. I don’t want to see anyone hurt, but I want a few wrecks. That is what makes racing fun.
Kyle doesn’t need to look for a ride. If he wants to drive in the CTS someone will give him a truck. He will not have to look hard for a sponsor. He is not going for the championship. Kyle is driving that truck with NO pay. He is doing it for Billy Ballew. I don’t know the back story of the two, but Kyle was committed to help Billy Ballew win an owner’s championship. He has flown between races several times this year to drive that truck. Last week, on the way to Texas, the hauler caught on fire in Bossier City, LA. The hauler and almost everything in it, including the primary truck, was destroyed. The only things salvaged were the backup truck and a scarred pit box. “Everything else is gone. It’s unfortunate for Billy,” Kyle said. “I’m sure the $1 million in insurance won’t cover all that was lost.” Other teams loaned them a hauler and tools to get them through to the end of the season. Kyle said the salvaged truck was full of water after firefighters put out the fire. The crew worked overnight Wednesday pumping the engine and making sure everything ran OK. “It seems like everything is just normal with it,” Busch said. “I’ll put a car freshener in it, hang it from the mirror.” He drove his heart out in that truck and finished second.
Remember Kyle doesn’t get paid to race in Trucks. Billy Ballew would have gotten the money if he had won last week and Friday night. Kyle wasn’t racing Ron Hornaday for his own benefit or the glory. He was racing to help a friend, a friend who would have benefitted from the money more than anyone.
I realize that Ron was disappointed and frustrated. He had every right to be. Had he had time to think about it, he may not have been so harsh. Everyone, the announcers, Kevin Harvick and Ron Hornaday all agreed it was Ron’s mistake and he bumped Kyle. Kyle did not deserve the criticism. He did nothing wrong.
