'Rubbin' in racin' lives on

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Running side-by-side at close to 200 mph, he'll give you a nudge.

Sometimes he'll run up behind you and take precious air away, causing you to wiggle and him to wiggle to the front.

The phrase "rubbin' is racin"' is more than a mantra, it's a way of life. And when it gets down to wet behind time, he'll do whatever it takes to get the win.

Kyle Busch?

Nah. I'm talking about the late, great Dale Earnhardt.

I must admit I've spent the last few days chuckling at some fans' reaction to Busch's style of racing. He committed the unpardonable sin last Saturday night by costing Dale Earnhardt Jr. a win a Richmond, and his bump and grind for position earned some extra security just in case a patron had a loaded beer can he (or she) was ready to launch.

Many racing writers have already deemed Busch "Public Enemy No. 1", and I'm guessing these are the same scribes who looked at "The Intimidator" the same way back in the day.

Before he became a legend and the most popular driver in NASCAR, Earnhardt was a prime target of boo birds.

I remember when I first started covering NASCAR back in 1987 Earnhardt was hardly the sport's ambassador. When his name was called during driver introductions, I don't remember hearing many cheers.

Actually, I don't remember hearing any cheers.

Darrell Waltrip once said any driver who wrecked Earnhardt during the course of a race should be given bonus points.

I even recall one dude staggering up to me and holding up a card. It wasn't a business card -- it was a card that read "FADE -- Fans Against Dale Earnhardt" - and featured a drawing of the 3 car up on blocks.

But somewhere along the line, and I'm guessing it coincided with those seven Cup championships, the bad guy became the good guy.

To use rasslin' terminology, the heel was suddenly the baby-face.

Earnhardt didn't drive any differently. In fact, in his later years he was as aggressive as ever. But when he would slide another car out of the way it was no longer considered dangerous driving but brilliant maneuvering.

Busch is following a similar path, but right now he's too young and too arrogant to win people over. He's a great driver with a hot temper, and most people are concentrating more on the temper.

Over time he'll mature, and some of his dangerous moves on the racetrack won't seem so dangerous. And as he gets more used to dealing with the press, he'll learn to sound confident without sounding arrogant, and wisecracks will likely replace unwise insults.

Today Kyle Bush might be Public Enemy No. 1. By the end of the year he might simply be No. 1 in the Sprint Cup Series.

Believe me, that'll go a long way toward rehabilitating his image.

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