Rivalry adds zest to Cup

There's nothing like a heated rivalry to add a little zest in any sport.

The latest feud in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series involves 23-year-old Kyle Busch and 29-year-old Carl Edwards, who had another run-in last Saturday night at Bristol.

In the wake of the postrace bumping by the two Cup stars, NASCAR has placed both on probation for six races, much as it did to Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch after a similar incident at Daytona during practice for the Budweiser Shootout in February.

"Are rivalries good for our sport, for any sport? Absolutely," said longtime NASCAR star Kyle Petty. "It draws a line in the sand. You're either over here or over there.

"In Carl and Kyle you have the makings of a rivalry that could last for a while. Both are young and on top of the sport. This could be the best rivalry since (Dale) Earnhardt-(Jeff) Gordon."

Petty noted that Edwards and Busch have very different personalities.

"Out of the car, they are two different people, so they appeal to two totally different groups," he said. "In the car, they are aggressive and will probably get together a few more times on the track. I hope this doesn't go away, but if it does, we are going to be treated to one heck of a championship fight this year, at least."

Busch, with eight victories, is leading the points, while Edwards, with six wins, is second.

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GOOD COMBINATION: Tony Stewart is glad Joe Gibbs Racing made the much-anticipated announcement that 18-year-old Joey Logano will take over his No. 20 Toyota at the end of the season.

"I know that is a huge weight lifted off Zippy (crew chief Greg Zipadelli) and the guys' shoulders at the Home Depot team to get that announcement out of the way, finally," the two-time Cup champion said this week on his SIRIUS satellite radio show, "Tony Stewart Live."

Stewart is leaving Gibbs to co-own and drive for the team now known as Haas-CNC.

"It couldn't have happened to a better kid," Stewart added. "Joey is a really, really good kid and very, very fast. He's going to win a lot of races and I couldn't think of anybody better to take my place."