Time to put brakes on post-race whining from Busch

Kyle Busch continues to be his worst enemy.

There is no questioning the amount of talent Busch, 24, has as he continues to do things in a race car most drivers can only imagine.

But week after week what happens on the track usually takes a backseat to something else involving Busch.

Some call Busch a sore loser and I don't think that's a fair criticism. He hates to lose, and if I'm a fan that's exactly the trait I want in my driver. Ricky Bobby's father told him "If you're not first you're last," and I think that should be the mantra anyone who straps on a helmet and sits behind the wheel of a race car practices.

The problem with Busch is it seems he feels he's entitled to win every race he's in and anyone who gets in his way is automatically wrong.

Two weeks ago he was outraged when Marcos Ambrose slid by him in the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen. Busch characterized the move as a "cheap show," when in reality it was a daring pass made by a driver who honed his skills in road course racing.

What Ambrose did at The Glen is exactly the kind of move we've come to expect from Busch -- aggressive and on the edge. Busch may have been surprised by what Ambrose pulled off but he had no reason to complain about it.

Nor did he have a legitimate beef with Brian Vickers in last week's Nationwide Series race at Michigan. As the two battled for the lead on the white-flag lap they made contact allowing third-place Brad Keselowski to slip by and win in a thrilling finish.

Busch confronted Vickers on pit road calling the move ridiculous and irresponsible among other choice words not intended for a family website like this.

"It was just stupid," Busch said. "If he would have ran his own line up at the top of the track, and I held my line down at the bottom, it could have been a battle between us. Unfortunately you race with idiots and I guess you'll have that sometimes. I'm sure I'm complaining, and I'm whining, and I'm a cry-baby ... but that's uncalled for. It's just stupid."

Vickers responded as most non-Busch fans would and seems to have sparked a war of words that will no doubt help generate interest in this week's Nationwide Series stop in Bristol.

"Kyle was crying like a little girl after the race, and he came up and was whining because I was racing him so hard," Vickers said. "I thought this was racing, I thought this was what we were supposed to do. We were racing for the win, and he's crying about it. I don't know what he wants."

What Busch wants is to win constantly, which we all know is impossible. While the drive to want to get to Victory Lane every time out is honorable, until Busch understands it is completely out of his reach, dustups like Watkins Glen and Michigan will continue.

You would think with someone like Busch's team owner Joe Gibbs around the concept of controlling your emotions and battling through adversity when you don't win would have registered within Busch by now.

Obviously it hasn't.

And until it does I sincerely doubt, even with the enormous talent level and top-notch equipment at his disposal, Busch won't win a championship.

Garage chatter

• Brian Vickers' win in Michigan expedited the Team Red Bull organization's urgency to re-sign the driver to a contract extension. That was the latest chip to fall in the 2010 "Silly Season," which continues to move at a snail's pace. The Earnhardt-Ganaasi Racing No. 1 entry remains the only other open seat at this point for next season.

• Brad Keselowski remained a focal point of "Silly Season" rumors this week with a report the Michigan driver was seen at Penske Racing. There is a possibility Penske would expand to a four-car operation next season if sponsorship was available. But don't expect any of the team's current driver roster -– Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme -– to be leaving after this season.

• Elliott Sadler, who will have a new crew chief in Wally Rogers this weekend in Bristol, has been mentioned in a possible move from Richard Petty Motorsports to Richard Childress Racing. Sponsorship is also up in the air at both of those teams but unless Kevin Harvick does get out of his contract with RCR and leaves, the same driver roster will be in place in 2010.

• An upcoming test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course has raised some speculation. NACSAR stock cars and Grand Am sports cars are slated to test the IMS road circuit in September prompting rumors of the Brickyard 400 becoming a road race in 2010. Not going to happen, people. But the Grand Am Series may be part of next year's weekend.