Poll Position: Kyle's trifecta at Bristol great, but is it the best?
CBSSports.com editor Brian De Los Santos, writer Pete Pistone and a chosen member of the community (for a pure fan perspective) share their thoughts on this week's poll question.
Where does Kyle Busch's Bristol trifecta rank among the all-time great NASCAR feats? What do you think is NASCAR's most impressive driver accomplishment?
PETE PISTONE: I have to put Busch's three-peat at Bristol right up there with the top accomplishments in NASCAR's sixty-plus year history. Winning a race in all three of the sport's top divisions on the same weekend is impressive to say the least, but to do it at a track like Bristol is astonishing. In three races adding up to 950 laps of competition at a lightning-fast race track that is famous for bumps, spins and crashes, Busch was able to avoid all of the mayhem going on around him and power to Victory Lane in three distinctly different types of machines. I have a feeling had Busch entered last Wednesday's modified race at Bristol we'd be talking about a four-peat here -- the guy is just that good particularly at Bristol.
But I think we need to be careful with the numbers that are being thrown around these days comparing career victories in the sport. It's true Busch now has 78 wins across NASCAR's top three divisions including a staggering 16 this season alone (3 each in Cup and Truck with 10 in the Nationwide Series). However, that 78 number is not at the Sprint Cup level which should be the benchmark for NASCAR racing. Wins in the Cup division should not be matched up against "NASCAR" victories as it's misleading. What Busch is doing is remarkable but the fact remains his 19 career Sprint Cup wins pales in comparison to guys like Jeff Gordon (82 Cup wins) or Jimmie Johnson (52 Cup wins) or the all-time most impressive NASCAR accomplishment -- Richard Petty's 200 Sprint Cup triumphs. NASCAR's number two and three circuits are strong divisions of racing but the ultimate goal -- and comparison -- should be performance on the Sprint Cup Series. "The King" has that nickname for a reason.
BRIAN DE LOS SANTOS: I don't know if I'm in the minority here or not, but I'm rather ho-hum about Kyle Busch's trifecta. For starters, a full-time Cup driver winning races in the Truck and Nationwide series isn't exactly breaking news. Not only is Busch exceptionally more talented than most of the drivers in those two series, he also has access to better resources. Now were there other Cup drivers sprinkled through the fields of those two races? Sure, but few have as much seat time as Busch does in those two series this year. I think with as much racing as he does across the three series and as talented as he is, it was inevitable he'd pull this particular feat off eventually. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him pull it off again.
As for the greatest driver achievement, I have to go with Richard Petty's 200 wins. Yes, it certainly doesn't hurt that he made more starts than any driver in history, but his win percentage of 16.9 percent isn't all that shabby, ranking fourth all time. And that win percentage is hurt a bit by the fact he hung on so long past his prime -- he drove eight full-time seasons after his final win. Jimmie Johnson and his four consecutive championships merits a close second. No matter the point system, that is a remarkable feat. If he can make it five in a row, move it to the top of the heap.
Jedi Trainer: Kyle Busch had a great weekend. One for the record books. The competition is tough and differences in each series make it even tougher. Even so it still only ranks in the top 10.
The four titles in a row by Jimmie Johnson is my No. 3 achievement in all-time NASCAR feats. When Cale Yarborough had three in a row many never thought that it could be beat. Jimmie did just that. In an age where the mighty dollar has taken over the garage and technology has become the star mechanic, Johnson put together a string that may not be matched in our lifetime.
The seven titles won by Dale Earnhardt Sr. is my No. 2 in all-time NASCAR feats. Earnhardt was the Intimidator and love him or hate him, you had to respect him. I for one did not cheer for Earnhardt, but I did respect his skill and abilities. His seven championships were earned in the "modern era" of NASCAR and because of that some may rank Dale Earnhardt's seven championships as number one.
I still think that Richard Petty with his 200 wins and seven titles still ranks at the top.
King Richard had the benefit of a much bigger schedule that is true, but so did his competition. When you look back and see how many times he won races and how many times he won the title and then look to see how many times he came in second in both categories, wow he really dominated. That kind of domination is really impressive especially with some of the great drivers he had as competition. There is no one who will be able to top that. Unless J.J. can win seven straight titles.
