Childress May Have Single-Fistedly Ended the Busch/RCR Feud

Everyone among the NASCAR community, whether you are a fan or employee, is well aware of the well-documented one-sided fisticuffs between 65-year old team owner Richard Childress and 26-year-old team owner slash driver Kyle Busch as Kansas Speedway on Saturday. I was at the track, but was not present during the whooping that Childress gave the younger Busch, so I have based my assessments on what I've read and heard.

I was impressed, and slightly surprised that Busch granted interviews regarding the incident. In the past, Busch always ran and hid from the media when they wanted anything other than a winner's circle interview. Busch seemed genuinely shaken by the fact that Childress charged at him the way he did. While Childress is as old school as anyone in the NASCAR garage, he is typically mild mannered. He has dealt with some hotheaded drivers throughout his career, most notably, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, and Robby Gordon. He was the calm and rational guy that often tried, and I stress the word tried, to keep his brash drivers in check. Therefore, I was somewhat surprised that he would go after Busch the way he did.

However, when you consider the history between the RCR and Joe Gibbs Racing organizations, this has been building up for quite some time. Not only has Busch has had issues with Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Jeff Burton in the past, but Denny Hamlin has not always had flattering remarks for the RCR program, especially when Bowyer's team was penalized by NASCAR due to a rule's infraction last September. Harvick and JGR driver Joey Logano engaged in a simmering feud throughout the 2010 season. That is just the Sprint Cup Series. Childress apparently warned Busch specifically that it would behoove him to steer clear of his equipment. When Busch crossed that line again in the Camping World Truck Series with young Joey Coulter, Childress staunchly stuck to his guns. He approached Busch the only way he knew how. He removed his jewelry, and the rest is history.

NASCAR ultimately fined Childress 150k for his actions, and placed him "probation", therefore, declaring Kyle Busch innocent in this quarrel.

I have read many opinions regarding this incident. Some say that NASCAR dropped the hammer on Childress while giving Kyle Busch a free pass. Others claim that NASCAR did not come down hard enough on Childress. After all, NASCAR suspended Jimmy Spencer in 2003 after he clocked Kyle's big brother Kurt at Michigan. Fans, that was eight years ago, long before the 'boys, have at it' age. If Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman did not get suspended for punching Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya off camera, neither is Childress.

Many will claim that Childress overreacted. After all, all Busch did was lean on Coulter's truck on the cool down lap. As mentioned previously, this was not about what Busch did to Coulter. This was about what has happened over the course of the last few years. Childress felt like it was time for him to become involved, and while I am not a promoter of violence, I believe Childress got to Busch. I believe the Busch-Harvick/RCR feud will vanish, at least on Busch's end.