Busch Brothers Recent Behavior Proves That They Don't Belong in the Cup Series

Kurt Busch is a 24-time race winner in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. He is also the 2004 Cup champion. Kyle Busch is the 2009 Nationwide champ and he has visited victory lane in the Cup series 23 times.

These are stats that most any racecar driver would kill to have. There is no doubt that both Busch brothers can drive the wheels off a race car and win on any given Sunday. But their driving talent has not been the topic of conversation as of late. The focus, instead, has been on their short tempers.

There isn't a driver in the garage area with a shorter fuse that either of the Busch brothers. Their weekly temper tantrums on their team radios contain so much yelling and cussing, listening to it would make Bobby Knight and John McEnroe blush. Whether it's their pit crew, their crew chiefs, or even their owners, no one is safe from their wrath if a race doesn't go as planned.

Roger Penske and Joe Gibbs deserve a ton of credit for putting up with these two after Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick had had enough of them. But the fact that Kurt can cuss out Penske, a 15-time Indianapolis 500 winning owner, on the team radio and Kyle can do the same to his owner, Pro Football Hall of Famer Gibbs, and neither experiences any sort of repercussions for it is amazing. Penske and Gibbs should be nominated for sainthood.

But despite media hype that the brothers had changed and turned over a new leaf, the end of this year proved to fans and everyone within the sport that that could not be further from the

truth.

At Texas this past fall, Kyle intentionally turned title contender Ron Hornaday into the outside wall in the Truck Series race. This happened under caution and with the speeds both trucks were carrying, Hornaday hit at about 150 mph. This resulted in Busch being parked for the remainder of the weekend and Cup Series sponsor M&M's pulling their stickers off his car for the season's final two events. You can check out the Truck Series video here.

You can also see Kyle lose his cool in the fall Texas Cup race one year ago here. This is uncensored video from Showtime's "Inside Nascar" so there is a little bit of adult language. See if you think Kyle should be representing a brand like M&M's, which is so heavily geared towards children.

Kurt on the other hand did most of dirty work when the cameras were off. After the fall Richmond race, Busch cursed out a reporter on pit road and tore up another reporter's transcript in the media center after denying he said something written on that paper.

But the real trouble for Kurt happened in the season's final event at Homestead. After falling out of the race early with transmission issues, Busch was approached by EPSN pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch to do an interview. After several minutes of waiting for the booth to throw it to Punch, Busch became restless and went into a profanity-laced tyraid. And kudos to Punch for walking away after being screamed at for doing his job. You can watch the video here, but Busch does use some very adult language. Viewer discretion is advised.

And caught in the middle of all of this are the sponsors. Kurt's sponsor Shell-Pennzoil and Kyle's sponsor M&M's both released statement's after their driver's respective incidents, saying they have expressed their concerns to team officials and that their driver's actions do not reflect the values of their companies. That's where they're wrong.

When a sponsor signs up to back a driver, that driver represents them. No matter how big of a jerk the driver makes of himself, they are linked with the company that sponsors them. Both Shell-Pennzoil and M&M's have been in Nascar for more than a decade and now both are put in a position of defending their brands as the drivers that represent them continue to make poor choices on and off the track.

So, do these two drivers have a place in the Sprint Cup Series? They do now, but in all seriousness, they shouldn't be allowed to set foot in a Nascar garage.

The choices that they make prove time and time again that they belong in anger management and not in a racecar. They continue to disrespect their fellow drivers, Nascar officials, their sponsors and the fans. It's gotten to the point where fans turn to their radio channels purely for entertainment and they are endangering lives on the track.

There is a place for tempers in this sport, just like in any other, because every driver is passionate about what they do. Drivers like Bobby and Donnie Allison, Dale Earnhardt and A.J. Foyt all drove with passion. Today, guys like Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick drive with passion. The Busch's on the other hand just drive angry. They need to be taught a lesson before someone gets hurt.

The saddest part is that both Kurt and Kyle occupy fully-funded, competitive rides that they don't deserve, while guys like David Reutimann and David Ragan sit on the sideline without a job for next year. Both Ragan and Reutimann are amazing wheelmen and great people who would represent any sponsor with pride and dignity, two qualities which the Busch's don't possess. These two have raced all their lives and are looking for jobs, while the Busch brothers can get away with murder and still have fully-sponsored rides for the next few years.

Unfortunately, it looks as though both Kyle and Kurt are here for the foreseeable future. So they better grow up and they'd better do it pretty damn quickly. Every time they throw a tantrum like a 5-year-old screaming for an expensive toy in a department store, it gives the sport a black eye.

No figure in our sport was more polarizing than the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt, but even the man they called "The Intimidatior" discovered humility at some point. If he could do it, the brothers Busch should be able to as well. The Nascar Sprint Cup Series bills itself, and rightfully so, as racing's elite. These are the forty-three best racecar drivers in the world and every one of them knows how lucky they are to be a part of this series. Well, almost all of them.

Kurt and Kyle have until February to do some serious growing up before Speedweeks 2012 kicks off in Daytona. Hopefully then we will be able to focus solely on their driving ability rather than their latest temper tantrum.

Tony Stewart Wins Epic Championship Battle, Fans Witness Pure Greatness

After three weeks of smack talk, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards took their championship battle to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season's final race. A mere three points separated the two leaders and there was only one scenario that would ensure either of them the title: Win the race.

Easy enough right? Stewart won Homestead back in 1999 and Edwards had won the past two events at the South Florida speedway.

The two contenders would go head to head all night long, swapping the lead back and forth. But it was clear the driver known simply as "Smoke" had the superior car and, in the end, he was out front when it mattered and was able to net his second Homestead win and his third Cup Series title.

All week long (well really since Martinsville) Stewart and Edwards traded barbs, trying to psych each other out. Stewart later compared it to "picking on a kid" because Edwards was "too nice to fight back." Before the green flag, Stewart said he wanted to get (crew chief) Darian Grubb and (team co-owner) Gene Haas their first championships and "call me greedy but, the Hell with it, I want three of 'em!"

There could not have been two more opposite drivers than Edwards and Stewart to go after the title. In addition to being a great driver, Edwards is a gregarious pitchman and has been accused by some as being "phony" because of his PR skills. Stewart is much simpler. What you see is what you get. He's real, he refuses to put on a fake face for the media and he only races to win.

The race went green most of the way, aside from a wreck on the backstretch and an hour long rain delay at halfway, but it was not without stress for Stewart's No. 14 team.

When Kurt Busch blew his transmission out early in the race, a piece when through Stewart's grille and somehow didn't go through the radiator. Smoke brought his Chevy to pit road and his crew quickly went about the repairs. They also were forced to put tape on his left-front fender after he made contact with the rear of David Reutimann's car on the next restart.

Stewart continue to scoff at Edwards on his radio, saying the No. 99 crew was "going to feel like sh*t after we kick their asses after this." While this may sound arrogant to some, Stewart said following the race "It's not cocky if you can back it up." And that is exactly what he did.

The No. 14 team also had two late pit stops in a row go wrong, the crew had lug nut trouble both times, which caused Stewart to lose a bunch of positions. Grubb also tried to work a controversial strategy where Smoke had to save fuel to make it on one less stop than Edwards' No. 99. Had a late race rain shower not come right after Stewart pitted, they would have most likely not won the championship.

But it wasn't the adversity or the pit strategy that made this race as spectacular as it was (although it didn't hurt). It was Tony Stewart's grit and determination that stole the show.

All totaled, Stewart passed 118 cars in the Ford 400 Sunday night. Every time he was put back in the pack, he raced his way back to the front. He knew how strong Edwards' Ford was and he knew the only way to score his third title was to win the race.

On every restart, Smoke made it two, sometimes three, wide into turn one. He wasted no time in making up every position he could. At one point, he even went four-wide down the frontstrech, passing two cars before they even got to turn one. This proves that Stewart not only had a superior car to Edwards, but that he also wanted it more than Edwards did.

Stewart did what he'd set out to do and won the race and, for the first time in Nascar history, the championship was decided by a tiebreaker. Stewart won five races while Edwards won one. So Tony Stewart is your 2011 Sprint Cup Series champion. He is the first driver to win the final race and the title since 1988 and the first owner-driver to win the title since Alan Kulwiki in 1992. He's also the only driver to win a Winston Cup, a Nextel Cup and a Sprint Cup.

This championship was made all the more special by the fact that Stewart was driving the No. 14 made famous by his childhood hero, the great A.J. Foyt.

The fans saw one helluva show Sunday night. They also saw some of, if not, the best racing of the season. The race Sunday was the kind of event that creates new fans and gets them hooked like the longtime ones. The moves Stewart made on the track, the determination in his voice on the radio, the pep in his step all through the weekend, just prove what everyone who watches Nascar, every week or casually, already knows: Tony Stewart is one of the best to ever wheel a racecar, in any series.

Yes Edwards is a great "driver," but Stewart is a great "racer." Edwards is great with the marketing and media frills that come with driving nowadays, but Smoke only drives to win races. All the media relations stuff is merely a chore. He has won races and championships in

everything he has ever driven (Nascar, IndyCar and USAC Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crowns) and this year won half of the Chase races. Not even Jimmie Johnson has done that. For the first time in five years, a racecar driver won the championship.

There are only 92 days until the 2012 Daytona 500 kicks off the next exciting season of Nascar racing. After all the close racing an surprise winners we've seen this year it's going to be tough to close the door on it. The Chase and the new point system have definitely done what they were supposed to do. How next year can top this one is beyond me, but if it's anything like what we saw in 2011, it's going to be a great ride.

M&M's Gives Busch One Last Shot, Z-Line's Another Story

After a week of speculation and rumors, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Kyle Busch will run the final two races of the 2011 season at Phoenix and Homestead. The only stipulation-M&M's will not be on the car for either race.

Instead, the 26-year-old Las Vegas native will pilot a white and green Camry backed by longtime JGR partner Interstate Batteries.

After being parked by Nascar for the Nationwide and Cup races in Texas, it was speculated that Busch's days with JGR might be numbered. The "new Kyle Busch" that the media claims we've seen this season was apparently all thanks to M&M's and their parent company Mars. And after his boneheaded truck race road rage in Texas, it appeared that all the effort they put into reforming his image was going to go to waste.

With an owner like Joe Gibbs, who is a devout Christian and was strict as could be on his players when he coached the Washington Redskins, he has been extremely lenient when it has come to Kyle and his attitude. That may just be coming back to bite him. Big time.

In a statement released by M&M-Mars after the incident, they said that Kyle's actions aren't "consistent with the values of M&M's and we're very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard and we have expressed our concern directly to Joe Gibbs Racing."

Well, M&M's put out another statement Thursday night, saying that Busch's actions "don't reflect the values of Mars" but that they would return to the hood of the No. 18 Toyota next season. They apparently feel Busch has shown with his recent statement's (you can read his letter of apology here and judge for yourselves) he has shown remorse and a desire to reverse his image.

That's all well and good, but on the Nationwide side of things, it's a different story. Sponsor Z-Line Designs has personally asked JGR to replace Busch in the final race at Homestead (Joey Logano has the reigns this weekend). Who knows what this could mean for Busch's Nationwide career for next season? He announced that his Kyle Busch Motorsports team will run a fully-funded entry full-time next season. Suppose that sponsor has second thoughts after seeing his recent tantrum and ensuing sponsor issues. What would Busch do then?

Busch is definitely on final notice with M&M's. There is no way a conservative, family-oriented brand like them would hang around with Busch if things don't change after their contract ends in 2012. They may just give Gibbs an ultimatum. "It's him or us." And in this economy, with sponsors of M&M's caliber few and far between, Gibbs would undoubtedly drop Busch like a bag of dirt. Yes he's an unbelievable talent, there is no disputing that, but there is a lot more that goes into hanging onto sponsors than just winning.

Perhaps the recently fired David Reutimann, a guy who is a great spokesman, an even better racecar driver and like-minded in faith with Gibbs could take over the ride. He's a real guy who's raced his whole life, he has a great sense of humor and he's great with the fans. After five years of Kyle Busch and his on-track antics, Reutimann would be a refreshing change of pace for both Mars and JGR and he would represent both brands professionally and win some races for them too.

Supposedly, Busch's departure from Hendrick Motorsports after the 2007 season came at the request of then-sponsor Kellogg's after the same problems with bad publicity. M&M's has stood behind Busch in the past, but there is a limit to what any sponsor should be expected to endure. If M&M's does have a clause in their contract that allows them to leave due to bad press (as most sponsors do), Busch may be in serious trouble.

It's going to be very interesting to see if Kyle does really change and to see what, if anything, will happen to his racing career in the coming season.

Stewart Wins AAA Texas 500, Cuts Deep Into Points Deficit

Tony Stewart said about midway through the regular season that his team wasn't a Chase caliber team. If they did make Nascar's playoff, they would just be taking up a space that a real title contender would need to win the Sprint Cup.

But in recent weeks, Smoke and his No. 14 team have proved that they will be Carl Edwards' worst nightmare with just races left in the season.

Stewart and his team won back to back races at Chicago and Loudon and they did it again this weekend, scoring the win at Texas after edging out Jimmie Johnson last week in Martinsville.

When the race went green, it appeared Greg Biffle would be the guy to beat, but once Stewart grabbed the lead, he never looked back.

The race was marked by several long green flag runs and only a few cautions for debris. One of the only cautions for an on track incident was when Brian Vickers continued his rampage from Martinsville and turned Geoff Bodine across Juan Montoya's nose, cutting down his tire and wrecking the front of Bodine's car.

Joey Logano also blew a motor near the end of the race, capping off a disappointing weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing. With Kyle Busch being parked, Michael McDowell was not running up to par with the No. 18 Toyota, finishing 33rd three laps down and neither Denny Hamlin or Logano running well, JGR has some definite work to do.

Jeff Burton stayed out late and tried to stretch his CAT Chevy's fuel mileage to net his first win of the year, but it wasn't meant to be as he ran out with just a few laps left.

This handed the lead back to Stewart and he was able to hold off Edwards and score his second win in a row and his fourth win of the year, and in the Chase. And because these two finished first and second Sunday, it leaves Stewart just three points behind Edwards with only two races left.

With next week being the first race at the newly reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway, nobody knows what to expect. Like Talladega and Martinville, this race is definitely going to be a wildcard. And with the points battle a close, two man race, the race and the championship are anybodies for the taking.

Kyle Busch Parked for Weekend in Texas After Truck Race Stunt

The Camping World Truck Series prides itself on having tough trucks and even tougher racing. That is the case most of the time, as the drivers take advantage of the new "Boys have at it" mentality just about every week.

But Friday night in the Texas truck race, there was an early incident that was anything but good, hard racing.

Kyle Busch raced Ron Hornaday side by side for second place. No harm, no foul. But when the two came up on a lapped truck, Hornaday was forced to move up the track to avoid contact. Busch had Hornaday pinched down so low that when he moved up, Busch's truck took the air off the back of Hornady's. This caused Hornaday to get loose and both drivers to make contact with the wall. This was merely a racing incident that happens almost every week.

The caution came out and both trucks drove away. But they didn't make it to the next corner without things getting crazy.

Busch drove straight into the back of Hornaday's No. 33 truck and when he couldn't spin him that way, decided to hook him in the right rear and turn him into the outside wall. Both trucks were rendered irreparable and Busch was parked by Nascar for the balance of the event and told to meet with them after the race and again on Saturday morning. You can watch the whole incident here and judge for yourselves.

That is when they dropped the bomb. After reviewing everything that went on Friday night and Busch's on-track history, Nascar decided to park him for the remainder of the weekend. This means that Denny Hamlin drove his Nationwide car, Michael McDowell will pilot his M&M's Camry on Sunday and he will not get one, single championship point.

Bravo Nascar!

People criticize the sanctioning body no matter what they do (myself included), but they definitely made the right call here.

This was not "Boys have at it." This was a blatant attempt to wreck a driver under caution. And despite the fact this was under yellow, both trucks were still pushing 150 mph. If there hadn't been a safer barrier, who knows what would've happened to Hornaday.

Nascar can now set a precedent going forward that if you use your car as a weapon, you will be parked. There is no excuse for turning your racecar into a 3,400 lb missile, I don't care how mad you get. At a place like Texas where speeds can top 190 mph, people can and will get hurt if they get turned into the wall like that.

There is also talk in the garage that Kyle's stay on the couch may last until the end of the season. That may be a little extreme, but Busch would definitely have earned it. Even just parking him for the weekend in Texas drove the message home that Nascar is not playing around. Kyle has been doing this for the past few years (Darlington this past spring is the first race that comes to mind) and this is the only thing that will get through to him, or any driver for that matter. Monetary fines are like pocket change for these guys and points don't mean anything to them either.

Mike Helton said it best in Nascar's press conference that this incident just showed Kyle's overreaction to a racing incident. Hornaday was in the thick of the title hunt and now he is mathematically eliminated from netting his fifth championship. All because an angry Cup driver decided his Truck Series playtime wasn't going his way and lost his temper.

Hopefully this will teach Busch a lesson, humble him a bit and he will finally act like a mature adult on the track. Bill France (Sr and Jr) would agree that he needs this sport a whole lot more than it needs him.

Martin Joins MWR, Reutimann Gets the Shaft

It was announced Tuesday that David Reutimann might not return to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012, despite having a contract that ran through 2013. His sponsors were also signed through 2012 as well. He has won a race in each of the last two seasons, the only two victories MWR owns, and has also contended for the Chase the last two years. Not too shabby.

But apparently this was not enough for Reutimann to keep his ride because MWR confirmed in a press conference Saturday that Mark Martin will run 25 races in the No. 00 car Reutimann called his since his rookie year in 2007. Team co-owner Michael Waltrip will also return to driving, running both race at Talladega, the race at Kentucky and Daytona's July event. All 30 of these races will be backed by the team's current sponsor, Aaron's. A driver and sponsor to run the final six races in the car will be named later.

So apparently, winning races and contending for the Chase don't mean much when you're mired in one bad season.

This has not been the season MWR had hoped for after such strong runs last season. Reutimann has a best finish of second at Kentucky (which could've been a win if he had one more lap) and Martin Truex, Jr's best finish is second at Bristol. Both driver's have been close to wins, but neither has had the luck or equipment reliable enough to break back into victory lane.

Reutimann will finish the season in the No. 00, the number his family has run since they began racing and that his 70-year-old father Emil "Buzzie" Reutimann wins dirt races in today, and try to get one more win to help his cause and land a ride next year. But unfortunately, not a whole lot is open right now.

The most disgusting part of this is how Waltrip went about it. Aaron's does have a clause in their contract that stipulates Reutimann must finish in the top 25 in points to keep the ride, so when he fell to 28th recently, they began to shop around.

Waltrip said he left the decision to can David up to Aaron's CEO Ken Butler, who said at the announcement he was looking for "the next big deal." At no point did Waltrip mention sticking up for the driver who had stuck by him and his team through their disastrous first season together in 2007. He never said he fought for David to keep his ride. He only said that Butler "picked a future Hall of Famer to drive the Aaron's Dream Machine."

The deal was apparently signed on Wedneday of this week, after just three weeks of discussion. Both Aaron's and Waltrip also knew damn well there wasn't a competitive ride available in the garage for Reutimann to move to.

Waltrip didn't even have the stones to tell Reutimann in person. He called David Tuesday night to tell him the news, while he was out at the SEMA show in California promoting Toyota and MWR. Despicable is the only word that comes to mind to describe the way these events went down. And even that doesn't do it justice.

When asked about his thoughts in Texas on Friday, Reutimann said "I'm just disappointed. Overall, just disappointed, bummed out... to put it mildly. But it happened and it is what it is." He went on to say that "It's been an awful season for us for sure. We haven't run up to our expectations or our standards. But I thought we would have a chance to make up for it."

Reutimann also acknowledged the fact that their isn't much out there and "if there were to be something out there, it's going to involve you doing the same thing that just got done to me.I'm not exactly up for that either."

When asked if he needs to start looking out for No. 1, Reutimann laughed and replied "People looking out for No. 1 is what got me in this situation. So, yeah, that's a mentality. I'm no angel, but I'm just struggling a little bit with that."

But despite some bleak prospects, David is keeping his hopes up. "I still want it as bad as anybody in the garage Just because I don;t get out of the car after a bad race and yell at my crew and throw my helmet and stuff like that, just because you guys can't visibly see how bad I want it, it doesn't mean I don't. I want it worse than anybody whose ever set foot in the garage area. I still do."

He went on to say that "I can still win races and I can still get the job done. Let's not forget that last year we were able to win and actually had a shot at making it into the Chase.That's only been a year ago. I can still do that if I get in the right situation. It's just unfortunate that things worked out like they did."

The MWR driver also said that his quiet personality may work against him and not allow car owners and sponsors to see what he's "all about." "But in the end, I still want to do this awfully bad, and I still feel like I can contribute in the right situation."

While Waltrip told him that this was strictly a business move, Reutimann told the press that "It's only business if it doesn't happen to you. It's hard for me not to take it personal." So I'm sure that MWR, Aaron's and NAPA will understand that it won't be personal when angry Reutimann fans take their business elsewhere. It'll just be business.

But in the end, Reutimann must face a very cold, very harsh reality. "In the end, Michael Waltrip gave me an opportunity to go Cup racing when no one else would and I appreciate that. And Aaron's as well. But that ship has sailed and I've got to figure out something to do now."

The sport of Nascar racing has become very sponsor driven since the economic downturn. A quiet, low key wheelman like Reutimann, who has raced cars his entire life, is more likely to be looking for a job than a driver who is better suited to be the next Billy Mays than a racecar driver. As unfair as that is, that is the reality that these teams face.

But this situation could have been handled so much differently. Waltrip could have given his driver a clue before there were three races left in the year and given him permission to seek other opportunities, but he and Aaron's chose to wait and yank his ride out from under him at the last minute and tell him about it over the phone. Reutimann is a class act and has been nothing but loyal to MWR deserved so much better than what he got. No one deserves that kind of treatment.

Those quotes Reutimann gave to the media Friday afternoon were of a driver who can only do one thing really well: race. He and his father have been racing dirt cars for most of his life. He still spends his spare time working on his dad's dirt cars in his shop. He is a racer, and a damn good one at that. He may be quiet, but he would be an asset to any team that signs him.

This weekend, Reutimann qualified sixth. His teammate Truex qualified 19th and his replacement qualified 30th. Texas has always been a favorite of Reutimann and he seems to still have a handle on it. He's fast, he's hungry and he has a chip on his shoulder the size of the "Lone Star State." What better way to audition and tell his old team where to stick it than to score the win Sunday afternoon?

Reut will definitely be a driver to watch these next three weeks. With nothing to lose, he'll be driving like he's never driven before.

Best of luck for next season David! There is a much better opportunity out there for you somewhere.

Reutimann Out, Martin In at MWR? Say It Ain't So Beak!

With the Christmas season fast approaching, anyone looking for some last minute gift ideas for team owner Michael Waltrip might consider a Webster's Dictionary. This might seem like a random, trivial suggestion, but Waltrip could definitely make good use of it because he seems to have forgotten the meaning of a few words.

Loyalty, respect and class are just a few terms that Mr. Waltrip needs to re-learn the definitions of.

With just three races left in the 2011 season, rumors began to swirl today that Michael Waltrip Racing has replaced David Reutimann in the No. 00 team with Mark Martin. It is also anticipated that owner Michael Waltrip will drive Reutimann's old ride in the restrictor plate races next year. Reutimann, who has been with MWR since the teams disastrous first season in 2007 and is at the SEMA show for Toyota this week, was asked if he had any response to these rumors. He had just three words: "Talk to Michael."

This isn't the first time a team hasn't honored the final year of a drivers contract and it for sure won't be the last. But with three races left in the season, to tell one of you're drivers in, what Reutimann called, a "brief conversation", that they will need to look for a new job next year, when most everyone else has firmed up their plans, is a completely classless move on MWR's part.

Sources said that MWR will move any sponsorship not devoted to Martin over to fill out the rest of the races on Clint Bowyer's No. 15 team. They also said that there was a clause in sponsor Aaron's contract with MWR which stipulated Reut must finish in the top 25 in points. Even if there was a clause like that, all drivers have an off-season every now and then. Nothing bad that has happened to Reutimann this year has been his fault. It has either been a part failure or someone else's mistake that have taken him out of the good finishes he deserves. If a team can't give a driver what he needs to win, that is in no way the driver's fault.

Reutimann scored the first victory for MWR in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600, albeit a rain shortened race. He also came within a few races of making the Chase for the Cup. He also outshined and outperformed team owner and then driver of the No. 55 NAPA car, Waltrip, every single week.

Last season, MWR signed Martin Truex, Jr. The team expected this to lift performance and propel them into the Chase. But once again, Truex was mired in mediocrity and Reutimann scored an epic win at Chicagoland Speedway, beating Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards. Reutimann has shown, through good times and bad, he deserves to be a driver in the Sprint Cup Series.

At this point, it remains to be seen if Reutimann will even finish out the season for the team that gave him his break. But if he does, he will show up, do the best he can for his team, give 110% and honor his commitment to MWR, even if they won't return the favor.

This is a classless move on MWR's part. There is no other way to say it. For them to dump the only driver to ever get their team to victory lane, in favor of a 52-year-old who has become known as Nascar's Brett Favre, retiring more times than anyone can count, and the money hungry owner/driver who hasn't decided to hang it up yet either and has won just four races in his 25 year career? It's just a slap in the face to a driver who has poured his heart and soul into this team and showed them nothing but loyalty since the beginning. It is obvious that Michael Waltrip cares more about money than the feelings of his employees.

Waltrip has gone on all season about how grateful he was that Dale Earnhardt gave him a ride in 2001 so he could finally contend for wins. Likewise, Reutimann was grateful that Michael brought him up to Cup so he could compete at Nascar's top level. Had Dale survived his fatal wreck in the Daytona 500 ten years ago, you can bet he would never have treated Michael the way he treated Reutimann.

Not only is Reutimann a great driver, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer one in the garage area. Having met him twice at the track in Dover, Deleware, I can say without question, he is truly one of racing's good guys and he cares about his fans. He took the time to sign for, talk to, take pictures and shake hands with every single one of them in Dover this fall.

Hopefully, Reutimann will land on his feet and get with a team that appreciates his ability as a driver and a fan friendly personality. Richard Petty Motorsports, Penske Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing are all competitive teams that have room to add another team following this season. But with the current economic climate, sponsorship will be a key issue for the Zephyrhills, Florida native known to family and friends simply as "Beak."

Reutimann has proved with his two wins that good things can happen to great people in this world. Hopefully he lands on his feet and gets a ride that can match his ability as a driver so he can show MWR why they should have honored the final year of his contract.

Good luck Reutimann! Wherever you land, give 'em Hell in 2012!