SOZ on RTR - Kyle Busch the New Intimidator by Michelsen

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Kyle Busch the New Intimidator (Anatomy of a New Nickname)

2/22/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

Every decade a driver comes along that others in NASCAR hate to see in their rear view mirror! Some drivers are more concerned with getting to the front than with style. They might beat and bang with their fellow racers. Perhaps they will subscribe to the "Wreckers or Checkers" playbook. But one thing for sure… they aren't boring! Could Kyle Busch be this decade's intimidator?

Might Need a New Word

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of "Intimidator" fits for Kyle Busch! There is no doubt that he induces fear in some of his opponents. Need proof? Listen to the radio traffic on the scanner as he drives three-wide all by himself through the field! (Thank you DW, that visual of Kyle's style says it all!) But the word "Intimidator" in racing refers to the one and only Intimidator with a capital "I" Dale Earnhardt! Perhaps we need to switch to the Merriam-Webster thesaurus and find another word!

Just in Style

If Earnhardt Nation gets this far before emailing me in outrage I will be shocked! Folks I am not suggesting for one minute that Kyle Busch is the next Dale Earnhardt. There will never be another Intimidator; Dale was the last of a dying breed…the last rebel. Nor am I suggesting that Kyle Busch will be as popular as Dale Earnhardt. Dale's fan base is cult-like in their devotion to their hero. But when it comes to getting the attention of his fellow competitors Kyle Busch's driving style has a touch of the Intimidator's…circa 1980!

Editor's Note: Enjoy this tribute to Dale Earnhardt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JM-NlBqIyo

Hand Me That Thesaurus

In order to anoint Kyle Busch with a new nickname it is important to find just the right word that is synonymous with "Intimidator." Once this moniker has been chosen it will catch like wild fire surging through the NASCAR fan base so this is a task I do not take lightly! Would Dale Earnhardt have been as popular had he been called the bully? The term implies the same thing but has a negative connotation compared to the "Intimidator." No folks the "Intimidator" was a nickname that was worth at least twenty-five more wins, fame, and fortune for Mr. Earnhardt!

World has Changed

Do you ever wonder if the Intimidator would have been welcome in today's world? Back when he was coming into the sport being a rough and tough guy still appealed to the fans. Now if a driver leans on a competitor NASCAR seems to go nuts trying to settle him down. The fans blast him and the media isn't very kind either. It makes you wonder if some of our more colorful stars from the past could have dealt with some of the nonsense! With the increased salaries come more sponsor obligations and the ability to look like you come from the pages of GQ magazine. Oh how the world has changed!

Kyle's New Nickname

OK folks it is time to anoint Kyle Busch with his new nickname. Calling him "Rowdy" in the Craftsman Truck Series is cute and it works just fine but he needs something else to use in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. Let's bury the "Shrub" moniker once and for all! Does Kyle drive like a cute and gentle looking little shrub? I THINK NOT! Drum roll please as we unveil the newest nickname in NASCAR racing. Kyle "The Bulldozer" Busch is on the loose this weekend at California Speedway! I can hear MRN Radio legend Barney Hall now. "Coming out of turn four and heading to the checkered flag it's the winner of the Auto Club 500 Kyle "The Bulldozer" Busch." Doesn't that have a great ring to it?

Kyle will earn millions of dollars in additional t-shirt and cap sales when "The Bulldozer" nickname takes off. I can see it now…hundreds of fans screaming "Bulldoze Em' Kyle" as he heads on to the track! Perhaps we will even see a special M&M's Bulldozer paint scheme with "Green" driving the bulldozer by the time the Sprint All Star Challenge takes the track at Lowes Motor Speedway. This might be the most perfect nickname ever given to a NASCAR driver! Kyle doesn't drive his way to the front he bulldozes! Kyle might be the new intimidating driver in NASCAR and deserves to be called "The Bulldozer!" You can thank me later Kyle.

Will "The Bulldozer" win the Auto Club 500 this weekend at California Speedway? You can catch all the action on Fox Sports on Sunday but when they say goodbye say hello to RaceTalkRadio.com! Introducing our newest show…COUCH POTATO CORNER. We will look back at the weekend of racing including the LIVE media center interview with the race winner! Join Dennis Michelsen, Lori Munro, and some of your other favorites on RaceTalkRadio for COUCH POTATO CORNER!

Live media center coverage of the winner's press conference is brought to you by Rockingham Speedway, home of the Carolina 500 on May 4th! Get your tickets today at www.rockinghamracewaypark.com. Our thanks to NASCAR for granting us permission to use this audio every week to put the fans inside the media center! Media Center audio may not be reused without express written consent from NASCAR.

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