"Dominate by Kyle Busch" (no its not a perfume)

"DOMINATE"

dom·i·natev. dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing, dom·i·nates

v.tr.

1. To control, govern, or rule by superior authority or power: Successful leaders dominate events rather than react to them.

2. To exert a supreme, guiding influence on or over: Ambition dominated their lives.

3. To enjoy a commanding, controlling position in: a drug company that dominates the tranquilizer market.

4. To overlook from a height: a view from the cliffside chalet that dominates the valley.

v.intr.

1. To have or exert strong authority or mastery.

2. To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly superior to others.

3. Ref. Kyle Busch, Bristol Motor Speedway, August 2010.

Over the past eight Cup races there have been eight different winners... not a bad run.

The last three races have been on a road course, a mile-and-a-half speedway, and a half-mile short track, and each has produced some pretty good racing. Not necessarily really close finishes, but some good racing thru the field.

Kevin Harvick won in Michigan; a race full of 2 and 3 wide racing, with the smooth wide oval giving the drivers various grooves to choose from. While I am not the biggest D-shaped mile-and-a-half fan, I do enjoy watching the drivers go into a corner 2 wide, using the different grooves in the turns with one on the white line and the other an inch from the wall, and coming out of the turn side by side again.

It was good to see the 29 team prove they are capable of not only being consistent, but also of winning races. 

On the whole a good race!!

Then came Bristol... 

In the aftermath of the three-way Kyle Busch walkover, a lot of fans, commentators and journalists will be saying the same thing... say what you will about the mouth, attitude, opinions, choice of haircut blah, blah, blah... but he can drive!!

It is one thing to say you beat the whole Craftsman truck field in your own truck... another to say you beat all the young upstarts in the Nationwide series, and something else to say you dominated a Cup race at Bristol, but to do all three... over the same weekend... that’s something... and remember this is coming from a self confessed 18 non-fan (hater is too strong a word)!!

Other than the Kyle Busch show, Bristol also had some good racing. Once again the variable banking in the turns gave the drivers two good grooves to work with. The Nationwide race also showed, courtesy of the aforementioned Mr Busch, that the bump-and-run is still possible on the Bristol banking. Like it or not and like him or not but Busch had a point when he said “He does it to everybody else. Why can’t I do it to him?” of Brad Keselowski. You've also gotta love that Kyle just came out and said "I dumped him"!!

JJ's drive for 5 is not going as well as planned. He keeps putting himself in a position where he has to race harder than he would probably want, and gets himself in trouble. He should have given Montoya a bit more room, as in my opinion he was half a car width higher than the others drivers who were 2 wide behind him. Still a way to go though and JJ always seems to find extra pace once the chase starts, so don't write him off yet.

Off track, I am glad Marcos Ambrose has got a drive for 2011 with Richard Petty Motorsport; maybe not the greatest team on pit lane right now, but capable of being in the mix as Kasey Kahne has shown. 

On a different note, I was glad to see Keselowski win the second Nationwide "new car" race in a  Dodge Challenger... gives me a reason to include a picture of his pretty car!!

So an off week for the Cup teams and then 2 races before the Chase in Atlanta and Richmond, but for now the moment rightly belongs to Kyle Busch... the first driver to win all three national series races in the same weekend!!