NASCAR Is Mournful Over Kyle Busch Death Not Just Because of the Loss of a Man, but Because of the Loss of an Era of Sound
Kyle Busch, the champion who tragically passed away at the young age of 41, is mourned by everyone in the NASCAR world because of his accomplishments as well as contribution to the history of the sport.
Nevertheless, in closed circles on Thursday, there was a totally different mood of grief associated with the death of Kyle Busch compared to any other tragic event related to professional sport.
What NASCAR suffers from is not just the death of one of its racers.
NASCAR loses an era of sound in this case. For decades, Kyle Busch served as an outlet of emotions in NASCAR. Whatever it was about, adoration or even hatred towards him always led to a massive explosion of emotion not usually displayed by modern sportsmen.
Now, however, the moment is gone.
Official information about the passing of Kyle Busch was released by NASCAR on Thursday. A couple of days earlier, the Busch family informed about the hospitalization of their member due to a serious disease.
NASCAR’s Villain, Hero, and Protagonist All Rolled into One
In any sport, there will come a time when polarizing characters emerge.
Very few create characters who, by themselves, become part of what makes their sport great.
Busch was one of those characters a long time ago.
Courtesy of James Marvin Phelps (Flickr CC0)Throughout his career, he has been,
- the villain everyone booed on reflex,
- the hero young racers idolized as the standard to which to be compared,
- the narrative on which every network depended,
- and the racer everyone quietly rooted for as he brought excitement to the races.
This duality made it difficult to categorize him.
Busch wasn’t simply “popular.”
Rather, Busch became an indispensable part of the spectacle that is sports entertainment today.
Fans of NASCAR Had Never Been Quiet Around Him
One of the most curious things to debate online is how the atmosphere at NASCAR races going forward will be.
Due to the fact that Busch was successful in shifting the emotional mood of NASCAR around.
- People would have their reactions due to his presence.
- Introductions would take place differently due to him.
- Radio interviews would go viral due to him.
- Post-race interviews were filled with drama due to him.
He would always cause silence where none was needed.
Sports leagues spend millions and millions of dollars trying to achieve the same level of emotional investment that is easy for Busch to create.
All the while it mattered immensely as NASCAR was fighting to maintain its relevance in the changing culture.
His Success Arrived Right As NASCAR Had Its “Identity Crisis”
The arrival of Busch at his peak could not have come at a more ideal time for NASCAR.
NASCAR was facing:
- lower TV viewer numbers,
- new sponsorship deals,
- changes in their fan demographics,
- upheaval via social media,
- and an increased need for a rebranding.
While all of these were going on, there were not very many drivers around who could create some emotional attachment other than winning on the racetrack.
There were those who wanted to watch him beat everyone else.
Then there were those who would rather him crash into a wall at 200mph.
Both got people watching.
Courtesy of Ken Lane (Flickr CC0)With the power of the social media age, emotional responses mean a lot.
And Busch figured that out years before many others.
Differences between a Constructed Personality and Genuine Emotions
Modern sports media favors those athletes who are composed, media savvy, and manufactured.
That was never the way that Busch usually was.His rage following defeat came off as spontaneous. It was genuine emotion. At times, it was bordering on arrogance.
But this type of rawness, even if rough, ended up being part of the reasons why he maintained an emotional connection with his fans.
Audiences get sick of fake performances.
Busch wasn’t normally a performer.
He was polarizing but also fascinating because of it.
NASCAR Finds Themselves in a Strange Emotional Vacuum
While NASCAR’s future could be challenging with regard to acknowledging the accomplishments of Busch, they will find themselves having to cope with the emotional vacuum left after the absence of an individual who had embodied the emotions of the whole event over the course of almost two decades.
As the effect of Busch and other athletes on sports ecosystems differs from that of numerical records,
in that they inspire:
- rivalries,
- spectator psychology,
- commentary mood,
- online forum culture,
- and the perception of the race by casual fans.
Fans Grieve Over More Than Just Victories
Busch’s numbers are going to live on forever.
With 234 wins and multiple championships to his name, he certainly deserves recognition as one of the best drivers who ever raced in NASCAR.
But the kind of reaction which was trending on social media on Thursday had much more of an emotional than a quantitative nature:
- radio rants
- disappointing finishes
- rough passes
- fan reactions
- long-standing rivalries
- and genuine-sounding interviews
All this gave rise to an emotional connection between Busch and his fans – even if this connection happened to be born out of rivalry.
In terms of contemporary sports, emotion beats perfection any day.
Yet Another Reason Why This Loss Hurts So Much
The reason this loss affects the realm of motorsports so deeply is because of another factor:
There was no transition period involved.
No farewell tour.
No final race.
Nothing gradual.
Bush wasn’t at the end of his career.
He was in the prime of it.
Just last week, he was being talked about by his fans.
It matters psychologically.
Fans like to see their sports heroes become legends.
But this happened instantly.
NASCAR Sounds Backwards Without Kyle Busch
For a long time, Kyle Busch was the electricity that lay behind the scenes of the sport.
Often times, even those people who loathed him knew that he brought out feelings from within us.
Now that he is gone, NASCAR will feel that something which people can never put into words is lost forever.
It’s less electric.
It’s less exciting.
It’s less volatile.
And, ironically enough, it might be the hardest one for NASCAR to handle:
it will be silence.
By David Loran Jr
A successful Editor-in-Chief, journalist for over 6 years, writing about important topics that are going on within the U.S. and beyond.
Sources:
NBC News: Legendary NASCAR driver Kyle Busch dies at 41
NASCAR: Kyle Busch, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, dies at age 41
WBTV3: 2-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dead at 41
Featured Image Courtesy of Zach Catanzareti Photo’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image #1 Courtesy of Ken Lane‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image #2 Courtesy of James Marvin Phelps’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
