Question: If you were either Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards, how would you have played things up and your take on the rivalry?
Darrell Waltrip: Kyle has sort of been really, really aggressive and he’s shoved a lot of people around and irritated a lot of people and that all catches up with you as the season runs down. People to start to keep score, and people start to say, “What about this? What about that? What about that?’ And so, if you have been doing that kind of stuff, it really starts to mushroom as the season starts to wind down and people get a little less tolerate of all of that and you get a little more irritated with that, so he’s kind of setting himself for somebody to start taking advantage of him. He’s a typical driver. I think back to Richmond when Little Wallace (Steve Wallace) ran into him late in the race and (Kyle) went and got up in his face. That’s when you said “You mess with the bull, you get the horns.’ Well, that works both ways. There are other bulls in the garage. Carl’s one of them.
I think Carl, he’s in the catbird seat. Carl Edwards, he’s a sincere guy. Carl’s got an attitude too, he just disguises it a lot better than Kyle does. I’d be doing exactly what Carl is doing. Carl said don’t get me wrong, I’m not apologizing for it. I think that sets a strong message, and the problem is you have somebody that is 23-year-old and is full of himself and having the kind of the year he’s having, like Kyle is, it’s hard to get a message to him. About the only way you can do it is on the race track. You’re not going to do it off the race track. So, I think the fact that Carl said, look you mess with me, you’re going to be sorry.’’
Question: Kyle said Friday at California that there’s no rivalry with Edwards and that he considers him Edwards his best friend in a joking way.
Darrell Waltrip: (Chuckles). What you have, Carl is an intelligent guy. Carl is probably as smart a race car driver as there is out there, as far as his intelligence. Kyle, he just has this incredible amount of natural ability. If they can shoot barbs at each other and make fun of each other and harass each other and not let it affect them on the race track, that’s the best of both worlds. Everybody wins with that. Fans win. You guys, all the media win. They go out and have a good time and kind of enjoy themselves.’’
Question: Do you enjoy watching what Kyle and Carl are doing?
Darrell Waltrip: Oh yeah. I don’t like the Chase. … Once you get into the final 10 races, it’s 10 more regular-season races with a new title. You take away big point leads. I felt sorry for Jeff Gordon last year. He had a 400-point lead, they pat him on the back and say good job and he ends up second in the Chase. I just can’t buy into that. So far, other than the very first year, it’s never been exciting. As long as you’re going to continue to do the same things in the Chase that you do in the regular season, all you’ve done is change the name from regular season to the Chase and given a lot of people that may or may not deserve a chance to win the championship (to win a title).’’
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