Sunday, December 18th 'What If' Question

It can't and never will be said that the brothers Busch, Kyle and Kurt, don't show enough emotion.

In fact, it's been their inability to not show emotion during certain situations that continually land them in hot water. Near the end of the 2011 season while fans and media were speculating whether Kyle would be keeping his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing following his actions in a Camping World Truck Series event in Texas, it was Kurt who became the big story. Just days after the season ending banquet in Las Vegas it was announced that Busch and Penske Racing had mutually agreed to go separate ways.

Busch would not be driving the No. 22 Shell Dodge any longer, leaving the organization that he joined in 2006. An organization that took him in after he left Roush under less than pleasant circumstances when he was arrested in late 2005 for suspicion of drunk driving and was cited for reckless driving. He won 16 races at Penske, contended for championships and helped put Dodge back at the top.

Now he's at the bottom, looking for a ride just a month before Speedweeks in Daytona. How Busch got to where he is can be because of a few different things that occurred in 2011. It was a far cry from where he's been the last few years when he was winning races in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge and being the leader of Penske. This year though, he was left in the background of teammate Brad Keselowski's success.

Busch was constantly upset with his team, then again in the heat of the moment during races all drivers vent, but Busch seemed to always be a little more wound up than others.

He didn't have the success that he thought he would, coming out of the gate in Daytona by winning the first two non-point events of the year. Except he didn't win a points paying race until Sonoma in late June and scored his second win in the Chase at Dover. However, he never seriously contended for the championship, finishing 11th in the final standings.

Then of course, came what some are calling the final straw: Busch's candid camera moment in Homestead. After finding himself in the garage after just eight laps when he blew his transmission Busch went on an expletive filled rant on ESPN pit road Jerry Punch, who was attempted to get a live interview with Busch about the incident.

The moment was caught on a cell phone camera, then uploaded to YouTube and soon linked to social media sites where everyone suddenly got ahold of it. It spread like wildfire and Busch was left to apologize after it became a big viral hit. Soon thereafter it was announced that his crew chief, Steve Addington, had left the team to head to Stewart-Haas Racing. Shortly followed by the announcement that Busch was leaving as well.

But ...

What if Brad Keselowski hadn't been put in Kurt Busch No. 2 car then won more races than Busch & contended for the championship, would Busch still have been as miserable as he was this year, lost his cool so many times and ultimately his job at Penske? #NASCAR

@nuccionino I don't think the change would of mattered. If he is that jealous of a teammate, he shouldn't be in NASCAR. Go drag race.

@ARosser14 Yes because he's been a petulant, miserable little man for years now. And it was really the 2 team, just in Shell colors.

@cruetten I don't think it would've happened to Busch this year, but he was a time bomb waiting to go off--would've happened eventually

@HD388 I'd say Kurt would of still lost his job no matter what car he was driving, guy is a powderkeg when things aren't going his way & Penske would of gotten tired of him running off good Crew Chiefs & engineers

@31SpazCat15 trying to figure out why he lost his mind....I am going with Family Trait!!

@JanisRothermel U could say what would have happened if the last three races did not have 22 Team errors (not driver) & a Dega fluke. No ifs

Dustin Parks (via Facebook) Honestly, I think Kurt cost himself his job. He put down the team, plus the car, and the manufacturer. If he wanted to make things better, he'd say what was wrong more than ridicule. Busch cost himself the job. Remember, he won the Bud Shootout and then the Duel race to start the season, so it was a great start with the 22 car. It was AFTERWARD where the ridicule began.

William Hildebrand (via Facebook) It's all about the driver, not the car/team. Joey Logano is an excellent example to my point.