Busch, Earnhardt Jr. Spar Again at MIS

A year removed from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last victory and a week removed from Kyle Busch's controversial guitar smash, the latter couldn't help but sway the conversation back to the driver who has become his primary off-track target.

And this time, Busch not only went after the commander of the No. 88 ship, but Earnhardt Jr.'s army of fans, too.

"I got no issues with Junior; it's his fans that are crazy," said Busch.

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That, folks, is how you get even further to the wrong side of NASCAR's largest fan base.

Busch was talking about the fan reaction to his attempt at rock stardom last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, and had previously said during his Friday interview time with the media at Michigan International Speedway that Earnhardt Jr. fans were the ones who were most against it.

"A lot of people enjoyed it," Busch said of his post-race antics. "A lot of people hated it. I guess those are the ones with 88s tattooed on their arms, or maybe still 8s."

Busch, of course, was referring to Earnhardt Jr.'s current and past car numbers.

Wild NASCAR Fans

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Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Ind.
When: 2005

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The jab was the second in three weeks aimed from Busch to Earnhardt Jr., but this time Earnhardt felt compelled to respond.

"I really don't see how that argument really is that relevant to anything and I don't even know really what kind of problem he has or what kind of solution he wants. I don't really get into it," said Earnhardt Jr. later in the afternoon.

"My fans will handle themselves. They're good people," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We've got a lot of great fans that follow this sport and they're very loyal to us and we need them more now than ever right now, so I think anyone who would be calling them out and stirring them up is causing problems not only for himself but everyone else in this sport."

While Busch certainly is just adding the driest of kindling to an inferno of fan spite thanks to his both his on-track winning percentage and his off-track decisions, I can't really see what he said impacting the sport negatively.

Instead, it's more likely to inject more support of Earnhardt Jr. from his fans and a few more boos come Sunday during driver introductions for driver No. 18.

But, come on, after attempting to smash a Gibson Les Paul trophy in victory lane, can Busch really fall any lower in the eyes of those who don't call him a favorite or wear the M&M's T-shirts?

All together now: That's just Kyle being Kyle.

And that's how it'll be, whether we like it or not.