KANSAS CITY, Kan. â€" Imagine this: A Lexus dealership hands you the keys to a brand new $450,000 Lexus LFA, a sports car capable of topping 200 miles per hour. You can drive it on loan, give her a good test run just to see how she feels.
Then imagine that you are equipped with the skills of a NASCAR driver, and that your whole existence is defined by a need for speed that can sometimes be unquenchable.
It is often said that people love NASCAR drivers because they're 'Bubbas,' folks who grew up just like us but are now getting to live out our fantasies every weekend. So was it truly any surprise that when 26-year-old Kyle Busch was thrust into the driver's seat of that Lexus last week in Charlotte, he was pulled over by a police officer soon after for driving 128 mph in a 45 mph zone?
With Busch's speeding citation occurring in broad daylight on a street packed with average DMV-sanctioned drivers, one of NASCAR drivers' private battles became instantly public: How do they turn off the switch when they leave the racetrack?
Busch, who will man the No. 18 Toyota on Sunday at the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway, has apologized for his carelessness. His lapse in judgment has touched off a fresh dialogue among drivers about what should be expected of them when they're behind the wheel on highways and boulevards.
To Ryan Newman, who drives the No. 39 Chevrolet, it should not be hard to follow the rules of the road.
"Not if you are a professional," Newman said. "That's what we do. It's like a hockey player. Is it hard for them to not go fight someone in the grocery line? You know what I mean? If you're a professional, it's not an issue."
But to Carl Edwards, who has driven the No. 99 Ford to the top spot in the current Sprint Cup points standings, it is not that simple.
"Are you kidding?" Edwards said. "I am not going to incriminate myself, but we are all here at a racetrack and we all like to drive. … I cannot sit back and judge someone else for driving fast on the road. It is something that is hard not to do."
Eventually, Edwards incriminates himself. Speeding tickets?
"I have had plenty," he said.
Busch has a July court date in North Carolina that will determine whether his driver's license will be suspended. Either way, that result will have little effect on what he does in that No. 18 car each weekend, because NASCAR does not require its drivers to have a valid driver's license. So Busch will continue to do what he's always done at the track: Obsess over speed.
"To me," Busch said, "being able to get out there on the racetrack, put a helmet on, that's when everything else is forgotten about. You're just worried about one thing and that's trying to go fast, trying to figure out why your car isn't going fast if it's not or how do you keep it going fast."
The majority of NASCAR drivers acknowledge that they speed on the road, and it's hard to blame them for it. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant don't have to play Friday morning pickup games at the local gym, and CC Sabathia and Josh Beckett don't have to toss slow pitch at the area Wednesday night softball league.
Drivers have no choice but to share the roads, and they're going to get their kicks here and there. It just has to be within reason.
"The fastest I've gotten stopped is maybe 85 or 90, something like that," said Greg Biffle, who drives the No. 16 Ford. "I will always make sure I take advantage of the nine miles an hour over the speed limit, but, beyond that, you have to be careful how fast you go."
Brad Keselowski, who drives the No. 2 Dodge, said the fastest speeding ticket he's gotten was 8 mph over the limit.
"It's so much different, the feel I have when I'm in a real race car of being strapped in, secure, safe, knowing what's coming and knowing we're all heading the same direction," Keselowski said. "It's a completely different feel, so there's no real comparison to that and being on the street."
Jimmie Johnson, who has won five straight Sprint Cup championships driving the No. 48 Chevy, tries to take joy in small victories when away from the track.
"For me, it's about passing someone," Johnson said. "As long as I'm going by someone, if they are doing 35 and I'm doing 37, I seem to be pretty content there and haven't had many issues with the law."
To Johnson and many other drivers, the key to staying in line is not tempting themselves with a high-performance vehicle like the one Busch drove last week.
"I have a collection of old cars that I cruise around in because I've always felt if I have an exotic sports car I would be doing stupid things, and I don't need to do that," Johnson said. "I drove my '49 Chevy Stepside pickup (last week), and I don't think I broke 65, just kind of cruising with the windows down and enjoying the ride."
Edwards, Keselowski and Newman each drive trucks when they're at home.
"I have a pickup truck, because I've always felt like real guys drive pickup trucks," Keselowski said. "But I do have a Challenger, too, and I drive both."
Denny Hamlin, one of Busch's teammates who drives the No. 11 Toyota, drives a Lexus 460L, a four-door sedan.
"Made for kids and groceries," Hamlin said.
Taking all of this into account, it's possible that Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevy, has the best method for avoiding problems on the road: Just don't drive at all.
"If I'm in the car with somebody else, very rarely do I drive when I'm at home," Harvick said. "I can flip the switch off instantly. I guess I get my fix while I am here."
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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