by Lee Spencer

Updated: May 17, 2008, 6:17 PM EST 7 comments

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In the 2007 annual dash for the cash, the battle between the Busch brothers — Kurt and Kyle — erupted in a feud that continued until the family's Christmas dinner in December.

Kyle Busch, who won the pole on Friday night with a lap of 132.835 mph, described how last year's final segment unfolded.

"It was about three or four laps into the run and I got going down the back straightaway and Kurt was trying to pass Jeff Burton and they ran through three and four together side-by-side and they didn't come off the corner with a good run," Busch explained. "I got through there running by myself, got a great run off the corner and was able to make it down the front straightaway about five miles an hour faster than they were probably.

"I made an evasive move to Kurt's inside while he was just about to clear Jeff Burton. It was kind of a staggered three-wide and then he saw me coming and went low to block me and put me off in the grass a little bit. Then coming up the front straightaway, normally you go back out to the wall and you swing wide in order to get a good arc to get back to the corner. He never made that wide swing, he kind of held me low a little bit and when we touched doors, that took all side force off my car that I had down the straightaway and it just basically broke the whole car loose instantly. I spun out and took him with me and we both crashed."

Busch assumed some culpability for being overly aggressive in the event. He noted the quick fall-off rate of the tires made it a difficult pass and led to desperate measures. The situation was exacerbated by Kurt not giving him enough room getting through the corner, then blaming the No. 2 car's spotter for not sighting Burton.

"I guess he needs a better spotter," the younger Busch quipped.

Regardless of the reasons, both Busch boys' cars ended up on the hook that night and tempers flared. The evening was a culmination of sibling rivalry that began years earlier and ultimately ended the 22-year-old's tenure with Hendrick Motorsports. Certainly, Kyle's disappearing act at Texas didn't raise his stock with Rick Hendrick, but his lack of maturity exhibited during his All-Star rant sealed his fate.

And as fate would have it, Busch's move to Joe Gibbs Racing has evolved into one of the most scintillating partnerships that the sport has seen in years. The chemistry that Busch has developed with the No. 18 team since last November is nothing short of remarkable. There is not a single track on the circuit where Busch is not considered a threat to win. Personalities and drama aside, this has currently created the sport's most recent rivalry — Kyle versus everyone else.

Sure, the Busch brothers have tangled in the past, but with Kurt currently 22nd in the point standings he's hardly a threat. From an emotional standpoint, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a thorn in the Shrub's side. On the track Earnhardt inherited the coveted ride Busch once had. Off the track, Earnhardt inherited his father's legions of fans and attracted new ones in record numbers. No matter how talented Busch becomes, Earnhardt will always be NASCAR's favorite son.

But in a purely competitive contest, give me Wild Thing versus The Carl. This could be the best duel of drivers the sport has seen since Earnhardt Sr. and Rusty Wallace enjoyed their heydays in the early to mid-1990's. During that time, the Charlotte Observer ran a cartoon on the cover of its race section depicting the two champions back-to-back, pistols drawn, preparing for battle in The Winston.

A similar rout could unfold tonight under the lights. Lowe's Motor Speedway president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler chose Edwards to win tonight's Sprint All-Star race, but admits it was a tough decision.

"It's tough picking Carl Edwards over Kyle Busch because Kyle is the hottest driver we've got right now," Wheeler said. "But Carl's done so well at similar tracks to Lowe's like Atlanta, Las Vegas and Texas, and I was real impressed with how he ran during our practice sessions last week. He's a combat driver — and you need a combat driver to win this race or get really lucky.

"He's going to have to get up there and make moves that you don't normally make during race time because we have all this point racing going on. You throw all that out the window. This is Saturday night short track-style racing where you go all out and that's how he was brought up. He was made for this kind of a thing — as was Kyle Busch...I'd just love to see them shoot it out on the last lap."

Busch and Edwards have the ability to bring the sport back to its glory days. Each has a tremendous amount of respect for each other's talent.

In the winner's post-race interview at Darlington, Busch said his team was "the target that the (competition was) shooting for" but added, "Carl Edwards is good, too. He finished second tonight, so those guys are tough every week as well. We're on top of the game for right now, but Carl is going to be right with us next weekend."

During Nationwide Series testing earlier this week at LMS, Edwards said it "would be cool" to have an ongoing competition with Busch.

"He's definitely a real fast racer," Edwards said. "I felt like a lot of times just this season whether it was in the Nationwide Series or on the Cup side, it's been him or I. As fast as he is right now, if he and I can battle, and he can win a few and I can win a few — hopefully, he'll win a few less, it would be a great season. He's a great driver."

Wheeler, who is arguably the best promoter in NASCAR, believes that age is on the side of Busch and Edwards. Edwards, 28, renewed his "dream" contract with Roush Fenway Racing entering Darlington. Busch, who turned 23 earlier this month, will likely have a long, successful relationship with JGR and M&Ms.

"If those two guys get in it really hard they can start a really interesting rivalry because they're both going to be around a long time," Wheeler said. "It could be another Bobby Allison/Richard Petty thing that lasts for years. The way they drive, the way they don't give any quarter. You could also think that if those two guys are in the lead on the last lap, whoever is running third, might just win the race like in Richmond.

Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon believes the greatest benefactor of Busch/Edwards rivalry would be the fans.

"I think that you always want to have the fans able to really truly be avid and loyal toward their guy," Gordon said, "and usually that means that there's got to be somebody out there that they got to pull against.

"Kyle sometimes puts his foot in his mouth, but it's entertaining. He does and says some things that you question and he might question later, but he backs it up by being a very talented race car driver and it's all entertaining and this sport we all recognize is as much about entertainment as it is about competition."

Wheeler agrees with Gordon. It's personality as much as talent that sells a driver. In NASCAR's recent attempts to polish its drivers, the individuality and grit has been rubbed away.

"You have to be careful not to de-fang a driver like Kyle Busch," Wheeler said. "You want some claws on him. You don't want to back him up and slow him down. You have to be careful what you say to him and how you say it. So far it appears that his sponsor has just said, 'OK,' and left him alone. I hope it stays that way because he's the most exciting driver we have right now — bar none. Not necessarily everyone likes him, but not everyone liked Earnhardt. That's what stirs the pot up. That's what creates drama. That's what sells tickets. And that's what this whole thing is all about."