NASCAR notes: Childress says Busch no "Intimidator" yet

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Car owner Richard Childress watched Dale Earnhardt win a lot of races and wreck his share of competitors through the years.

And while Kyle Busch has gained a reputation for hard driving Earnhardt-style, Childress says the 23-year-old is no “Intimidator.”

“I don’t think there’s a comparison,” Childress said Friday. “Maybe some of what happens in their careers could be, but as far as comparing the two, I think they’re two different people.”

But like the late Earnhardt, Busch can’t avoid on-track dustups.

Last week, Busch angered “Junior Nation” when he and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled three laps from the finish while racing for the victory at Richmond International Raceway.

No less an authority than Dale Jr. thought Busch had a touch of his late daddy’s uncompromising style.

“On the racetrack, there may be some comparisons there,” Earnhardt Jr. said between practice sessions Thursday. Busch is “fast. He’s running well. He’s quick. He’s aggressive.”

Sounds a lot like Junior’s old man, and even Childress agreed.

When Earnhardt “was young in the early 1980s, he was really aggressive and bounced off a few people,” Childress said.

Then thinking some more, Childress admitted Earnhardt was “still as aggressive in 2000 as I’ve seen him.”

Earnhardt won six championships with Richard Childress Racing, the last in 1994, and he was killed in an accident on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Busch was grateful to be linked with one of NASCAR’s greatest, sort of.

“It’s flattering, I guess,” he said. “It’s just not what I’m out there concentrating on being. I’m out there concentrating on being Kyle Busch and trying make sure that I can go out there and compete for wins and win races and compete for championships.”

Last year, Childress recruited Busch after the young driver lost his ride at Hendrick Motorsports — one coincidentally filled by Earnhardt Jr.

In time, Childress expects Busch to mature as a driver. “He’s got a tremendous amount of ability, and he’ll grow into being a little more patient,” the owner said.

JUNIOR NATION: Kyle Busch may be feeling the wrath of Earnhardt fans this week. Greg Biffle knows that’s not a lot of fun.

Biffle remembered a few weeks back at Talladega Superspeedway when he was questioned by Dale Jr. supporters for his race strategy. Biffle said he got comments.

“Why didn’t you go with Junior on that last lap?’ And I was like, ‘I did go with him and I went from second to 11th,’” Biffle said.

Then there were the e-mails. “‘You hate Junior. You didn’t help him,’” Biffle said.

“I was like, ‘I wish I wouldn’t have helped him. I would’ve been better,’” Biffle said, chuckling. “So it’s kind of funny. Some fans see stuff differently.”

What did Busch think of the critical comments he got this week? “I really don’t know and I really don’t care,” he said Friday.

HURT HAMLIN: Denny Hamlin’s left hip feels good enough that he can sleep on it again.

The Sprint Cup star fell hard on his hip during a pickup basketball game and limped into a Monday test session at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hamlin said he had trouble laying on it at night because of the pain.

Four days later, Hamlin’s walking comfortably and says sleep is no longer a problem.

“It’s a lot better,” Hamlin said. “It really doesn’t affect me too much when I sit down inside the car.”

Hamlin doesn’t expect his boss, team owner Joe Gibbs, to add a contract clause against such outside activities like other pro athletes carry.

“I think he accepts it all right,” Hamlin said. “It’s one of those deals that if you’re going to do it, you got to be tough.”

And Hamlin says he’ll go just as hard to the hole next time, too.

“I play aggressive, just like I do anything else,” he said. “I want to win.”

Hamlin had an up-and-down day at Darlington. He hit the wall during qualifying for the Nationwide race, missing an event he’d won the past two years.

Later, he qualified 21st for Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race.

PIT STOPS: Darlington Raceway posted its fourth-straight sellout, officials announced Friday … Two-time Darlington winner Jimmie Johnson crashed during both practice sessions, leaving him to patch up a backup car to run in Saturday night’s Dodge Challenger 500. It apparently didn’t faze the two-time Sprint Cup champ as he qualified third. … Greg Biffle has won two of the three Darlington races since the track’s lone race date was shifted to Mother’s Day weekend.