SPECIAL EVENT (NEW YORK, NY.) - On NASCAR: Sibling rivalry; brotherly love

Guest Column By: Cathy Elliott

In the wake of the NASCAR Busch Series Awards Banquet and champion Carl Edwards' many accolades and awards, comments will undoubtedly be made on what has practically become Edwards' official PR tagline -- his "boyish good looks."

Some might even say that Carl Edwards reminds them of their kid brother.

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is fond of telling tales about his uncle, Billy Buffett. Uncle Billy, it seems, was a younger and somewhat less conventional version of J.D. Buffett, Jimmy's dad.

On at least one memorable occasion, immortalized in the song "Pascagoula Run," Uncle Billy unexpectedly whipped into the driveway in his red Jaguar convertible and instructed his nephew to "pack a bag and take a chance," before whisking him off on a wild ride through the state of Mississippi.

It isn't that much of a stretch to draw a comparison between Billy Buffett and the NASCAR Busch Series.

Almost everyone has a relative who is often affectionately referred to as a "character." While this person is imbued with most of the physical and personality traits shared by the rest of the clan, he also has that that little "extra something" that sets him apart from the others.

This can range from the innately quirky, like double-jointedness, to the deliberately maddening, such as a stubborn loyalty to the Dallas Cowboys when everyone else avidly supports the Washington Redskins.

Being the oldest child in the family is a position that carries a lot of responsibility. He (or she) sets the tone, and the standard, for the younger ones.

One of the first clear indications of this comes when the second sibling starts school. We've all heard it, whether applied to us or to someone we know: "You have to be So-and-So's brother; you look just like him."

This often stimulates the cringing reflex in the person being addressed. "Why can't you be more like your brother?" they are asked. "Why would I want to be?" they reply.

Usually, though, the comparison is a compliment.

Whether their accomplishments are academic, athletic, musical or otherwise, the ones who follow are always evaluated by the ones who came before. Their example is a gauntlet, of sorts, which can be positively challenging and inspire creative competition.

What we sometimes don't realize is one of the basic tenets of great chefs the world over -- if you start with a wonderful recipe and change just a couple of ingredients, you can make it uniquely yours.

The Busch Series, which in its earliest incarnation appeared on the NASCAR scene in 1959, found itself with a tough act to follow, a very high bar for which to reach. This younger sibling has done a great job of meeting those high expectations, by offering fans a beloved and familiar racing recipe, with a twist.

At about half the length of their big brothers in the Cup Series, Busch Series races tend to feature more intense action from start to finish. They are particularly popular with children, who can sometimes lose interest over the course of the three-plus hours required to run a 500-mile event.

The competition is fierce, with veterans, Cup Series stars and ambitious newcomers all scrambling for the win.

The series is wallet-friendly, too. Tickets for support series races generally cost less than half the amount of Sprint Cup Series events.

Another responsibility of the oldest sibling is to routinely thump the heads of the younger ones a bit, just to remind them who's boss.

Coincidentally, this is one of the major criticisms leveled at the Busch Series. Some feel it is unfair to allow the Cup guys to compete in the support events, as they have a tendency to dominate. But the Family Code of Honor officially states that, "If you want to mess with my kid brother, you'll have to go through me first."

For many of the reasons stated above -- event length, competitor variety, and cost -- some fans prefer attending Busch Series races. At the same time, they want to see their favorite superstar drivers, such as Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and this year's champion, Carl Edwards, compete on the track.

A nice long list of participating Cup drivers increases attendance at Busch Series events. Support, you see, works both ways. Once again, brothers prop each other up.

Siblings have their own unique characteristics. That is natural, and normal. Without our differences, we would be a nation of clones, and without the differences between the Busch Series and the Cup Series, NASCAR would simply be a Stepford sport.

Isn't it wonderful that we can be the same, yet still so different?

Congratulations to Carl Edwards on his hard-fought and well-deserved 2007 Busch Series championship. Next season, he will attempt to become the first-ever Nationwide Series champ, as the series changes its name in 2008.

Edwards has given his fellow competitors a big, fat target to aim for, but they're not intimidated. Quite the opposite; they are motivated to find a way to get the job done. That's the way sibling rivalry works.

Brotherly love, indeed.