ESPN Sprint Cup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Robin Pemberton had visions of days gone by when Kyle Busch slammed his car into the left side of Carl Edwards' car and Edwards retaliated by spinning out Busch after their 1-2 finish in Saturday's Sprint Cup extravaganza at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR's vice president of competition was reminded of David Pearson and Richard Petty wrecking each other on the last lap of the 1976 Daytona 500. Of Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers, Bobby and Donnie, going after each other on the infield grass after the 1979 Daytona 500.

Of Dale Earnhardt turning Darrell Waltrip into the guardrail in a 1986 race at Richmond.

Rivalries, they were called.

There haven't been so many of them in NASCAR lately. With drivers switching teams and even manufacturers every three or four years and few able to consistently remain on top of the points standings, the feuds that helped bring the series to national prominence are few and far between.

Oh, there have been the occasional spats. Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer had one brewing five years ago, but it didn't go far, with Busch on his way up and Spencer on his way out.

Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart had a few run-ins, but they literally waxed over their differences by having Stewart's back hair removed on live radio to raise money for charity.

Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt fans hated each other, but that was more over Gordon stealing The Indimidator's thunder than classic battles on the track.

Everybody loves a feud
If Carl Edwards versus Kyle Busch evolves into a full-blown rivalry, it wouldn't be a first for NASCAR. Fellas named Petty, Yarborough, Earnhardt, Pearson and Allison have had toe-to-toe moments, too. David Newton

Kyle Busch and Edwards might be on their way to something the sport desperately needs, though. The top two drivers in points with 14 of 24 wins heading into Sunday night's race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., they seemingly have all the ingredients for an honest-to-goodness Hatfield versus McCoy.

"You've got two different makes of cars," Pemberton said as he stood in the Bristol garage following a heart to heart with Busch over his postrace activities. "You've got two powerhouse teams, and you've got two young drivers that are pretty aggressive and they're highly competitive.

"You could see that develop."

Track promoters hope it will because it will help sell tickets. Mark Dyer, president of Motorsports Authentics, hopes it does because it will help sell diecast cars and other merchandise his company handles.

One could almost see the wheels turning in Dyer's head as he considered the marketing possibilities.

Bad guy Busch versus good guy Edwards.

Toyota versus Ford.

Joe Gibbs Racing versus Roush Fenway Racing.

Bows versus backflips.

"It would be great," Dyer said. "Not good. It would be great for the sport. We're gonna see it week after week for the rest of the season and for years to come."

Turning up the heat
Joe Gibbs stood patiently in the darkness between two haulers at Bristol as he waited for NASCAR officials to call him and Busch inside for a scolding.

The owner of Joe Gibbs Racing never had moments like this, even after big games against his arch-nemesis Dallas Cowboys, during his two tenures as coach of the Washington Redskins.

But such postrace incidents are part of the pageantry that attracts fans to NASCAR, and they certainly speed up the development of rivalries. Saturday's incident definitely intensified what's going on right now between Busch and Edwards.

Richmond International Raceway has offered both drivers, along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the opportunity to compete in a demolition derby the weekend of Sept. 6 before any on-track activity in an attempt to financially capitalize on what happened.

But what really made the rivalries of old so intense were the battles for the wins.

"It was more from the competitive standpoint," Petty said. "I liked Pearson. I liked [Bobby] Allison. His personality was just much different. He carried it over. If I had a little argument with Pearson, then in 15 minutes, we might get in the car and drive off. You couldn't do that with Allison."

The competitive part, not the postrace bump at Bristol, is what makes what Busch with eight wins and Edwards with six have going worth the price of admission.

Five times, they've finished first and second this season. Busch won the first three times, at Darlington, Dover and Daytona. Edwards has won the past two, at Michigan and Bristol.

Two other times, Edwards won and Busch finished third (Texas) or fourth (California).

They were running first and second at Atlanta until Edwards developed late engine problems that allowed Busch to win.

That kind of racing is what made Pearson and Petty, Petty and Allison and others such great rivalries. They all were going for wins, not just playing out angry moments.

"What made people pay attention was I always felt I could outrun him and I was going to win the race, and he always said the same thing about me," said Pearson, whose 105 career wins are second only to Petty's 200.

Allison agreed.

"What made it a rivalry was we both really ran good all the time," he said. "He and his crew and sponsors and backers didn't want to see me in front of him, and me and my crew and sponsors and backers didn't want to see him in front of me.

"Once in a while, we did get together and rub fenders a little bit on the car, but it's really just good, hard racing, just like you're seeing with Carl and Kyle."

Kyle Petty believes it will be tough to start a rivalry like those his father had in an era in which the competition is much closer, driver changes are more common and consistency is harder to achieve.

"The tide swings," he said. "The tide used to never swing. It was the same thing -- Petty Enterprises, Junior Johnson, Bud Moore, Richard Childress. There's your rivalries. They were there every year.

"What we get is disagreements and personality, but it's not a true rivalry. You get little spikes. You don't get the Bears and Packers, the Red Sox and Yankees. It never allows itself to play out that way today."

But all agree what Busch and Edwards have going is great for a sport looking for a spark in hard economic times. They also agree it's too early to call it a rivalry, at least along the lines of what used to be considered a rivalry.

"Right now, it's interesting," Pearson said. "I'm sure it would be best for the sport if it kept getting bigger. NASCAR says one thing about pushing and fighting and shoving, and they want to fine you, but they love it, especially if they get money out of it and it makes for a bigger crowd the next week."

Hunk versus punk?
Dyer stood beside a stage outside Bristol Motor Speedway promoting camouflage diecasts made in conjunction with Chevrolet's "Driving to the Outdoors" program.

He expects a modest bump from these cars. He'd expect a windfall from an all-out rivalry between Busch and Edwards.

"We need different personalities in the sport," he said.

Busch and Edwards offer that. While there is some question about which driver is hated more in the garage -- Busch for his aggressive driving or Edwards for his toothpaste-ad smile that covers up his fierce competitiveness -- there is no questioning their talent.

"Busch has got a swagger that I don't think we've seen in a while," Dyer said. "The bowing he does after wins. He's kind of willing to play the [bad guy] role out there."

And Edwards embraces the good-guy role.

"Edwards is the All-American guy," Dyer said. "The flip is terrific. He's got this exuberance about him that I think is natural, is real. What's he say? Every time I ask him out for some visit, he says it's a blast. I think he thinks life is a blast."

Dyer recalled how NASCAR made Edwards the spokesman for a Harlequin Romance novel series before he moved to Motorsports Authentics.

"'Cause he is the hunk of NASCAR," Dyer said.

That would make Busch the punk of NASCAR.

"Kyle Busch has been a real breath of fresh air for NASCAR," Allison said. "He has kept the pressure everywhere, every kind of racetrack. Carl has, too. I thought that was really neat what happened at Bristol and neat for the show."

So did Kyle Petty and about everybody watching.

"Whether you like it or not, that's what the fans like," he said. "There's nothing better for the sport than Kyle Busch. When he jumps out of that car and bows to the crowd and waves to them, that's good stuff. The same with Carl and his backflips.

"That's what's cool. There's a separation in the two. But it's going to have to play itself out for a long time for it to be a rivalry."

An epic battle between the two for the championship, as many predict, would help, but like the presidential election, it's too early to call.

"That would be cool," Edwards said of a rivalry with Busch. "Rivalries are good. They're fun, but it's still too far out. We don't know exactly how this is all gonna go.

"Personally, my rival every week is the person that's in front of me. There's not enough to focus on one guy because you've got to worry about everyone else, so we'll see what happens."

David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.