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INDIANAPOLIS — NASCAR's most polarizing driver said he needs to reign his emotions.

Think about that. The guy who has needled Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans much of the season turning the other cheek? The guy prone to throw salty fits on the radio when his car doesn't run well embracing manners?

Was this really Kyle Busch talking?

The placard in front on him said so, but it didn't seem like him. Then again, Friday wasn't a typical day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Even defending champion Jimmie Johnson said he's tempered his emotions after a door-slamming battle with one driver and a verbal spar with crew chief Chad Knaus on the radio earlier this season.

Isn't emotion supposed to be a part of racing? Where's the fire, some will say.

Then again, an avalanche of anecdotes leads some to suggest that when things don't go Busch's way, he folds mentally.

They'll point to the start of last year's Chase where Busch entered as one of the favorites. Mechanical issues in the first two races all but ended his title hopes but a sour attitude didn't help.

Critics will point to this season. He has three wins but is in danger of falling out of the top 12 and the Chase. His car was horrible at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago and his attitude seemed to match it. He's fallen to 11th in the points, the worst he's been since February.

Making it tougher on Busch is that his boss, car owner Joe Gibbs, has just released a book titled "Game Plan for Life: Your Personal Playbook for Success."

"Maybe that's what I need," Busch said with half a smile.

Does the sport?

Busch draws attention not only for himself but NASCAR. While some might call his actions childish, imagine what the sport would be without him. He fueled fans by saying Tony Stewart "dumped" him coming to the finish at Daytona this month, something other drivers disagreed with.

He can be as mercurial in the car.

"I've got some things that I've got to try to work on to make ourselves better and ultimately more championship caliber," The 24-year-old Busch said.

While he hasn't won a title, he's won 11 Cup races since the beginning of last season — more than any other driver. So, not everything he's doing is wrong.

So why change?

"We need to try something different," Busch said. "Bad races aren't just bad, they're horrible. Maybe I give up a little bit and don't tell my team exactly what we need on fixing the car. That frustration sets in and then we don't get the car any better because I'm so zoned out. I'm still driving the heck out of what I got, but I'm not trying to make what I've got better."

It's a problem many drivers face. Johnson admits he hates conflict but he got caught in it.

"At the start of the season, I started lashing out more," said Johnson, known for a calm demeanor. "David Ragan and I got into a slam fest at Darlington, which was just not my style, and I exploded on the radio that's just not my style. Then we go to Charlotte after that ... Chad and I may have been trying to kill each other through the radio.

"I'm sitting at home and I'm like why am I doing this? I could sense if I kept that energy level and that attitude it would start tearing things down."

He's moved on and that's where Busch is looking to head.

"I need to become a better person in being able to pull our team together and lead these guys," he said. "There's a balancing act in everything you do and there's consequences and ultimately repercussions for things so I'm trying to work on it and make it better so we don't have to look at myself as to why the problem exists."

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com