Now, Gordon is being "outbooed" by Kyle Busch. Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. were infuriated went Busch collided with Junior late in the May 3 Sprint Cup race at Richmond. Earnhardt was leading at the time, trying to break his 2-year winless slump.

Before Saturday night's race at Darlington, S.C., the derision toward Busch continued. He was booed again after he won the event.

"I never looked at it as boos: I looked at it as noise," a smiling Gordon said yesterday after helping dedicate the "Monster Monument" in Dover International Speedway's spacious, new fan zone. "[Busch] has a unique opportunity to take advantage of it if he does it right. If he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder, it can build his fan base.

"We've always known that rivalries among the fans and the drivers are always something that's been good for the sport. We've been missing it. His brother [Kurt] was the last one I remember that kind of had that, but it didn't seem to stick.

"It's like when [Tony] Stewart had controversy following him. I found it very entertaining, as the media and fans did. I kind of miss some of that with Tony, but Kyle's making up for it."

It doesn't help Kyle Busch's standing with fans of rival drivers when he says "I don't care" about the booing.

"I am here to race. I am here to win," he said after his Darlington victory. "If I win, it just makes them more upset and crying on their way home."

While Busch is in his fourth full season in the Cup Series, he just turned 23. Still, many observers believe he is experienced enough to deal better with adversity.

Going fast is the main thing on Busch's mind. It's clear the Las Vegas native is one of the top young talents in racing. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings and is tied with Carl Edwards for most Cup wins this season (three). Busch also has won three Nationwide Series and two Craftsman Truck Series races.

Busch was a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Gordon's for 3 years. Busch now drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Kyle is a tremendous talent," Gordon said. "His aggressiveness is the only thing that's bitten him. He's maturing and growing, but at Darlington, he hit the wall five to six times and almost gave that race up. He still has to find that line.

"While [Busch and Earnhardt] were racing hard at Richmond, every driver knows that if you're on the inside going into Turn 3 [which Busch was] and a car's on the outside of you, you've got to be careful. You can't just blast the [car] in there or you might take yourself and them out."

Busch regards such incidents "just racing hard." The Junior Nation regards it as a lack of respect for a fellow driver.

Meet the 'Monster'

"Meet me at the Monster" likely will be a familiar term for fans attending races at Dover's "Monster Mile." The new 46-foot fiberglass structure towers over the fan zone behind the front-stretch grandstands.

Fans will see the Monster, clutching a full-size stock car, for the first time during Dover's NASCAR race weekend May 30-June 1. A "victory plaza," containing plaques for each Dover race winner since 1969, circles the base of the monument.

This week's race

Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: Speed/WXTU (92.5-FM), WNPV (1440-AM)

Race course: 1.5-mile oval

Race distance: 100 laps/150 miles

Last year's winner: Kevin Harvick

Track facts: The race, worth $1,012,975 to the winner, is a non-points event ... Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson are competing in a burnout contest before the race ... David Ragan, in only his second season in the Sprint Cup series, is 12th in points (the final berth for the Chase for the Championship). Ragan has two top-five finishes in his last three races ... With two top-10s in his last three races, Travis Kvapil is 18th in points.

Wins: Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, 3 each; Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman, 1 each.

SPRINT CUP STANDINGS

1. Kyle Busch (1 last week), 1,690 points

2. Jeff Burton (2), 1,611, -79

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3), 1,556, -134

4. Denny Hamlin (6), 1,500, -190

5. Clint Bowyer (4), 1,490, -200

6. Jimmie Johnson (7), 1,442 -248

7. Carl Edwards (10), 1,400, -290

8. Tony Stewart (8), 1,397, -293

9. Kevin Harvick (5), 1,396 -294

10. Jeff Gordon (13), 1,326 -364

11. Greg Biffle (9), 1,308, -382

12. David Ragan (14), 1,266, -424

13. Ryan Newman (11), 1,264, -426

14. Kasey Kahne (12), 1,264, -426

15. Martin Truex Jr. (15), 1,230, -460

16. Juan Montoya (16), 1,190, -500

17. Brian Vickers (17), 1,161, -529

18. Travis Kvapil (19), 1,155, -535

19. Bobby Labonte (18), 1,128, -562

20. Matt Kenseth (22), 1,113, -577

Up next: Coca-Cola 600, May 25, Lowe's Motor Speedway, 5:30 p.m.; TV: Fox.