We’re struggling with something after reading this Canadian Press story about Chase Austin and his wreck that took Kyle Busch out of competition at Bristol last weekend. It was Austin’s fourth race in the Nationwide series. He’s concerned this event will define his career, or end it.

Is it possible to feel bad for a 19 year old kid who’s professional driving career hasn’t gone exactly as planned? There are guys right now driving fork trucks who will be banging fenders this weekend at tracks across America and have been for years who will never get a sniff of the big time. It sucks that Chase Austin has had some bad luck, but jeez, he’s 19 freaking years old.

Austin has had sponsor deals fall through, was a victim of the fall out from the Richard Childress Racing plane crash that took the lives of several people involved with his development deal, and most recently wrecked Kyle Busch at Bristol accidently during the Nationwide race last weekend.

If this were a person who had been at it for 25 years and was finally tasting the bright lights of the “big show” we’d feel awful for the guy, but once again, this is a 19 year old kid. Obviously someone who has shown a great deal of talent and promise coming up but just because you’ve not penned the contract of a lifetime by age 20 does not mean it is all over.

We have to applaud Kyle Busch for taking the high road on this one as the accident took him out while he was leading the race and it was admittedly a rookie mistake by Austin. Busch would have normally skewered the kid but instead let him off easy in front of the cameras. Good move on his part.