NASCAR would be making a mistake if Kyle Busch is rushed into the Hall of Fame

Kyle Busch shouldn't be put straight into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Before we even have objections to head off at the pass, let's be clear. This isn't a case against KFB being inducted into the Hall. If anything, it's the opposite.

The problem is that making him an automatic 'yes' does one of the sport's greatest drivers a disservice. Rushing the process, and taking him off the ballot when his turn comes up, would be a mistake.

For now, they should put a Kyle Busch exhibit in the Hall. Give it a permanent space, and do it yesterday. He's earned that and much more, and it might scratch that little itch that whatever is done has to be done now.

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Let Busch become NASCAR's first ever unanimous Hall of Famer the right way

The idea of getting Busch enshrined as soon as possible (which NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell and Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley have been publicly cautious about) has gained traction since Brad Keselowski floated it over the weekend, saying: “I’m not that great at those types of things, of understanding what’s the best way forward to honor him.

“… Probably the best one that I know right now that I would like to see is something with effect to the Hall of Fame. It’s very clear that Kyle is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I don’t know why that needs to wait another year.”

A reduced waiting period to put Busch on the ballot (much like the Basketball Hall of Fame did for Kobe Bryant) might be the best compromise, but the phrase 'on the ballot' is key here. It's vital that he's voted in the traditional way.

Less than 75 people have been inducted into the Hall in its history, since the inaugural class in 2010. Compared to the so-called 'big four' sports in the US, it's the most selective Hall of Fame out there. Only two 'modern era' drivers make it in each year. Getting in is a Big Deal.

Jeff Gordon didn't make it in unanimously. Neither did Jimmie Johnson, or David Pearson, or Kevin Harvick. As far as the record shows (the 2010 voting figures have never been made public), no NASCAR driver has ever been unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame.

Almost certainly, Busch will be. So put him on the ballot, and let him be enshrined in history as the first and only driver to be unanimously voted in. That is what he's earned. For people to look back in 20, 30, 40 years from now, when there are NASCAR fans who never got to see him race, who can look at the Hall and see the reverence that everyone in the sport had for him, in plain text. 100 per cent of votes. Unmatched. Unsurpassable. Fitting of the man himself.

That's ultimately what any Hall of Fame is for: future generations. It's about capturing the history of the sport. It can wait a couple of years to do this properly, it's not going anywhere. It's the one chance you get to really, really do it right.

We don't need a plaque to be put up in the Hall of Fame next week to tell us that Kyle Busch was one of NASCAR's greatest drivers, and one of its greatest men. We know that. It's all around us, in the fabric of the sport itself, and always will be for anyone lucky enough to watch him race, or to know him. To rush this because we're grasping for something, anything that we can do after the cruellest reminder than life is so fleeting and fragile would be an understandable mis-step, but a mis-step nonetheless.

The nature of NASCAR's Hall of Fame voting means there might be some concerns about one or two voters 'tactically' leaving Busch off their ballots in order to give a bump to someone they fear might be overlooked. That's a valid concern...which means that there's a clear and pressing reason to actually fix the issues causing the current backlog of drivers on the ballot. The voting process needs fixing, and Busch's candidacy should provide the impetus to actually do it rather than prevaricate for the next couple of years.

It's hard to make decisions like this. It'll be hard for people in positions of authority to say 'no, Kyle Busch has to wait to be in the Hall of Fame'. Sometimes the hard decisions are the right ones to make.