And while Kyle Busch has gained a reputation for hard driving Earnhardt-style, Childress says the 23-year-old is no "Intimidator."

"I don't think there's a comparison," Childress said Friday. "Maybe some of what happens in their careers could be, but as far as comparing the two, I think they're two different people."

But like the late Earnhardt, Busch can't avoid on-track dust-ups.

Last week, Busch angered "Junior Nation" when he and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled three laps from the finish while racing for the victory at Richmond International Raceway.

No less an authority than Dale Jr. thought Busch had a touch of his late daddy's uncompromising style.

"On the racetrack, there may be some comparisons there," Earnhardt Jr. said between practice sessions Thursday. Busch is "fast. He's running well. He's quick. He's aggressive."

Sounds a lot like Junior's old man, and even Childress agreed.

When Earnhardt "was young in the early 1980s, he was really aggressive and bounced off a few people," Childress said.