Kyle you had a strong car all night running up towards the lead. Your thoughts on the race this evening.
KYLE BUSCH: It was a good night for us. We struggled a little bit on car handling, but not much. It’s just a product of the way things are. We ran in the top seven, most of the night, top five most of the night. We started 7th, I believe.
But a good strong car, ran the bottom sometimes, ran the top, kind of moved around, tried to find something, wasn’t really anything out there. Steve Addington made some awesome race calls on trying to make it better and handle through the corners for me and tried to get the drive up off this tire we brought up, was different from last year, so it was a handful to try to get a hold of.
Unfortunately, we come home second tonight. It was a good points night for us, not anything that we wanted, but you know, we’ll take it and go into next week.
Q: At the end of the race, the reason you guys were closed up was because your teammate parked his car and deliberately brought out a caution with a few laps to go; what did you think of that?
KYLE BUSCH: Well, I mean, I don’t know what his situation was. I believe it was a flat right front tire. You know, if he could not have made the pits, you know it’s awfully hard to turn these things when the right front is going down, because the splitter that scrapes the racetrack; then you basically go straight in the wall.
I don’t know if he tried in the last corner and missed and it didn’t stop, because it wasn’t going to make the next corner; if he made the turn in turn one, he would probably have crashed. I would rather give him the benefit of doubt than say he did it deliberately.
It’s just a bummer deal for him. He had the field covered. He drove a flawless race, and he had spectacular pit stops all day. No mistakes on his part and no mistakes in the pits. It’s just such bummer to see that happen to him. Those guys deserved it.
Q: When something like that happens and you have a guy out there leading all day long, he goes down with a problem; how do you jump up on the wheel and go after that win? What goes through your mind?
KYLE BUSCH: You pretty much see the guy that everybody’s got to beat, I don’t know. So then it’s a race between everybody else because everybody else seemed to be pretty equal. He gets up on top of the wheel and trying to dig harder and get a little extra something out of the car.
Today, on those restarts, it took my car a couple of laps to come in. It wasn’t ready to go right off the get go. Took it a couple lap, probably about five to ten laps were my best laps, and then other guys will start beating me about ten after; so I only had about five good laps where I could get going there.
Q: In the situation with Dale Earnhardt, Junior at the end, for you is it basically a no win situation; even if everyone were to judge it as being a completely innocent racing incident, just because of his winless streak and his legion of fans, do you kind of come out on the bad side regardless?
KYLE BUSCH: Oh, yeah. I feel it’s like that. I mean, everybody probably is racing around the racetrack scared to death of wrecking Dale Earnhardt, Junior, so why wouldn’t I be any different?
You know that was just A product of good, hard racing. I apologize that that happened, and I hated that it did. Fortunately he didn’t get hurt and nothing like that happened, so he was able to continue. He’ll see another day of racing.
You know, to say that I took away a win away from him, you know, it’s hard to say. And if I wanted to do it deliberately, I would have waited for the last lap where I probably could have still won the race.
You know, there’s a way that it happened and I hated that it did. We just didn’t give each other enough room getting into turn three and, you know, I didn’t I didn’t feel like I slipped, but I mean, we just kind of banged simultaneously, and then that’s when I got loose and got corrected and he was gone.
Q: On the restart, on the final restart, I guess obviously the plan is to catch Clint, but what were you thinking as that restart unfolded?
KYLE BUSCH: Well, I was trying to think, “Don’t spin your tires, don’t spin your tires,” because the previous couple starts I had spun my tires.
And again, that time, I had spun just a little bit, but I got a good enough restart, I thought where I was going to get back to him but I just couldn’t do it. He slowed his car down enough in the corners where he held his line and got up in the turn; whereas the previous restart, Junior was up there and dove off into the corners, and his car slipped up the track and that’s what brought me to him.
Clint drove a great last three laps and pulled off the win.
Q: I know you don’t like being the villain, and I know that you work hard to try to get people to know you; but as a racer, I mean, does it make any difference who you’re racing? Would you be less of a racer if you raced somebody different, just because he’s the most popular driver out there and he has not won in 71 races?
KYLE BUSCH: It would not make me a race car driver, that’s for sure. I mean, if I went out there on that final restart and just gave way to the 88 car, then that would not be a true race car driver.
So, you know, I had to do what I had to do to win for my team, to win for Pedigree and to win for M&M’s and Toyota; and so that’s what I was out there and set forth to do was to try to get a win. You know, unfortunately circumstances happened.
Q: You’ve said repeatedly it’s not the way you wanted to end and it’s disappointing; was it more disappointing that your former crew guys came down and confronted you?
KYLE BUSCH: It really is but if you know Rick Pigeon, you know Rick Pigeon. He was the one that went over to Dale, Junior to ask him to get in the car at Texas Motor Speedway. And, you know, I’ve been since dismissed from Hendrick Motorsports and racing at Job Gibbs.
You know, last year we got wrecked twice by the 8 car and chased, and I feel like those were the situations that took us out of the running for the championship, and that had nothing to do with tonight. It was just a circumstance I where got into the corner, Dale got into the corner; we didn’t give each other enough room and we wrecked.
The fact that he came down and confronted me saying, why did I do that, thinking did I it deliberately, was beyond insane.
So for me, I just went out there and I drive a race car and, you know, when I make mistakes, certain people have to pay for them, and unfortunately today, the 88, they have to pay for it.
Q: With all due respect, you’re going to be probably the most hated man in the Junior Nation starting tomorrow morning, even with an innocent mistake. What can you say to Junior’s fans to maybe prove that you really are not the villain in this whole thing?
KYLE BUSCH: Well, for some reason, they are awfully confused, because they were giving me the No. 1 sign the last ten laps of the race, and I was in second place still. So I don’t know whether that’s too many Dale Junior Budweisers or they are amped up or what.
For me, there’s nothing you can say, absolutely nothing. If I apologize up and down, even though it may or may not be my fault it would not make a difference. Dale got wrecked, he should have had a win tonight, quote, unquote. But I’ll say it again, it’s just unfortunate circumstances for him because he didn’t get a win, and for me because now I’ve got to put up with it.
- Video: Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Kyle Busch get together at Richmond
- Kyle vs. Kurt after 125 races…Kurt leads
- Kyle Busch Appears in Court for Traffic Flap
- ‘Car of Tomorrow’ testing moves to Richmond starting today
- Earnhardt, Jr and Busch have no hard feelings over Richmond incident
he is all over the place in this interview
1/2 the time he is saying sorry the other 1/2 he is making excuses.
nice to see the reporter call out hamlin for what he did though
I want to hear the audio though because of the text makes it almost seem as if he did know it was intentional… the rest of us do… but hes trying to play stupid
Poor baby. It’s tough to be both the winner and the victim. This guy makes me sick, and there’s a prt of me that want only bad things to happen to him.
i second that RON…i really wouldnt be sorry if his plane crashed on the way to darlington…
kyle made sucha big deal out of steven wallace racing him hard and getting into him in the closing laps of the NW race….and he turns right around and does it back…but then it becomes ok cause he did it…sounds a little like Jeff Gordon in his younger days…..JR needs to just grow a pair and find kyle and knock his teeth down his throat….Hendrick got rid of kyle exactly for this reason…he cant race clean in the closing laps…hell he prob would wreck mark martin trying to win as well…he dont care as long as he gets the W…..im suprised they didnt have the red flag the race from all the debris that the fans should have thrown at him….
KYLE BUSCH SUCKS….go back to the truck series…you cant handle racing with the big boyz…
One can only hope his fellow drivers will make him pay for his arrogant attitude and his big mouth approach to driving. Quote ” I will wreck as many cars as it takes to get the job done ”
If any body had a chance for retribution at the ending laps it was Mark Martin. He was right behind shrub and could have easily gave him a nudge to wake shrub up but Mark is just to clean of a driver to do what needs to be done.
what comes around goes around, Busch will get His and then some and then we’ll get to here him cry about how someone wrecked him it is just the way he is!
Kyle Busch went for the win, entitled or not, it did not matter if Jr. had won last week or had been 20 years without a win. The merchandise sales, the commercials, the movie appearances and the popularity contest that all the 3, 8 and 88 fans have Sr’s son are left when the green flag drops.
What would Dad have done? I think the this stings most 88 fans most. It hurts to believe that 18 is more like “The Intimidator” than 88.
ganjadude wrote:
I agree he cant make up his mind,hes making excuses and crap thats back to back nights hes had some kind of issues I just wish somebody would black his eyes and bring the young punk down a notch.
DOES ANYONE REALIZE DENNY HAMLIN PURPOSELY CAUSED A YELLOW FLAG SO KYLE BUSH COULD GET A SHOT AT JUNIOR? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYONE STOP ON THE TRACK BECAUSE OF A FLAT TIRE BEFORE? THERE WAS NO WAY ANYONE WAS GOING TO BEAT J.R. FLAT OUT RACING, HE WAS PULLING AWAY BIG TIME. GOOD OLD GIBBS RACING PLANNED THAT AND THEN KYLE BUSH AND HIS IDIOTIC DRIVING DID THE REST. PENALIZE HAMLIN AND/OR GIBBS OR BOTH FOR THAT STUPID MOVE.
JOHN wrote:
Yes, a few times this year already too.
Fisha695 wrote:
Lol, yeah that has happened. Usually after the tire blows
for good they just stop. I need to relook at the tape.. because
I don’t know where Hamlin was when he stopped.
Could he have went into the pits (after it blew)? Or did he avoid it
and stop?
Andy, yea i watched some replays, Hamlin raced until his tire blew, stopped on the track to draw the flag, then drove to the pits.
I truly believe it was intentional…what Denny did. He just stopped to bring out the caution. If he had a flat, he should’ve gone in…he went what, 5 laps with this tire then decided to stop? Hmmmm….
And this entire weekend just re-confirmed why I hate Kyle Busch.
I hope everyone paid attention to kyles wheel.It looked to me
like it was turned towards Jr.not away like D.W. said.The video
told the truth.D.W.talks so fast in favor of Kyle.Carl or Mikey
that he gives completely out of breath.I think it is rocking chair
time for him when you start showing favorites.Also the race before
when the winner of the race ,had his wheel below the line passing
cars to win.There needs o be a lot of reviewing.Remeber when there
is a car on the left and somebody turns the wheel the same way that
usually means they want to take that person out.I love racing.Betty
It wasn’t a plot for Kyle Busch get real people.. Denny put out that caution for himself and no one else.. he wanted to stay on the lead lap and that’s why he stopped on the track! Get over it. This was no “PLOT” by Gibbs. Trying to find an excuse to hate the whole team it seems like.
RedDevil wrote:
umm you do realie he had a better chance of finishing higher if he went to the pit and changed out the tire
2 lap penalty??
it was a team effort
wrecking Jr was only on kyle but it was a team effort to get to that point
ganjadude wrote:
I doubt it. Jr has tried to do this stunt before as well.. but he spinned out instead. Denny got caught but was probably pretty ticked off about how his day was ending.. I mean he lead the whole race mind as well say. He got caught and he got punished for it.
August Spillers wrote:
18 will never be like the great number 3, never, get it, NEVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LMAO!!
wheres Jimmy Spencer when you need him!
I just hope that Smoke blacks his eye just like he did his brothers!!!!
When will “Roudy” wreck the pace car? He has wrecked everyone else this year.
wrote:
I did not hear anything about that when did that happen ??
gonesouthern wrote:
Tony did back at daytona you could clearly tell kurt was wearing make up over eye.
Lee88-20 wrote:
Oh yea I remember that now.. Thanks Lee
Yes a matching pair is quite in order I would say… lol
JOHN wrote:
Yes John. Dale Jr. did that (at least) once about 5 years ago and then spun on purpose another time to get a caution, because he needed tires.
JAG wrote:
JAG you are right about 18 not being like the 3. Dale did not care when he wrecked someone. He did not care if it looked intentional or not. The 18 at least makes it look like “one of them racing deals.”