Kyle Busch lashed out at David Reutimann on Friday, saying he was still angry at Reutimann for intentionally wrecking him at Kansas and claiming Reutimann “races me like an asshole every week.”
Kyle Busch Still Angry About David Reutimann Incident, Says Reutimann ‘Races Me Like An Asshole’
Busch explained his side of the situation in detail – all the while with a sour look on his face that indicated his displeasure with Reutimann’s actions.
At Kansas, Busch accidentally spun out Reutimann early in the race, but Reutimann retaliated strongly later in the event. Busch said he had an idea of what it was coming but thought, “This would be really dumb if it did happen.”
“And it did (happen),” Busch said, “so it just makes us look like idiots.”
Responding to Reutimann’s comments to reporters in Virginia last week that it would have made a difference had Busch relayed an apology through his spotter, Busch said he races other drivers the same way they race him.
“I’ve always gotten raced really, really hard against David Reutimann,” Busch said. “And I’ve gotten no room, no slack, no nothing. I had the opportunity to pass him at lap 30 during the race, and he raced me so hard, I lost two spots.
”So I backed off and said, ‘You know what? Not the time in the race to do this. No big deal. I’ll get him back later.’ The next time I got back to him was lap 50, and I didn’t cut him any slack.
"I got into him, which was my fault – not meaning to – but why would I apologize to a guy who races me like an asshole every week, you know? No point."
Busch said he was still pissed at Reutimann because the incident “cost me 60 points.” With those additional points, Busch would have been within shouting distance of the Sprint Cup lead.
Instead, he said, “We’ve got way too much catching up to do versus where we could have been. ... Instead of trying to come from behind, we could keep running our own deal, doing what we need to do.”
Busch said he would have preferred NASCAR issue a warning to Reutimann that would have prevented the incident. But Busch shrugged his shoulders and said ultimately, any action is up to those who run the sport.
“It’s all up to NASCAR, you know?” he said. “Obviously they’re the godfather of this deal, and whatever they want to do or say is what we’re going to do.”
Busch said officials with Toyota were upset Reutimann affected the championship hopes of another Toyota driver, but noted the outcry from fans hasn’t been the same as in similar incidents.
“If he had spun me out, who’s to say I wouldn’t have gotten upside down at that speed down the backstretch?” Busch said, referencing the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski incident at Atlanta earlier this year. “In some instances, it’s the perfect opportunity that something a lot scarier could have happened.
"I think a lot more things were said about Carl because (of) the negative image that I have, and everybody thought (Busch getting wrecked) was the greatest thing in the world because of who I am."
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