Kyle Busch offered answers for Kevin Harvick’s comments during his turn in the Dover International Speedway media center on Friday morning. First, make sure to check out what Harvick said about his Darlington altercation with Busch. Then read Busch’s responses below.
Kyle Busch Responds To Kevin Harvick Comments, NASCAR Penalty At Dover
Here are some of the highlights from Busch’s media availability:
ON WHY HARVICK WANTED TO FIGHT: "Apparently, he's watching too much hockey. ... I did have a left-rear tire flat and I wasn't sure that if I turned too hard to the right to stay off of him or to get away from him that (my) car would actually spin out the wrong way. Believe that for what it's worth. I believe there's some in-car cameras you can see and I did have to come to pit road during that caution period to change left-side tires because they were flat."
ON HARVICK'S COMMENT THAT BUSCH IS LYING ABOUT A FLAT TIRE: "I don't feel like I'm lying about anything because there's ... 85 video cameras around the racetrack that will pretty much back up anything that you're saying. Not lying about anything. The only thing I will say I guess is that I'm sorry I came off of Turn 2 on the flat trying to give Kevin room and maybe I slid a little too far and I got into him first. Maybe that's what initiated everything. I apologize about that. It wasn't my intention to get into him and then have everything go down the way it went down. I was just trying to race the final five laps as hard as I could, as clean as I could to get the best finish we could."
ON WHY HE DIDN'T WANT TO PHYSICALLY FIGHT HARVICK: "I think it's in my sponsor's best interest and in my team owner's best interest that we are not fighters and that we're respectful competitors and we're out here to do our job on the racetrack and race as best as we can, as hard as we can and as clean as we can. Sometimes as clean as you can, you might rub fenders with somebody or something like that.
"When it becomes from getting disrespected as bad as you have from one particular guy, at some point you finally say you've had enough. I feel like I did stick up for myself on the racetrack. Apparently there was more than on the race track afterwards."
ON HIS UNDERSTANDING OF NASCAR’S BOYS HAVE AT IT POLICY: “I understand it perfectly actually. It’s the ‘Boys have at it’ out on the racetrack and it seems like they allow us to police ourselves pretty simply out there. When matters get taken into the drivers’ hands or anything else onto pit road, where innocent bystanders can be injured or something, NASCAR is going to step in and they’re going to intervene and they’re going to set penalties the way that they feel need to be levied.
“To me, it’s not a gray area. It’s pretty simple – it’s black and white. I’m not focused in all that really or what penalties should be during what circumstances because I’m a racer and I know that going out there on the racetrack and trying to win is the utmost thing. If you do that, then you certainly shouldn’t be getting in any brawls or anything like that.”
ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HARVICK: “As far as us getting along, I’m not sure that we ever really did. I think he tried and that’s why at Homestead I kind of talked about the two faces of Kevin Harvick. I still believe that’s out there. He’ll talk to you to your face like you’re best friends, but then behind closed doors or at home or whatever, he has the utmost disrespectful thoughts or whatever else. That’s all. I don’t care. I’m going on with my own business.”
...
“I’ve never gotten along with the guy. I don’t know that he really ever got along with my brother either. I think there’s something beyond from his past growing’s up maybe and racing with Kurt that I don’t know and I was just kind of thrown in that I was never really liked. I don’t know.”
ON HOW HIS SPONSOR M&M’S REACTED: “I feel like they stood behind me the most they ever stood behind me, actually. I appreciate their support. They stood behind me because I kept my head, I kept my cool and I stayed in my race car and knew that that was my best place to be and the best situation for what was going to come of anything. They were behind me 100 percent which I appreciate and I thank them.”
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