Kyle Busch made his first public comments Wednesday since a terse press conference last Sunday where he appeared upset, said little, and dropped the microphone after a single question following a second-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch says people judge him differently because he shows emotion
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver received criticism this week for his demeanor following a second-place finish in last Sunday’s Cup Series at Charlotte.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Austin Dillon won the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race, on a fuel-mileage gamble where he went the final 70 laps without pitting. Busch had stopped and was rapidly closing in on Dillon, but couldn’t catch and pass him before the checkered flag waved. It was Dillon’s first Monster Energy Cup Series win.
Afterward, Busch was asked by a reporter during his press conference if he was surprised to see Dillon go that far without pitting and if he was happy for the 27-year-old driver. Busch responded: “I’m not surprised about anything. Congratulations,” before dropping the microphone. He was then dismissed from the media center after no additional questions were asked.
Busch’s behavior set off a firestorm on talk radio and social media this week. Some defended how he acted — including Dale Earnhardt Jr. — noting Busch is emotional and has difficulty accepting losing, which is why he’s championship-caliber driver. Others criticized him — including Brad Keselowski — saying he should have been more gracious in defeat, especially considering Dillon had never won a race previously.
On Wednesday, Busch commented for the first time on the incident while testing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. When asked if he thought people are judged differently depending on who they are, Busch said he believed that to be the case. He even invoked the name of Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots head coach who’s won a record five Super Bowls but is often scrutinized for his surly demeanor in press conferences.
“No question,” Busch said. “Bill Belichick gets it differently than anybody else, but you know, we also sometimes are more successful than others as well too.”
Busch won the 2015 Cup Series championship, and his 38 wins ranks second only to Jimmie Johnson’s 83 wins among active drivers.
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