Kyle Busch, Earnhardt work past fierce rivalry
RICHMOND, Va. — Kyle Busch is on a hot streak, the winner of the past two races in NASCAR’S top series and the series points leader as he arrives at Richmond Raceway, where his four career victories are tops among active drivers.
But it’s a race the Las Vegan didn’t win here that drew a lot of attention this week.
It was 10 years ago on the 0.75-mile oval that Busch cemented his reputation as NASCAR’S new villain.
Dueling with fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. late in the spring Cup Series race, and with Earnhardt looking to end a two-year racing winless streak, Busch and Earnhardt made contact in Turn 3, crashing both cars.
As Clint Bowyer sailed by for the victory, Busch became public enemy
No. 1 among NASCAR fans. He and his wife, Samantha, had to dodge rocks and bottles and other debris thrown by angry fans as they left the track, and track and law enforcement officials tucked them inside a trailer for safety until a helicop- ter arrived to take them away.
For the rest of the season, Busch said, he received death threats and had constant protection.
The incident, Busch said Friday, was “kind of the blowup moment” in the young stars’ relationship.
He and Earnhardt, who also had had several dust-ups in the 2007 season, became the fiercest of rivals afterward, and it grew to an intense dislike that lingered for several seasons until late in Earnhardt’s career.
Now?
“We’ve been friends, acquaintances, friendly or competitors with one another over the course of the last three, four, five years. I guess it was probably 2012, 2013 when we started to talk a little bit more and kind of get over our difference some,” said Busch, adding that the retired Earnhardt had a lot to doing with making it possible.
The two, for what they said was the first time, talked about their relationship, the incident and other incidents that marked their rivalry for the first time on Earnhardt’s weekly podcast on Tuesday.
The more than hourlong discussion was, Busch said, “an opportunity for us to just put it all to bed and be done with it and maybe some of our fans, mine and his, could kind of put it to bed and be done with it and move on and live the rest of our lives in peace.”
Busch made a miscalculation Friday during the opening round of qualifying for Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 Cup race at Richmond Raceway, making only two laps and thinking it would be enough. It wasn’t, and he will start 31st.
Martin Truex Jr. edged Chase Elliott to win the pole with a best lap of 123.859 mph. It’s the series-best third pole of the season for Truex, the 18th of his career and his first at the 0.75-mile oval.