“So, I guess I was blamed for not pulling up in front of (Burton) off of (Turn) 2, but the runs were equal when I was watching and re-watching, when I was watching in my mirror and remembering it as it happened. (Bell) was getting to me as fast as (Burton) was getting to me and when (Bell) was bumping me, that’s when the momentum of the outside with (Burton) and (Retzlaff) took off.”
“If I would have turned to get in front of that, I would have wrecked. There’s no way in protecting that. So unless I come off a Turn 2 and just go to the middle and block (Burton’s) lane, then who’s to say that we don’t get squirrely and (Bell) goes right by us on the inside. Monday morning quarterbacking is the worst thing you can do. So it is what it is,” he added.
The Las Vegas driver has been gaining momentum since the two-week NASCAR break, with two top-five and one top-15 finish. Whether the former Cup Series champion Busch can secure a playoff spot at the Cook Out Southern 500 with just one race remaining, remains to be seen.
Kyle Busch has weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding Parke Retzlaff, who pushed Harrison Burton past Busch’s car on the final lap at Daytona. The two-time Cup Series champion believes that Retzlaff owes no apology for his actions, which helped Burton secure a finish in the top position.
In a media availability at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing driver Busch addressed the incident involving losing the lead and a playoff spot to Wood Brothers Racing’s Burton after the white flag. When asked if the 21-year-old Retzlaff owes an apology, #8 Busch said,
“We have our Chevrolet team meetings, our key meetings, key partner meetings before the race and he’s not in one of those. So, if you’re not in one of those, then you should not be relied upon as a key partner to need to push and know the game that needs to be played. So that’s how I look at it.”
“I was blamed for not pulling up in front,” Kyle Busch reflects on his last-lap battle at Daytona
In what could have been a thrilling conclusion to the regular season for veteran driver Kyle Busch, fate had other plans. Despite an underwhelming 2024 Cup Series season, Busch came tantalizingly close to securing a playoff berth, finishing runner-up at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race.
Reflecting on the outcome of the final lap battle, the 39-year-old said, (via NBC Sports)
