Kyle Busch plays role of NASCAR's new villain
MOTOR RACING
He and Jeff Gordon appear to have buried the hatchet after last weekend's incident, but Busch's aggressive style has rubbed some drivers the wrong way.
NASCAR's Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon said Friday that they had settled their tiff from last weekend's race, but Busch's winning ways and cocky manner remained a topic in the Sprint Cup garage.
The 23-year-old Busch -- who leads the Cup point standings with three wins already this year for Joe Gibbs Racing -- also has emerged as NASCAR's latest villain with perhaps the series' most aggressive driving style.
Last weekend he had a heated exchange with four-time champion Gordon immediately after their close racing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.
"All is cool now" after the two talked it over again this week, Busch said before qualifying for Sunday's race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Busch qualified his Toyota third at Dover behind pole-sitter Greg Biffle and his older brother Kurt Busch. Gordon was seventh.
At Lowe's, Gordon "just raced me a little bit harder than anybody had all day," Busch said. "I wasn't sure if he meant something by that or if it was just the way his car was acting or what."
But Gordon later told him "his car wasn't balanced the way it needed to be and he was just fighting for position," Busch said. "I tried to get a reasoning there after the race and it was just the wrong time to do it."
Gordon, 36, likewise said their dispute was now a "nonissue."
"I raced him pretty hard when he came up to pass me earlier in the race, and Kyle's aggressive, and he got aggressive back with me when that happened, so we had a little misunderstanding," Gordon said.
Jimmie Johnson, Gordon's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports and the reigning Cup champion, said he found the dispute entertaining.
"There is no doubt that [Busch] enjoys trying to run us hard," Johnson said. "Some of his cockiness shows up from time to time.
"And what's sport without trash talking?" Johnson said. "What's sport without these little rivalries? I'm glad it's being publicized, but I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. We'll just roll on with it and have some fun."
Busch was a teammate with Johnson and Gordon until this year, when he was released by Hendrick to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"I'm sure he's not happy about the way he left Hendrick, but I would think he's got to be pretty happy where he's at right now," Gordon said.
Kevin Harvick, however, had words of caution for Busch.
