Christopher Bell made all the noise last race week on his way to a runner-up finish, but also because contact from his #20 Toyota affected not one, but two Kyles at COTA last weekend. And rowdy Kyle Busch was visibly not impressed. His most recent ruined top-5 finish at COTA brought back memories of his younger “Rowdy” days when the driver made his way onto the pit lane to face off with Christopher Bell.
It is important to note that Bell’s first NASCAR National Series start came with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the 2015 Truck Series race. Needless to say, Busch was “hurt” by his former prodigy’s actions at Austin, and before his Richmond advance, Busch revealed his future intentions.
Kyle Busch may seek revenge at Richmond
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Busch is yet to feel the victory lane confetti fall at Austin, and after his runner-up finish in 2023, it is safe to assume that the #8 driver had all hopes to overturn his COTA fortunes this year. However, Bell’s seemingly “unintentional” contact in the final stages ruined Rowdy’s dreams and forced him to warn his former JGR teammate that a wreck may be coming his way.
In a recent disclosure via Frontstretch, a reporter asked Busch if he would race Bell “any differently” coming into Richmond. The 38-year-old had a ‘rowdy’ reply to the question at hand. “Run him harder for a little bit until he concedes that you know he’s sorry on the racetrack, and then get back to normal”.
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He further stated his frustration of not receiving respect, especially from KBM’s alums, saying, “It’s definitely frustrating you know. Especially when they’re the KBM alums right like when you’re racing against guys that have come through KBM and you’ve helped them along the way and you know you feel as though they’re taking that extra 10% rather than giving a little bit out of respect.”
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Nevertheless, the fireworks look set to fly as Busch and Bell approach Richmond. One may become the second driver to claim dual victories in the 2024 season with JGR. The other has won 6 out of 18 races on the Virginia racetrack. Will the competitive tensions boil over? We await the Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday to find out.