Kyle Busch Tries to Bury the Hatchet After Kyle Larson Takes the Blame for Gateway Controversy

There are times when a wreck between two cars is the fault of both drivers. Last week at Gateway, drama ensued in the battle between the two Kyles in the final lap of Stage 2 as they got into one another on track. The former NASCAR champions are usually on good terms, which is why the incident raised eyebrows. As a result, Kyle Busch registered his first DNF of the season while Kyle Larson emerged from the incident unscathed and finished the race in 10th place.

Looking at the replays, it’s difficult to pinpoint who should be blamed, but Kyle Larson has accepted his partial mistake while Kyle Busch wants to put the incident behind him.

Kyle Busch wants to let bygones be bygones

It was clear from the get-go that Kyle Busch’s car wasn’t good enough to win the race. He was easily overtaken by the likes of Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney. However, things took a turn for the worse when both drivers drove side-by-side, fighting for the position when Larson got loose, lost his rear end, and collided with Busch’s car. As a result, Busch’s #8 Chevrolet Camaro hit the wall and was forced to withdraw from the race.

With 15 races already over, Busch has had a season to forget so far. He wrecked his truck in Darlington and had multiple altercations, one with Christopher Bell in COTA and another with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the All-Star race. With no wins so far and a serious chance he won’t make it to the playoffs for the first time in his career, it’s more important than ever before that Busch doesn’t let the past weight him down and focus just on the results in the upcoming races.

When Kyle Busch was asked by Frontstretch if he was still mad at Larson for last week, the 39-year-old stoically replied, “Last week’s last week. It is what it is you know. Just moving on.”

Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, after assessing the crash in person, took partial accountability for the role he played in the incident. The Hendricks Motorsport driver took responsibility for the initial contact between them but wishes that the situation wouldn’t have escalated as it did heading into Turn 1. He said, “If I didn’t touch his quarter we would’ve raced fine through 1. So I look at it as probably more of my fault there. I know that I’m the guy that spun but I don’t think that part was all my fault.”

Fans react to Kyle Larson’s apology

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It didn’t take long for fans to react to Kyle Larson’s apology on social media, with one fan commenting that his apology wasn’t very sincere. He said, “He got a rude awakening when his golden boy status was gone when fan’s agreed with Busch. Now he’s trying to win them back by sounding like a tough guy 🙄”.

Another fan felt that the words Larson used in his apology video undermined the impact he had on Kyle Busch’s race, which ultimately resulted in a DNF for the Richard Childress Racing driver. The fan commented, “Barely touch his quarter panel… lmao… that’s certainly one way to put it.”

Frustrated by the partiality being shown, one fan told journalist Bob Pockrass to ask Kyle Larson to compete in other motorsport competitions. He said, “Ask him why don’t he go race other things now that he knows he can do what ever the hell he wants since they don’t have to follow the rule book.”

One user echoed the general sentiment, that Kyle Larson was largely to be blamed for the incident as he was the one to make the initial contact. “Larson created the initial contact and enough contact to bounce Busch off the wall down the straight. That one’s 💯 on Larson 🤷🏼‍♂️” a fan wrote in response to the video.

Upset at how rashly Kyle Larson drove in the last lap of Stage 2, especially when it wasn’t needed, a fan added, “Get lost Larson. Racing over your head every race. Let’s side draft and drive like it’s the final lap of the race at the end of stage 2. Smh”

Do you think this is the end of Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch’s controversy? Let us know in the comments!