NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch rarely seems to be in a particularly good mood on the track, and profane outbursts on his team radio and in media interviews are integral to his persona.
On Saturday at Bristol, Busch wanted fellow driver Daniel Suarez to get out of his way on pit road. When Suarez momentarily blocked Busch's pit stall, not aware Busch was steaming just beside him, Busch unleashed a rant to his crew over the radio about how Suarez had disrespected him.
Busch and Suarez share a corporate connection — Suarez used to be a member of Joe Gibbs Racing, which Busch still competes under, and Suarez's top sponsor is linked to JGR. Suarez's team gets assistance from Toyota with its engines and technical data. Suarez also used to look up to Busch as a mentor. Because of those ties, and because Busch is in the Cup Series playoffs while Suarez is not, Busch expected Suarez to be his helper.
"Anybody wanna tell me why we couldn't get that worked out?" Busch asked his team. "Sounds like that engine deal ain't f—ing worth a s—."
Kyle Busch is displeased that Daniel Suarez, who's the second-to-last car on the lead lap, blocked him exiting his pit stall. Busch suggests that Suarez needs to be a better corporate teammate.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) September 20, 2020
KyBusch team had hoped Suarez would do them a favor and pit with the lap-down cars ... Suarez is 30th and would have lost four spots.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 20, 2020
MORE: Live race updates from Bristol
Busch started from the rear Saturday at Bristol in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race because of failed inspections, the second week in a row that's happened. Despite being middle-of-the-pack in the playoff standings, he's been frustrated since midweek practices were cut out by the COVID-19 pandemic and struggled to find consistency.
Minutes after his outburst about Suarez, Busch was on to a new target: the condition of the Bristol track.
"They didn't clean this for s—," Busch complained to his crew.