Kyle Busch drives during practice for Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
For a driver with a two-race winning streak, Kyle Busch wasn’t exuding confidence when he took questions from reporters Friday afternoon at Richmond Raceway.
Busch used to own the spring race at Richmond. He won it four straight years from 2009 through 2012. In each of those years, the race fell on or near his May 2 birthday, and Busch was unabashed about gifting himself with the Richmond trophy.
But times have changed, and so have NASCAR rules. In recent years, Busch hasn’t been able to find the edge he enjoyed during his heyday at the .75-mile short track. And with six dry years in the interim, Busch can hardly remember what it feels like to celebrate in Richmond’s Victory Lane.
“The success is almost forgotten it’s been so long ago,” he said. “So we certainly want to get back to our winning ways and doing a better job of being up front and winning here at Richmond. We’re just kind of missing a little bit.
“There were some rule changes years ago that had some things kind of taken away from our camp and things that we were doing that made us a little bit better than our competition.”
Not surprisingly, Busch eyes Kevin Harvick, a three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner this season, as his foremost competition so far this season. In Friday’s opening practice for the Toyota Owners 400 on Saturday, Harvick posted the best consecutive 10-lap average speed. Busch was fourth.
“Man, I think we’re pretty equal honestly,” Busch said of comparisons between his No. 18 Toyota and Harvick’s No. 4 Ford. “I think I’ve got to give them the notch a little bit. I think they’re a little bit better than we are. I think (Kyle) Larson’s right there as well, too.”
Point taken. Harvick is a three-time winner at Richmond, but he hasn’t been first to the checkered flag since 2013. Larson, on the other hand, won last year’s fall race at Richmond and posted the fastest lap in Friday’s final practice.
Notable Quotes
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson had just lost a heartbreaker to Kyle Busch last Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch got to the bumper of Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet on Lap 495 of 500, pushed Larson up the track and made the winning pass.
Larson, who led a race-high 200 laps, returned to his motor home, prepared to put the close loss behind him. No such luck. His son Owen made sure of that.
“The last thing I wanted to hear but the first thing I heard when I walked in the bus was Owen (saying) ‘Did you get me some Skittles?’ So, I couldn’t help but laugh at that, so that wasn’t what I wanted to hear but it kind of lightened the mood, so it helps to get over it a little bit.”
Busch’s winning Toyota was sponsored by the Skittles brand at Bristol.
Kyle Busch
After the race, Kyle Larson sent Kyle Busch a text, congratulating him on the victory and relating Owen Larson’s request for Skittles.
“It’s cool that many of these drivers’ kids like the candy man,” said Busch, whose cars sport paint schemes that feature a variety of products from candy maker Mars, Inc. “So they certainly know what’s up, and whether it’s the paint scheme or it’s the personality – I’m not sure which – but certainly Cash (Clint Bowyer’s son) is one of those guys, and Owen is one of those guys, so pretty neat that that those guys were wondering where the Skittles were.
“I was wondering where the McDonalds (Larson’s sponsor) was there during the rain delay (at Bristol), to be honest with you, so we can certainly work out together on that front and maybe work some B-to-B deals, but it’s cool that these kids are interested in the candy aspect, so they know where to come.”
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
In the past six years, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. has seen three veteran teammates – Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle – leave the Roush Fenway Racing organization. Edwards subsequently stepped away from NASCAR racing in 2016, after two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Stenhouse says he stays in touch with Edwards, who has taken up farming in his native Missouri.
“Carl, I guess he just wanted to go sit on a tractor and hang out, which I don’t blame him,” Stenhouse said. “I like sitting on my tractor and being on my John Deere throughout the week and hanging out and enjoying that. I talk to Carl every now and then, and he’s definitely enjoying that.”
It’s doubtful, however, that either driver could get much of an adrenaline rush from a tractor race.
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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Richmond Raceway – Richmond, VA
Toyota Owners 400 – April 21, 2018
Saturday’s Starting Lineup
1. (78) Martin Truex, Jr., Toyota, 123.859 mph.
2. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 123.621 mph.
3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 123.581 mph.
4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 123.542 mph.
5. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 123.220 mph.
6. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 122.900 mph.
7. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota, 122.872 mph.
8. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 122.828 mph.
9. (24) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 122.811 mph.
10. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 122.805 mph.
11. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 122.733 mph.
12. (17) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ford, 122.399 mph.
13. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 123.063 mph.
14. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 122.850 mph.
15. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 122.850 mph.
16. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 122.845 mph.
17. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 122.783 mph.
18. (43) Darrell Wallace, Jr. #, Chevrolet, 122.777 mph.
19. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 122.538 mph.
20. (21) Paul Menard, Ford, 122.510 mph.
21. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 122.438 mph.
22. (8) Daniel Hemric(i), Chevrolet, 122.388 mph.
23. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 122.355 mph.
24. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 122.222 mph.
25. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 122.968 mph.
26. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 122.934 mph.
27. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 122.772 mph.
28. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 122.722 mph.
29. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 122.688 mph.
30. (15) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 122.644 mph.
31. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 122.377 mph.
32. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 122.344 mph.
33. (47) A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 122.266 mph.
34. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 121.655 mph.
35. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 121.425 mph.
36. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 121.000 mph.
37. (55) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 119.745 mph.
38. (51) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 119.707 mph.
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