Latest / Kenny Wallace Media / Kyle Busch Discusses "The Fight" For The First Time
Transcript
- 0:00All right. Kyle Busch, thanks for joining
- 0:01us. Let's let's start with the good
- 0:03stuff your your memories from winning the Enjoy Illinois 300
- 0:07last year here in Saint Louis. I enjoyed it.
- 0:11It was a lot of fun. Yeah.
- 0:13I mean the last couple years there has been great.
- 0:15You know starting up front both races certainly helps.
- 0:20We we ran up front in both races, you know, finished second
- 0:23the first year battling with Logano, I felt like I could have
- 0:27won that one. I just made a bad move into turn
- 0:29three, kind of overshot the corner a little bit and then
- 0:32last year was able to fine tune that, not overshoot the corner
- 0:34but able to make the most of our event last year and score that
- 0:37win. So I had a couple of delays in
- 0:40that one. So it went a little later into
- 0:41the night, finished under the lights, but you know felt good
- 0:44about it, great turn out from the crowds.
- 0:45So always a lot of fun up there. What do you like about worldwide
- 0:50technology, Raceway, and the fact that the corners are kind
- 0:52of unique and different? Is that something that drivers
- 0:55can look forward to? Yeah, so that's exactly it.
- 0:58You know, I feel like the, the racetrack itself kind of lends
- 1:01its lends itself to a different challenge than what we're
- 1:03accustomed to. You know, a lot of times you run
- 1:06these race tracks and you kind of run them very similar, both
- 1:09ends of the racetrack just trying to do things
- 1:10consistently. But you know, turns one and two
- 1:13is vastly different than turns 3:00 and 4:00.
- 1:15So you've got to drive that track technically a lot
- 1:19different than some of the other places we go.
- 1:21And I feel like as a driver, you know that that's fun, that gives
- 1:24you a different challenge and some guys take to that challenge
- 1:27and and others kind of struggle with it.
- 1:29So for us it's been good. What do you like about visiting
- 1:33Gateway as we used to call it, obviously Worldwide Technology
- 1:36Raceway now, but last year Braxton ran some dirt around
- 1:41here, right? Are you planning on doing that
- 1:43again? Yeah, no, I I enjoy coming up to
- 1:45that area. You know, the dirt tracks up
- 1:47there are really cool. They're a lot of fun.
- 1:49We're going to run Friday night. We're going to go to Coles
- 1:51County Raceway. It's about an hour and a half, I
- 1:53guess east of the Speedway over in Illinois.
- 1:56And then I think Saturday we might race as well too.
- 1:59But that's kind of be to be determined.
- 2:02But I know we're going to be Friday night at Coles County.
- 2:06He ran there last last couple years.
- 2:07We've actually ran around in the area like three nights, you
- 2:10know, But this year will be a little different.
- 2:14I know your brother Kurt is a big Cubs fan.
- 2:16I'm wondering, are you a Cubs fan as well?
- 2:19So any kind of fisticuffs with the Saint Louis Cardinals over
- 2:23the years? Because obviously that's a big
- 2:24rivalry and they're they're coming to town this weekend.
- 2:26Oh, OK, cool. You know, I've, when I was a kid
- 2:30and I played Little League baseball, I've had two years
- 2:33playing as an Atlanta Braves. So I was always kind of like OK
- 2:36I'll I'll pull for the Braves and then funny story Greg
- 2:40Maddox, who was a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves during that
- 2:43time, his brother went to school with my high school baseball
- 2:49coach and so there was kind of a connection there and actually my
- 2:52mom who worked at the school and me still to today we we keep up
- 2:56with the the baseball coach and his family and stuff like that.
- 2:59So you know they're really close family friends but it's really
- 3:03cool to kind of have that tie. So I guess I'm a I'm a I'm a
- 3:06brave fan. Yeah.
- 3:08You had the win obviously last year in Saint Louis, obviously
- 3:11so far this season, not going exactly how you would have
- 3:15hoped. How do you turn that around?
- 3:16And maybe Saint Louis is the spot for it, but how do you try
- 3:19to turn things around quick? Yeah, no, I it that's a great
- 3:23question. You know, we've had definitely
- 3:24some better results at the mile and a half race tracks.
- 3:27You know, we've been fast at at Daytona, Atlanta, Vegas, Dover's
- 3:32not a mile and a half, but we were fast there and then Kansas
- 3:34we were quick as well too. So looking forward to Charlotte
- 3:37this weekend going there a mile and a half racetrack feel pretty
- 3:40good about that. And then what's interesting
- 3:42about Gateway is we actually run the mile and a half arrow
- 3:44package at Gateway. So I kind of feel like that's
- 3:47something that we've honed in on that we feel like is a strong
- 3:49suit for our team and and how we go about setting up our race
- 3:52cars. But the short track arrow
- 3:54package is kind of been to our demise.
- 3:56That's the one that we seem to struggle with the most.
- 3:58So we'll continue to work at it and make it better I'm sure.
- 4:02But you know, we need to just have some more consistency and
- 4:05if we can have more consistency in our in our program to where
- 4:08we go week to week to week finishing in the top five, we're
- 4:10definitely going to have more opportunities to score wins.
- 4:14So the the old elephant in the room, I don't know if you've
- 4:16addressed it yet, but obviously a lot of stuff going on last
- 4:20week at North Wilkesboro. Just just give us your thoughts
- 4:23on on what transpired and some fines and penalties also were
- 4:28were announced this morning. Yeah, you know, to me it's just
- 4:32black. One, the water is not even hot,
- 4:34The tires aren't even hot. You're kind of slipping a little
- 4:36bit. But yeah, I ran wide and turned
- 4:38one. Gave the opening to the middle.
- 4:40He took it. I gave room on the exit to make
- 4:43sure we didn't touch, so I touched the fence a little bit.
- 4:46I was touching the fence and he still ran into me and brushed
- 4:49off of my left front corner. So it was inevitable that I was
- 4:52going to get put in the fence anyways.
- 4:53So I wasn't too pleased about that and did come back and and
- 4:58retaliated shows showed my displeasure of that.
- 5:01As one guy once said, I meant to rattle his cage and spin him out
- 5:04and didn't mean for him to overcorrect and stuff in the
- 5:06fence. But that's sort of sort of what
- 5:09happens sometimes and then afterwards obviously trying to
- 5:12have some some casual words. I I had no idea his his comments
- 5:17of hold my watch or you know hey if you want to see something
- 5:20afterwards hang out until afterwards nobody told me.
- 5:23So I felt like I went into an ambush blind with him and his
- 5:27team and having an idea that they were all kind of set up in
- 5:29different areas but tried to hold my own the best I could
- 5:33fighting off 5 different guys and came out of there with no
- 5:36black eyes. So you know I guess we'll see
- 5:39how that progresses going forward and and what we do you
- 5:43know heading on into the next few weeks.
- 5:45And I'm guessing you heard or saw Richard Childress's comments
- 5:49last night. Always nice to see your owner
- 5:51having your back like that. Really having your back, it
- 5:53sounds like. Yeah, he I I've been on that end
- 5:58of things before you know. So I I know Richard and and and
- 6:02his meetings and how he feels about his team and everybody
- 6:05that works for him and and he's passionate about the sport in
- 6:08general and obviously we know that you know the 79 Daytona 500
- 6:12was built on that right? But you know, it's just a a
- 6:15nature of what, you know, he's all about and and that's
- 6:18protecting what's his and and and what he believes is the
- 6:22right way to go. And last question on this, how
- 6:25do you feel just big picture about fighting in NASCAR.
- 6:28Obviously NASCAR is promoting this going on and it seems like
- 6:32we saw this with the Ross Chastain, Noah Gregson last
- 6:36year. It seems like they allow the
- 6:38first strike and then the second guy tries to retaliate,
- 6:41everybody jumps in. That doesn't seem fair to me.
- 6:44In hockey, they kind of let you go till it ends and then they
- 6:47break people up. Yeah, I agree.
- 6:51You either got to not let it happen at all or you got to let
- 6:55it go for at least the the the guy not throwing the first punch
- 6:59to have a way of being able to get back into it, you know and
- 7:04then obviously to the the advertising and the promotional
- 7:07side. I I still don't know if there's
- 7:08been any posts on NASCAR social that hasn't had to deal with a
- 7:11fight since since Sunday night. So you know they're promoting it
- 7:17but yet they don't want us doing it or they penalize you for
- 7:20doing it. So I I'm guilty of it.
- 7:23I did it back in 2017 Logano and I I wasn't pleased with him.
- 7:26He crashed me for 3rd place after on the final lap of the
- 7:29race and I just walked right on down there.
- 7:32And again, I knew to be the first guy to throw the punch, so
- 7:34I didn't even talk to him. I literally just threw.
- 7:37And then the whole team gets in there and the scuffle happens,
- 7:40right? You know?
- 7:40So that's just I guess a part of it.
- 7:44We all, we all want to have clearer rules, but obviously
- 7:47two, we're not WWE. So if we're not going to set up
- 7:52clear and concise areas for us to fight in, then I don't know
- 7:55that we need to be fighting. And finally, this is the Kenny
- 7:59Wallace YouTube channel. Unfortunately, your buddy Kenny
- 8:02has a bad case of Vertigo from dirt racing.
- 8:05I don't know if you've ever experienced that.
- 8:07I know you've done some dirt racing and all that.
- 8:09I think I've gotten dizzy one time on a roller coaster.
- 8:11That's about it. That doesn't sound fun right?
- 8:15So any any well wishes for Kenny as we conclude this and and also
- 8:19do you have a favorite Kenny Wallace story I I was on when
- 8:23you did the Kenny conversation couple months ago Any great
- 8:26Kenny stories from over the years?
- 8:28Well, obviously Kenny, we we hope you feel better soon you're
- 8:31you're going to you're going to be just fine, just as normal as
- 8:33always. So can't wait to have you back.
- 8:35But Kenny's always been one of the fairest guys in the garage.
- 8:38I mean he's always been super chill, super nice.
- 8:42You know, I think one of my favorite memories of him was him
- 8:45running the the Red Dog car and also the Bear car, you know, so
- 8:49just back in the the 90s of time in which NASCAR was really
- 8:53growing, I remember it from way back when, so always was was a a
- 8:58Kenny Wallace fan. I think a highlight of his was
- 9:00obviously to probably being in the the Earnhardt's final win at
- 9:04Talladega where he was right behind him pushing them all the
- 9:07way to the checkered flag, finishing in second.
- 9:08So that was really cool too. Awesome.
- 9:11Well, Kyle, appreciate the time. Thanks so much.
- 9:13Good luck in the Coke 600 and then the following week here in
- 9:16Saint Louis. Appreciate it.
- 9:17Looking forward to it. Yeah.
- 9:18Thanks man.