CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A cascade of boos rained down on Kyle Busch after his surprise win this week at Bristol Motor Speedway, a moment that reminded him of the icy reception Dale Earnhardt received after a controversial 1999 win at the same Tennessee short track.
When it came to what triggered the crowd’s reaction, though, the situations weren’t even close. Earnhardt wrecked race leader Terry Labonte out of his way and shrugged it off: “I didn’t mean to turn him around, I meant to rattle his cage.”
Busch had done nothing of the sort. He was comfortably in third on the final lap of Sunday night’s race on the temporary dirt surface at the 0.533-mile oval. It was Chase Briscoe who spun into leader Tyler Reddick, and all Busch did was slip through the smoke for the 60th victory of his Cup Series career.
With the checkered flag in hand, Busch laughed at the crowd’s response: “I mean, man, I feel like Dale Earnhardt Sr. right now. This is awesome. I didn’t do anything.”
What the crowd probably didn’t realize is that Busch’s ninth career Cup Series win at Bristol had just earned him a spot in NASCAR’s record books. The victory tied Busch with seven-time series champion Richard Petty with at least one win in 18 consecutive seasons.