“There’s No Sense in Taking It From Him”: Kyle Busch Opens Up on Lead Battle With the Man He Replaced, Tyler Reddick
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“There’s No Sense in Taking It From Him”: Kyle Busch Opens Up on Lead Battle With the Man He Replaced, Tyler Reddick
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Imago
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 04: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Alsco Chevrolet speaks during a news conference before practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on March 4, 2023, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 04 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Icon116230304057 | Credits: Imago
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 04: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Alsco Chevrolet speaks during a news conference before practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on March 4, 2023, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 04 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Icon116230304057 | Credits: Imago
At the Circuit of The Americas, Tyler Reddick snatched his first win of the season. However, he had to fend off a relentless assault from the Chevrolets. His biggest opponents were the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Alex Bowman and William Byron. Other threats included Trackhouse Racing drivers, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Finally, the #8 car of Kyle Busch was another looming rival. In the end, Busch finished 2nd, ahead of Bowman, Chastain, and Byron.
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Ironically, 12 months ago, Tyler Reddick was in Busch‘s very seat. In essence, after Reddick joined 23XI Racing, Kyle Busch replaced him. So the final laps of the race were intriguing as the two battled each other for the win. After the race, Busch talked to a Frontstretch journalist about Reddick and said, “We ran at each other hard, we ran each other clean, and gave each other room. So, I respect the kid.”
“We’ve had some good races between each other. They were really fast, they really deserved the win. There’s no sense in taking it from him,” He added as a mark of mutual respect.
Kyle Busch did not make it easy for Tyler Reddick
Obviously, this was a race that everyone wanted to win. So Reddick was always going to have a massive target painted on his back. What made life even more difficult for him was the fact that he had almost no support from any teammates.
His teammate Bubba Wallace had his shenanigans after spearing into an unsuspecting Kyle Larson earlier. Meanwhile, most of the other Toyotas were too far behind.
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 26, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) after his win at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
The nearest Toyota ally was Ty Gibbs who eventually finished in 9th place. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr finished 16th and 17th respectively, while poor old Christopher Bell crashed out.
Another headache to deal with was the multiple late cautions and restarts that soon led to many overtime extensions. Reddick was out there alone in his #45 Toyota, leading at a track where Chevrolet generally performed well. This is evidenced by the fact that the last two races were won by Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain, both driving Chevys.
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