NASCAR's Kyle Busch Apologizes After Using R-Word During Post-Race Interview
Nov 1, 2021
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 31: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Halloween Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2021 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch apologized for using a slur when speaking to reporters after Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway.
"He drills my ass coming out of [Turn] 4 for no reason," Busch said when discussing Brad Keselowski. "I mean, where was he going? What was he gonna do, spin me out? He was trying to do a Harvick is what he was trying to do. For what? For second place? To do what, he wasn't going to transfer through with that. It's freaking r----ded, man. It's so stupid."
Busch also said he should "beat the s--t out of" Keselowski.
He tweeted an apology for using the R-word after the interview:
In one of my post-race interviews I used a word I should never use and I want to apologize for it.
A similar situation happened in January when NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan apologized for using the same word during a virtual race that aired on Twitch.
NASCAR announced Deegan would undergo sensitivity training as a result.
As for Sunday's race, Zack Albert of NASCAR.com noted Busch finished in second place behind Alex Bowman and fell three points short of advancing from the Round of 8. Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were among the other notable names who were eliminated.
Busch's frustration with Keselowski stemmed from a tense final lap that included contact.
NASCAR at Martinsville 2021 Results: Alex Bowman Wins; Championship 4 Set
Oct 31, 2021
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 31: Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2021 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Alex Bowman is going to have mixed feelings about Sunday.
On one hand, he won the Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville Speedway, the final race to qualify for the Championship 4.
On the other hand, it wasn't enough to qualify him for the final round, as Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. will vie for the title.
Kyle Busch finished second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Truex and William Byron.
It was a bittersweet day for Hamlin as well, who took serious umbrage with Bowman spinning him out late in the race as the two battled for the lead. Sparks were flying afterward.
"He's just a hack. He's just an absolute hack," Hamlin said of Bowman after the race. "He gets his ass kicked by his teammates every week. He's just f--king terrible. He's just terrible. He sees one opportunity and he takes it. But obviously, he's got the fastest car every week and he runs 10th."
Bowman—who has four wins on the season to Hamlin's two—said after the race he wasn't trying to spin Hamlin out:
I just got loose in. I got in too deep, knocked him out of the way and literally let him have the lead back. So for anybody that wants to think that I was trying to crash him, it obviously wasn't the case, considering I literally gave up the lead at Martinsville to give it back to him. He's been on the other side of that, he's crashed guys here for wins. I hate doing it. Obviously I don't want to crash somebody. I just got in, got loose underneath him and spun him out.
Larson was the only driver to come into Sunday with a Championship 4 locked. Elliott clinched his berth after winning the second stage at Martinsville, while a fourth-place finish was enough for Truex, and Hamlin's 24th-place finish didn't cost him too dearly.
But the story on the day was the drama between Bowman and Hamlin. Never a dull moment in NASCAR.
NASCAR at Martinsville 2021: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
Oct 30, 2021
MARTINSVILLE, VA - APRIL 11: #11: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry FedEx Office, #12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Menards/Pennzoil #19: Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Bass Pro during the running of the rain delayed Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 on April 11, 2021 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville,Virginia (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The NASCAR Cup Series roars into Martinsville Speedway in Virginia this Sunday for the Xfinity 500, where the last three playoff finalists will be confirmed.
Kyle Larson, who has won four of this postseason's eight races, has already earned his spot in the Championship 4 and holds a 74-point lead over the second-place driver in the standings, Chase Elliott.
Just like last week at Texas Motor Speedway, Larson will be on the pole and looking to continue his winning ways, but he'll have seven other drivers trying to keep him off Victory Lane.
Here's a quick look at the schedule, lineup of drivers and odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Xfinity 500 Information
Date: Sunday, October 31
Start Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app
Starting Lineup
Hendrick front row for Cup elimination race Sunday at Martinsville with Larson on the pole and Elliott beside him. pic.twitter.com/zHGmburhnd
Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the schedule, but it will be long on excitement as this is the last chance for the other seven drivers on the outside looking in to stamp their ticket to Phoenix.
Right now, Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch stand the best chance to get into the final four, but don't count out drivers like Joey Logano.
The driver of the Team Penske car will start from the fifth spot at Virginia and likely needs to win outright to advance.
But that will be a tall order for the 31-year old native of Middletown, Conn.
He has to outpace some capable drivers like Martin Truex Jr., who is the favorite to win on Sunday and has won three of the last four races held at Martinsville.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sits in sixth place, so a win would clinch his place in the Championship 4.
"As you whittle the field down and there's less cars, obviously you feel like the cream rises to the top," Truex told NASCAR.com two weeks ago. "The challenge becomes more, as there's less cars. You feel like they're the best teams and it's more difficult to outrun them on average, so that's just what it's all about.
"We just have to execute to the best of our abilities. We know what we're capable of: We're capable of winning races."
Truex Jr. will have his hands full with Ryan Blaney, who has his own strong record of performances at Martinsville.
Blaney holds a two-point lead on Truex Jr. in the standings and is only one point behind Busch in fourth.
So look for the Team Penske driver to deliver one of the strongest races of his six-year career as he tries to make the Championship 4 for the first time.
"We've been in the Round of 8, this is the third time, and just haven't been able to make the championship race yet," Blaney told Terrin Waackof NASCAR.com. "So, yeah, I think that's a big, big hurdle for us, for myself personally. It would be a great accomplishment to be able to that, not only for myself but everyone working on this 12 car – and give Todd a shot to run for a championship in his last season."
Buckle up, NASCAR fans; with seven drivers vying for three spots, the Xfinity 500 will be one of the most thrilling rides of the postseason.
NASCAR at Kansas 2021 Results: Kyle Larson Picks Up 9th Win of Season
Oct 24, 2021
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - OCTOBER 24: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 24, 2021 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson is having a season for the ages.
For the ninth time this season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver crossed the checkered flag first, winning Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway.
"This one's for you, Mr. H."
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE KYLE LARSON ON HIS NINTH NASCAR CUP SERIES WIN OF 2021! pic.twitter.com/w1ue8yhdKN
Chase Elliott finished second, followed by Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.
Larson has now won three straight races and four of the past six during the playoff period. It's his second three-win streak of the season, the first time that's been done since Dale Earnhardt pulled off the trick in 1987.
He remains the only driver to have clinched a berth in the Championship 4 heading into the final NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 playoff race next Sunday at the Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC).
The win came 17 years to the day that a Hendrick plane crash killed all 10 people aboard the vessel, including Rick Hendrick's son, Ricky. Larson drives the same No. 5 car that Ricky Hendrick drove during his career.
"I didn't ever get to meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day," Larson said after the race. "But I felt the importance of this race. So crazy how it all worked out for me to win. So again, thank you to Rick Hendrick, I know this means a lot to you and I'm glad I could get it done."
Larson has dominated the 550-horsepower races this season, though Sunday was the final race of the season under that classification.
Very little has gotten in Larson's way. That included a 15-minute weather delay Sunday and his teammate Elliott trying to track him down in the waning moments of the race.
That number 5 does it again. It’s 9 wins this season… wow.🏆@KyleLarsonRacin
All that's really left for Larson to do this year is win the NASCAR Cup Series, like Elliott did last year. At this point, who is going to bet against him?
NASCAR at Kansas 2021: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
Oct 23, 2021
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - MAY 02: Cars race during the NASCAR Cup Series Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 02, 2021 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The Kansas Speedway will host its 32nd NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday when the postseason roars to the Hollywood Casino 400, the second race of the Round of 8.
Kyle Larson will be on the pole as the final eight drivers left to contend for the title battle it out to be among the last four in Arizona on Nov. 7. Larson won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway last time out and leads all drivers in playoff points.
Denny Hamlin, who's third in the standings, has three victories at Kansas. So he will be leaning on experience as he tries to keep Larson, the favorite, from making his fourth trip to Victory Lane this postseason.
Here's a quick look at the schedule, lineup of top drivers and odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
As NASCAR rides into Kansas, the top four playoffs spots are held by Larson, Ryan Blaney, Hamlin and Kyle Busch, respectively, with Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski in fifth and sixth place.
Four drivers will be eliminated at the end of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 31, so all drivers in the top eight will be racing for points and a spot in the Championship 4.
Joey Logano in eighth has 4,020 points, 103 points behind Larson, who clinched a spot in the final round with his win at Texas. The fact that Larson doesn't need to win at Kansas poses an interesting question for Hendrick Motorsports, which also has Elliott knocking on the door for a final-four berth.
Does the team push Larson for another win, or does it back Elliott on Sunday and focus on the former in Arizona?
"Hopefully, we can join [Larson] in Phoenix, and I'm looking forward to these next two weeks," Elliott told Jim Utter of Motorsports.com. "I think we can run good at the next couple, and I feel like we're all super close in points. I feel like if we just go do our job these next two weeks and control what's in our hands, we'll be alright."
Elliott is just eight points behind Busch, so this race could come down to the battle between the past two NASCAR Cup Series champions.
"We obviously won earlier this year at Kansas and really look forward to going back again this weekend," Busch told Pete Pistone of Motor Racing Network. "It's been a good place for us more recently. Excited to have the opportunity to go back there and run up front all day and mind our P's and Q's and get some points.
"Scoring a win would be even bigger, but ultimately having another solid day to keep our point total up will be important, as well."
With so many stories on the 1.5-mile track, the Hollywood Casino 400 should be quite the race for NASCAR fans.
NASCAR at Texas 2021 Results: Kyle Larson Advances to Championship 4 with Win
Oct 17, 2021
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - OCTOBER 17: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, walks on stage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson is heading to the Championship 4.
The veteran driver won Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway, topping William Byron.
Christopher Bell finished third, with Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick rounding out the top five.
"I knew we had a good shot to win today and our car was amazing," Larson told NBC Sports post-race. "That's probably the best 550 (horsepower) package/intermediate car we've had all year. We get to go race for a championship in a few weeks. This is crazy."
What a season for @KyleLarsonRacin@TeamHendrick 8 point race wins...first guy to make the final 4 at Phoenix..An All-Star victory as well as 6 runner-up finishes. The road the Cup Championship now officially will have to go through Mr. Larson @PRNlive
"Kyle Larson will win today" used to be a somewhat daring prediction and nowadays it's up there with "The Harlem Globetrotters will probably win this game today." #NASCAR
Larson is now the first driver to advance to the championship after his Round of 8 win. The seven other eligible drivers—Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano—will now have two more chances to clinch a berth.
The first will come at next Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). The second will be at the Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 31.
The NASCAR Series Cup Championship will be run Nov. 7 at the Phoenix Raceway.
Larson is having an incredible year. He's now won eight races, though Sunday's dominant win—he led for 256 laps—came amid a choppy race that saw a number of crashes and five restarts in the final 30 laps.
That included a massive 15-car crash on Lap 31 that eliminated eight drivers from the race:
But Larson managed to avoid any such pitfalls Sunday, and now NASCAR's best driver this season is guaranteed his berth in the championship race.
NASCAR at Texas 2021: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
Oct 16, 2021
Kyle Busch (18) drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto racing race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
The NASCAR Cup Series postseason field has been cut in half from its original number.
Eight drivers survived the first two stages of the playoffs to reach the final three-race stage of the postseason, which begins on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski advanced from the round of 12 to the round of eight.
The eight drivers will battle at Texas, Kansas and Martinsville over the next three weeks for four playoff spots.
The top four competitors after Martinsville will battle it out for the playoff crown at Phoenix on November 7.
Larson, Hamlin, Truex and Blaney start the round of eight in the four qualifying positions. Busch is one point back of Blaney, Elliott is two points behind the cut, Logano is 11 points adrift and Keselowski needs to make up a 16-point gap between himself and Blaney.
The NASCAR Cup Series is making its second trip to Texas this season but its first for a points race.
The Cup Series visited Texas back in June for the All-Star Race, which was won by Larson.
Larson has to be viewed as the favorite to capture the postseason title. He has a win in each postseason round and has been the most consistent driver on the circuit all season long.
Larson comes into Texas off a victory on the Charlotte road course. He also won at Bristol in the final race of the round of 16.
Hamlin matched Larson's performance with a win to kick off the round of 16 and round of 12. He won at Darlington and Las Vegas to secure safe passage to the next rounds.
Hamlin landed in ninth place in the Cup Series' last points race at Texas in October 2020. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Busch and Truex went one-two at that event.
Larson and Hamlin are in the best positions possible to advance to the championship round on points. Larson owns a 35-point gap on Hamlin, who is seven points above the cut line.
If the two drivers continue at their current pace, they should make up half of the championship contenders in a few weeks.
All it takes is one win by a driver in the bottom four, or a poor day at the track, to rearrange the postseason picture.
Busch is the reigning champion at Texas. He has four career wins at the track. If he goes back-to-back, or benefits from his strong history at the track, he could leap into the top four.
Since 2017, Busch, Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon and Jimmie Johnson are the only drivers to win points races at Texas. There were multiple races at the track up until this season.
Dillon won the first trip to Texas last season. Busch took fourth in that race behind Dillon, Tyler Reddick and Logano last July.
Logano is the other driver in the bottom four to watch. He has nine top-10 finishes at Texas in his last 10 races at the track. At +1200, Logano carries some of the best value to win the race.
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NASCAR at Charlotte 2021 Results: Kyle Larson Earns 7th Win of Season
Oct 10, 2021
Kyle Larson (5) leads a pack of cars during a NASCAR Cup Series auto racing race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Kyle Larson won the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday for his seventh win of the season.
It was the seventh and final road-course race of the 2021 season. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott entered Sunday as a two-time defending winner of the race, and Larson had also earned two of his wins this season at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson is the first racer ever to win three road-course races in a single season.
Tyler Reddick finished second, while Chris Buescher took third.
Denny Hamlin, who entered Sunday's race as the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, finished in fifth place. Larson passed him late in the race after a restart.
The other drivers joining him in advancing to the round of eight are Larson, Elliott, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch.
Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Alex Bowman entered Sunday's race on the bubble to be eliminated from the playoffs, and they each failed to advance.
Larson faced some early adversity because of his alternator belt needing to be changed in the middle of the race. He had fallen below the cut line, but his crew was able to turn things around quickly.
Kyle Larson goes from below the elimination line at one point in this race to winning it. Seventh victory of the season.
Advancing: Larson, Hamlin, Logano, Blaney, KyBusch, Elliott, Keselowski, Truex move to the final eight.
"I was getting stressed out like, 'Man, I'm not gonna get knocked out of the playoffs like this," Larson said after the race. "It wasn't looking too good, and thankfully everybody in our 5 car did a great job of staying calm."
The big story on Sunday was the feud between Elliott and Harvick. Harvick sent Elliott crashing in the final stage with 55 laps to go. It was an apparent retaliation for Harvick's wreck at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Elliott's team called the crash "karma" for the earlier incident. It's Harvick's first time failing to advance past the Round of 12 in the playoffs.
The next race will be the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
NASCAR at Charlotte 2021: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
Oct 9, 2021
NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) drives down pit road during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Sunday, May 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Denny Hamlin is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver who has punched his ticket to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. But by the end of Sunday, it will be known which seven of the other 11 drivers still in the field will be advancing along with Hamlin.
The Cup Series will be competing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon in the Bank of America Roval 400. It's the third and final race in the Round of 12 after Hamlin won at Las Vegas and Bubba Wallace (who isn't in the playoffs) won at Talladega.
Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Alex Bowman are in the Nos. 9-12 spots in the standings. One of those drivers can clinch a spot in the next round with a win at Charlotte, even if he doesn't have enough points to move into the top eight.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into Sunday's playoff race.
Chase Elliott is looking to repeat as Cup Series champion this year, but he's only just above the cutoff line for the Round of 8. He's tied with Kyle Busch for seventh in the standings, with both drivers only nine points ahead of Kevin Harvick in ninth.
However, Elliott has dominated at Charlotte in recent years. He won the Cup Series race on this course in both 2019 and 2020, and he finished sixth in the inaugural event in 2018. So there's a good chance he's going to avoid getting eliminated Sunday.
There's also a strong possibility that Elliott is victorious again. The 25-year-old excels on road courses; he's won races at Circuit of the Americas and Road America this year, his only two wins of 2021.
But if Elliott is going to win at Charlotte, he may need to outrace Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Larson is second in the standings and in good position to reach the Round of 8, especially considering he already has two wins at road courses this season (Sonoma and Watkins Glen).
For drivers like Larson who are near the top of the standings, it would take a disastrous performance Sunday to miss out on progression. Joey Logano (third), Brad Keselowski (tied-fourth), Martin Truex Jr. (tied-fourth), Ryan Blaney (sixth), Elliott and Busch are all looking to hold on for berths in the next round.
At the other end, there are drivers who need to have strong showings and get some help if they hope to move on to the Round of 8.
Of the four drivers in the elimination positions, 2014 Cup Series champion Harvick is by far the most experienced. And entering his most important race of the season, the 45-year-old isn't changing his mindset.
"You try to race the same way all year and not really say, 'OK, playoffs have started. Let's change what we're doing it at this particular point and try to go in a different direction,' because that kind of messes up the rhythm of the things that you're used to doing," Harvick said, per Zack Albert of NASCAR.com.
Bell (28 points back of eighth place), Byron (44 back) and Bowman (52 back) have all never won a Cup Series championship. But if any of the three are going to keep their title hopes alive, they will have to hope enough goes wrong for other playoff drivers that they can work their way up the standings or get to Victory Lane.
And they all know that the Charlotte Roval can be a difficult course to navigate.
"It's kind of its own beast," Byron said, per Alex Andrejev of the Charlotte Observer.
So while a major shakeup in the standings is unlikely, anything is possible. The drivers looking to hold on to spots could feel the pressure, and if any mistakes are made, one of the four on the bubble could be ready to capitalize.
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Michael Jordan Congratulates Bubba Wallace on 1st NASCAR Cup Series Win
Oct 5, 2021
KOHLER, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 25: Michael Jordan looks on during Saturday Afternoon Fourball Matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on September 25, 2021 in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Bubba Wallace earned the victory in Monday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway and a shout-out from a certain co-owner of his 23XI Racing team in the process.
"I'm so happy for Bubba and our entire 23XI Racing team," Michael Jordan said. "This is a huge milestone and a historic win for us. From the day we signed him, I knew Bubba had the talent to win and Denny and I could not be more proud of him. Let's go!"
Wallace became the second Black driver to win a race at NASCAR's top Cup Series level. It was his first win for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin.
Wallace earned the win when NASCAR called the race for rain after a lengthy delay. He took the lead five laps before what was the second delay of the race by avoiding a crash.
Wendell Scott was the first Black driver to win at the top level, and he did so in 1963.
"I never think about those things," Wallace said on the broadcast after the race when asked about the historic win. "When you say it like that, it obviously brings a lot of emotion, a lot of joy to my family, fans, friends. It's pretty damn cool, so, just proud to be a winner in the Cup Series."
It was particularly notable given his history at Talladega.
As the Associated Press (via ESPN) noted, NASCAR found a noose in the garage that Wallace was supposed to use at the track in June 2020. It was found shortly after NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at its events, which is something Wallace encouraged the association to do.
Though the FBI investigated and later determined it was not a hate crime because the noose had been there for months, Wallace's fellow drivers showed their solidarity by standing with him and his car at the front of the grid prior to the race.
As for the NASCAR playoffs, next up is the final race of the second round at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Hamlin, who finished in seventh place Monday, is the only driver who has clinched a spot in the third round.
