It's what Kyle Busch didn't say that tells a story after tough finish
Sometimes what an athlete doesn't say is every bit as telling as what he or she does say.
Such was the case with Kyle Busch after Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Busch took the lead on Lap 365 of the 400-lap race and appeared headed for his third victory of the season in convincing fashion.
But on the final lap of the race, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards dove deep into Turn 1 and caught Busch. And when they hit Turn 4, Edwards applied the proverbial chrome horn, using his front bumper to nerf Busch up the hill just enough that Edwards could pass for the win.
Edwards didn't do anything wrong at the end.
It was a clean move, but an aggressive one.
And it was a move most other drivers probably would have made had they been in Edwards' shoes.
In fact, it's the kind of move that NASCAR boss Brian France has called "quintessential NASCAR."
That said, naturally, it didn't sit well with Busch.
And it shouldn't, really.
No one likes to lose and losing on the last lap is especially painful. And to have a teammate do that to you is even worse.
So when Busch was asked about it in his post-race interview, here's how the Q&A went, in part:
Q: Did you have any expectations that he (Edwards) was going to make contact with you for the win?
BUSCH: "Our Banfield Camry was real awesome today. We had a great race car. My guys made some awesome adjustments to it. It was really good for us to have an opportunity to run and race for the win like that."
Q: Carl said maybe he felt a little bit differently about it because you both had wins, because you both were already in the Chase. Do you feel like these races are different with both of you holding a win?
BUSCH: "My guys give me great race cars each and every week. We continue to have fast Camrys. We'll be continuing to run up front and race for wins."
Those were Busch's answers, verbatim, and really, you can't blame him a bit.
It was a great race but a tough way to lose and he showed maturity by not going off afterward.
Of course, that said, you never know if or how this incident will affect team chemistry.
Add this one to the growing list of storylines to a so far very compelling 2016 NASCAR season.
