Tony Stewart checks on Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne following crash
Kyle Busch hits the wall as Kasey Kahne (9) spins into the path of Jeff Burton in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
Tony Stewart says that he spoke with Kyle Busch Tuesday to make sure that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was doing well following Saturday's final-lap crash during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/driver said he first wanted to make sure that Busch was OK before discussing the incident that occurred between the pair as they battled for the lead on the final lap. After contact between them, Busch spun into the wall, then onto Kasey Kahne's car and then across the pack of cars, creating carnage as Stewart took the lead and the checkered flag. Busch exited the track without comment.
"When something like that happens, you want to make sure that both guys are on the same page with what happened, and we definitely were," Stewart said. "I mean, there was no question on either one of our parts of what happened. I mean, we were instantly on the same page with it. It's just part of racing. But it was something that happened before that phone call even happened, and I've mentioned it to Kyle and even kind of laughed about it was the fact that everybody has made such a big deal about this all of a sudden happening.
“A good friend of mine reminded me of the very first TV race, the very first 500 that they showed on national TV, and it was Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough, same type of incident on the backstretch for the win. What happened this weekend, what happened at Talladega [with Carl Edwards flipping], none of this is new, and I think it's our responsibility to educate everybody that, 'Hey, this isn't something that this is the first time this has happened. This is something that's been going on for a long time.' There's little differences here and there about how the accident happened, but David Pearson and Richard Petty coming off of Turn 4 and both of their cars crashed and who could get it started and get it limped across the start/finish line to win."
Stewart says the only variable that has really changed in the nature of the restrictor-plate races is how many cars are involved in an incident. While it used to be two, now it's more because drivers are racing in such tight packs.
"Kyle knew that my job was to get to his quarter panel, he was trying to move up to defend his spot, and nobody in his position would have just stayed there and let somebody drive back by him," Stewart said Wednesday. "You've got to do something, and he wasn't trying to wreck us. He was just trying to make me make a move to slow me down. It was good to have that conversation with him yesterday. I was glad he wasn't hurt. And I got a chance to see Kasey last night and make sure he wasn't hurt, as well. It was good to touch base and make sure we were all on the same page, which we were."
