Kyle Busch, Mears at odds
By Bob Pockrass
Sunday, April 23, 2006
AVONDALE, Ariz. - Kyle Busch didn't have much to say and Casey Mears probably didn't feel there was much to say about Busch's running into Mears under the red flag following their accident on lap 100 of the Nextel Cup race Saturday.
Busch was mad at Mears over the accident in the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway and showed his displeasure with the light tap. Busch was about 45 laps down when he returned to the race and NASCAR held him five laps for rough driving, but Busch would have finished in the same position with or without the five-lap penalty.
NASCAR will revisit the issue this week to determine whether any additional penalties are warranted.
After meeting with NASCAR officials in the hauler following the race, Busch left the track without commenting to reporters, and Mears, frustrated with his car even before the Busch tap, was atypically terse.
"I'm not really worried about Kyle," Mears said.
When asked if he was surprised Busch hit him during the red flag, Mears replied: "I'm not surprised with anything he does."
Busch finished 36th on a day where he started on the pole. In a statement released by Chevrolet, Busch said, "I'm a competitor, and I take this seriously. It was just a devastating day."
Crew chief Alan Gustafson spoke on behalf of his driver.
"He was frustrated with Casey," Gustafson said. "They got together here. It was just tight racing. When you're in that race car, sometimes you don't have that whole perspective. It was tight and he was frustrated with Casey."
Gustafson said he did not get any indication of whether the team would be penalized after meeting with NASCAR officials.
"[They said] just that we need to respect the red flag, and I agree with them," Gustafson said. "The No. 1 priority in that situation is the safety of other people and that's what we've got to worry about."
