Kyle Busch Not Taking Any Prisoners
Daytona Beach, FL (AHN) - Kyle Busch knows he's in the final races with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates and is apparently not taking any prisoners.
Kyle Busch, currently NASCAR's top free agent, said he felt alienated during team meetings and questioned his team's strategy after giving up the lead on a pit stop late in Saturday's Kyle Busch race.
Comments made to SpeedTV this weekend certainly didn't help his situation at Hendrick.
"I'm not helping anybody but myself and this team for winning races. And I'm not helping Jeff Gordon. I'm not helping Jimmie Johnson or Casey Mears. They are able to go back and see what I run and that kind of stuff. But for me, it's just to go out there and to try to win races and keep winning with my name," Kyle Busch said. "My (public) perception has been horrible since I came into this sport, so it doesn't really even matter any more."
Kyle Busch said he has felt ostracized from the team ever since last month's announcement that he would be replaced next year by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports.
After taking runner-up honors at Daytona two weeks ago, the 22-year old Kyle Busch said he didn't feel like he had any teammates and accused Jeff Gordon of blowing him off. Last week Jeff Gordon said he was doing a live television interview when Kyle Busch grabbed his shoulders and gave Kyle Busch a thumbs-up instead of interrupting the interview.
Team owner Rick Hendrick has not been pleased by some of Kyle Busch's comments.
"It just doesn't make sense to me," Hendrick told USA Today. "We're working as hard as we can."
There was a report that Kyle Busch would be signing with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as early as this week, but Hendrick confirmed that the rumor is false.
Kyle Busch has said he would listen to all interested parties, including Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Joe Gibbs Racing and Evernham Motorsports. He's also gone on record as saying he could decide on a new team for next season within two to six weeks.
"We're looking at the pros and cons of everything," Kyle Busch said. "That's why it takes so long to decide,'' Kyle Busch told The Associated Press. "(We're) just still working with some of the teams and organizations to see what's out there and see what all we can work on further," Kyle Busch said. "No decisions - not quite to the point where we need to let anything out."
See more at www.allheadlinenews.com
