Aric Almirola is none too happy with Kyle Busch. There is no evidence the two are friends, but after Sunday’s NASCAR race at Martinsville there is little doubt they never will be.
Solidly in NASCAR’s Playoffs, Busch had been struggling all race long. But with the laps winding down he was trying to get inside the top 10. On lap 360, he got together with Aric Almirola. The two came together exiting turn 4 and slammed the frontstretch wall. Both cars spun in opposite directions with Almirola’s Ford taking a hit form the Chevy of Jimmie Johnson. Both cars were done for the day.
“He chopped me getting down into three,” Almirola said. “I tried to squeeze in front of him in the spring on one of the restarts , he about wrecked me in turn 3 and it was returned to him and he didn’t like it and he ran me up over the curb and we got hooked together and ruined our day.”
“I had a really good Smithfield Ford Mustang and felt like we were maybe one adjustment away from being maybe a second or third-place car, felt like we were really close.”
Busch was able to avoid heavy damage and held on to finish 14th.
Almirola was scored 37th.
“Frustrated,” Almirola said. “We’ve got three more weeks and I’m going to make it hell for him.”
Busch had little to say after the race.
“He ran over me, so I chopped him, and we got hooked together,” Busch said tersely.
As for Almirola’s threat?
“Sounds good.” Busch said.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- Biffle, Dorton, Sprague join NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025 nominees for the first time - April 24, 2024
- NASCAR will experiment with different tire compounds for the first time at All-Star Race - April 23, 2024
- Legacy Motor Club reserve driver Corey Heim to sub for Erik Jones at Dover - April 23, 2024