Kyle Busch had a strong start to the 2019 season. Of course, we all know how it ended — with his second championship. That's jumping forward a bit, though. By mid-April, Busch already had two Cup wins in the regular season, one of which helped him to reach his 200th victory milestone across all three of NASCAR's national series. Obviously, not every race that year culminated in a Victory Lane celebration. But, if you've followed Busch for a while, you know that he probably hates losing more than he likes winning. And, when he's losing, pretty much anyone can be the target of his ire, whether it be an opponent, a teammate, or even a pit crew member.
It's not that Busch doesn't shoulder some of the blame for losing on himself, but he is also a big fan of venting his frustrations on his team radio to pretty much anyone who will listen. And, during the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch did plenty of venting.
Busch's frustration reached its peak following a massive communication breakdown that caused him to completely miss the pit box ahead of a planned refueling. This flub led to Busch absolutely tearing into his pit crew, particularly his crew chief Adam Stevens and his spotter Tony Hirschman. As you're about to hear, Kyle Busch isn't afraid to let the F-bombs fly.
This excerpt of the heated exchange between Busch, Hirschman, and Stevens pretty much captures the tone of the No. 18 team that day at Texas.
Busch: What the f***, man?! G** d*** it!
Hirschman: I don't know what the confusion was there. That was the normal countdown.
Busch: I was gonna do opposite of majority just to f***ing get off-cycle. You were talking on the radio when Tony was supposed to call me from 10 away and five away, so I never f***ing saw the f***ing pit.
Hirschman: Gonna be at the back of these guys here.
Busch: No s***, Sherlock.
Stevens: Put your feathers back in order here. Go racing.
Busch, who ended up placing 10th at Texas, would go on to rack up three more Cup wins and a number of top-10 finishes to secure his second Cup title. So, by the end of the season, Kyle's Joe Gibbs Racing crew was enjoying a lot more positive feedback and congratulatory words than profanity-laced rants. Still, Kyle Busch's blow-up at Texas wasn't his first, and it definitely won't be his last.
