"I don't think those two really like each other": Kyle Busch makes his opinion clear on Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace's rivalry

Kyle Busch recently weighed in on Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman's heated clash during the Chicago Street Race. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the two-time Cup Series champion suggested that deeper tensions may be simmering beneath the surface.

Busch zeroed in on the cost of such confrontations, especially when playoff spots hang in the balance. He's endured his share of intra-series rivalries over the years and pointed to Wallace's bracket matchup with Bowman in NASCAR's In-Season Challenge as a possible trigger:

"I think him (Bubba) and Bowman were going against each other for the bracket challenge for the weekend, and so he was trying to hold back the 48 as much as he could, even though the 48 was on fresher tires. Just block 'em and knock 'em out of the way. They were being rough with one another, literally for that." (0:07 onwards)

To understand the tension between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace, one needs to go back years, to the 2018 Roval dirt race that ended with Wallace splashing water in Bowman's face post-race. That set the tone for an up-and-down relationship that's regularly combusted at road courses.

Heading into Chicago, the two were seeded against each other in Round 2 of NASCAR's bracket-style $1 million In-Season Challenge. Bowman's 48 Chevrolet chased down Wallace for seventh in the final laps with fresher tires. The latter defended his position and slammed into Bowman's door, and moments later, Bowman retaliated, spinning Wallace on Turn 2.

Bowman eventually finished eighth and advanced to the third round of the Challenge to face Ty Dillon. Wallace, five laps down in 28th, was eliminated and, perhaps more critically, lost out on playoff points. Despite the heavy contact and playoff consequences, the Bowman-Wallace post-race confrontation was calm. The fact was not lost on Kyle Busch, who's already out of the competition.

"I think Bubba just sort of conceded to the fact of like, he was doing all that he could to try to prohibit the 48 from passing them. So, not as much drama afterwards, as many of us thought was going to happen there, I don't think those two really like each other all that well. There's been a few times over the years they've run over one another," he added (1:07 onwards).

That tone may signal growth, but both will carry scars from the Chicago dust-up into the next seven weeks. For Kyle Busch, the takeaway was simple: when your playoff life is on the line, sometimes restraint wins the war, even if you lose the battle.

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Playoff implications grow sharper for Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace (23), Alex Bowman (48), and Kyle Busch (18) during the 2023 GEICO 500. Source: Getty

The margin for error is shrinking, not just for Bubba Wallace, but for Kyle Busch himself. With just seven regular season races left, the playoff cut line is beginning to harden. Alex Bowman now sits +39 above it, Wallace is barely holding on at +2, and Busch, after finishing fifth in Chicago, remains 46 points below the line.

For Wallace, the margin was razor-thin before the Grant Park 165. One week after Bowman helped him with a crucial push at Nashville, Wallace's attempt to return the favor with aggression at Chicago may have backfired spectacularly. The risk wasn't entirely unjustified. With 12 different winners already, every point matters in the wild-card chase for the final NASCAR playoff slots.

But Busch's comments highlighted the stark reality when he said:

"But, I'm one of those guys where I'm like, 'You got to finish too, right? Like, there's a race within a race, but you got to focus on the bigger grand scheme of things which is going out there and finishing the race and being able to score as many points as you can. If you're not going to win, he wants to point his way into the playoffs. So, that was definitely a hit in their book of not being able to get a good finish." (0:26 onwards)

The stakes will only intensify from here. Two road courses (Sonoma and Watkins Glen) and two short tracks (Richmond and Iowa) remain on the schedule. The other two races are on superspeedways at Indianapolis and Daytona. For drivers without a win, the playoff math will become increasingly difficult by the week.

Kyle Busch (18) at the finish line after winning the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma. Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch is staring down a 76-race winless drought. His 2024 campaign was the first winless full season of his career. Sonoma may offer a reprieve. He's got 2 wins and 9 top-10s in 19 starts at the 2.52-mile California road course.