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Kyle Busch plans to race Christopher Bell "harder" until the latter apologizes for their recent incident at Circuit of The Americas.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bell collided with former teammate Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet during the recent NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA. The incident resulted in Busch spinning on Lap 41 and faltering his momentum. While Bell managed to bag a runner-up finish, Busch ended the race in ninth position.
Busch, who was visibly frustrated following the incident, confronted Bell on the pit road after the race. The beef subsequently appeared to be settled when Bell revealed having a conversation with the Richard Childress Racing driver over the phone.
However, Kyle Busch has sent out a message loud and clear for Christopher Bell ahead of the Toyota Owners 400 race at Richmond Raceway a week after their COTA incident.
Busch was queried about his intentions regarding the conversation with Bell while speaking to the media. The 38-year-old said:
"Just to give more of my side then what I said on pit road to have him give a greater understanding into my objectives and what I got going on versus what he might think that he's got going on."
Busch then emphasized his intention to race Bell more aggressively until an apology was extended on the racetrack:
"Run him harder for a little bit until he concedes that he's sorry on the racetrack and then get back to normal.
Kyle Busch feels a lack of gratitude from KBM alum Christopher Bell
Despite being significantly more experienced than Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch has shared a long history with the 29-year-old driver. Bell, in his fifth season in the Cup Series, shared the Joe Gibbs Racing shelter with Busch for two seasons until the latter made a blockbuster move to Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
Bell also made his NASCAR debut from the KBM pipeline, which was owned by none other than The Rowdy himself. He won the 2017 Truck Series championship while piloting the No. 4 Toyota.
When asked if he feels particularly annoyed with Bell's actions given their shared past and a close-knit relationship, Kyle Busch did not mince his words, saying (via NASCAR.com):
"It's definitely frustrating. Especially when they're the KBM alums. When you're racing against guys that have come through KBM and you've helped them along the way and you feel as though they're taking that extra 10% rather than giving a little bit out of respect."
"Obviously Christopher's in a really good stuff and a really good place. and, you know, he needs to understand that," he added.
Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch were involved in a similar incident at COTA in 2022. Reflecting on this history, Busch stopped short of attributing the blame solely to Bell. The 38-year-old said:
"I mean, I wouldn't call it his fault first time but it was contact with him that made the issue two years ago at COTA, and then the last week."
Kyle Busch is ranked 13th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after six races. He has 150 points and a sole top-5 finish in Atlanta. Meanwhile, with 183 points and a victory in Phoenix, Christopher Bell finds himself in seventh position.
