Kyle Busch had one of the strongest cars in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, leading 42 laps—the most of any driver. However, he fell short of leading the one that mattered most.
The two-time Cup Series champion looked like a top contender to snap his 59-race winless streak. In the final stage, he found himself battling against his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Christopher Bell, for the win.
As the race neared its conclusion, many fans were reminded of the 2024 event at COTA, where Bell spun Busch. That incident frustrated Busch, who immediately confronted Bell on pit road after the race. Their intense exchange quickly went viral.
One year later, Bell was once again chasing Busch at the same track. This time, however, the stakes were even higher, as they fought for the lead. Bell made several unsuccessful passing attempts and nearly made contact with Busch’s car a few times.
Ultimately, Bell kept his racing clean, managed to pass Busch, and held off William Byron to secure the victory—his second consecutive win after triumphing in Atlanta the previous week.
On Monday, Busch took to X to share a clip from his post-race interview, acknowledging Bell’s clean driving and jokingly calling himself the “butthead” this time around. He tagged Bell and wrote, “GG @CBellRacing.”
Despite last year’s on-track incident and confrontation, Busch and Bell have a long-standing relationship. Bell previously drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, winning the championship in 2017. Busch reiterated his respect for Bell both in his interview on Sunday and in his post on Monday.
