Kyle Busch sends unfiltered message about former ‘butthead’ Christopher Bell in the wake of their intense COTA fight

Following Sunday’s race at COTA, Kyle Busch sent a message to fellow racer Christopher Bell, recalling last year’s conflict at the road course in Austin, Texas. This happened just one day after Busch called himself a “butthead” during a post-race interview with Kaitlyn Vincie of FOX Sports.

Last year, Bell spun Busch while trying to get the upper hand. The move infuriated the Richard Childress Racing driver, who stormed into Bell’s lane, confronting him about the same after the race. The encounter went viral as the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion voiced his displeasure.

Remembering the incident, Busch posted recently on X (formerly known as Twitter),

“Last year the #20 was the butthead. This year it was me. GG @CBellRacing.”

Busch was looking to snap his winless streak, the tally for which stood at 59 on Sunday morning. He battled Bell’s No. 20 Camry during Stage 3, and at one point, it seemed like he was going to win.

However, Bell was on fresher tires and a two-lap lead at the time. As a result, the Joe Gibbs Racing ace was able to pass Busch without wrecking him on the way. When asked about it, Bell said,

“I didn’t want to do that again. And I wasn’t going to put myself in jeopardy to make contact and ruin his race.”

Nevertheless, Busch earned his first top-five of the season in the 95-lap event, while Bell bagged his second consecutive win. The latter won at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week, making the playoffs in back-to-back years.

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Kyle Busch reveals what more he needed to win his first Cup Series race in years

The late caution during the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA was what allowed Christopher Bell to get close to Kyle Busch in the first place. But there was something else that gave Bell an edge over the veteran racer.

It was a pair of new tires that Bell’s team had installed during the previous pit stop. Busch was running on older tires and thus failed to keep up with Bell, who slowly but methodically passed him with only five laps to go.

Speaking of the same, Busch told Brett Winningham of Speedway Digest,

“That was it on pushing the car. I just wish we had equal tires to the 20. Once we had that yellow, you're just in defense mode. Hated the contact in two and three bent the toe link.”

That being said, Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell will now prepare for next week’s (March 9) race at Phoenix Raceway, also home to the coveted Championship 4 race. Fans can watch the 312-lap event on Fox Sports 1 or listen to its live radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 3:30 pm ET onwards.