Ron Hornaday on Kyle Busch - “You’ve got more talent than anybody I’ve seen, but you need to shut up”

In a recent clip shared by Rollin Punches on Instagram, NASCAR veteran Ron Hornaday spoke candidly about his infamous on-track incident with Kyle Busch in 2011. The video is about the fallout from that moment and what happened behind the scenes. It's captioned,

“Ron Hornaday on Kyle Busch and the incident that cost him the 2011 Truck Series Championship”

In the video, Ron Hornaday recounts what happened after Kyle Busch wrecked him under caution during the Truck Series race at Texas in 2011. NASCAR reportedly forced Busch to call Hornaday before allowing him to return to the track.

According to Hornaday, the league made it clear that if Busch didn’t reach out, he would sit out for at least a month. Busch made the call on the Friday before his return, telling Hornaday he didn’t mean to do it. Speaking about Kyle Busch’s skill, the latter said,

“You’ve got more talent than anybody I’ve ever seen. But you need to shut up.”

Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series and running his own team in Truck Series, Busch had already built a record-breaking year in 2011. He racked up 14 wins across NASCAR’s top three series and was No. 1 in the Cup Series in laps led.

During a caution at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, Busch intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday after the two made contact. Busch chased Hornaday down and sent him head-first into the wall under yellow flag conditions. NASCAR immediately parked Busch for the rest of the race weekend. That included the Cup Series race, where he had been a championship contender. The suspension eliminated any real shot he had at the title that year.

M&M’s Mars, Busch’s main sponsor, pulled their branding for the remaining races. Interstate Batteries stepped in for damage control. This whole incident led Busch to finish 12th in points, even after entering the playoffs as a favorite. In total, he had four wins and 14 top-five finishes in the Cup Series that year.

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Kyle Busch posts strong Top 10 finish at Darlington, praises RCR team effort

Kyle Busch, now driving for Richard Childress Racing, grabbed a tenth-place finish at Darlington Raceway during the Goodyear 400. On social media, Busch shared his appreciation for his team’s effort, posting photos of his family and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet. He wrote on X,

“Hard fought Top 10 today. Proud of the boys for never giving up!👊🏻”

Busch’s performance was solid from the start. He qualified eighth with a time of 28.957 seconds and a top speed of 169.824 mph—his best starting position of the season at the South Carolina track since joining RCR. Unlike several other drivers who ran throwback paint schemes for the weekend, Kyle Busch kept his current livery but was still part of the retro celebrations. Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich ran a tribute to Busch’s 2016 scheme in the Xfinity race.

So far this season, Kyle Busch is ranked 15th in the driver standings with 177 points, behind the leader by 138 points. He has competed in eight races without winning, but he has managed four Top 10 finishes, including one Top 5. Busch hasn’t had a pole position yet and has one DNF to his name. Over the course of the season, he has led a total of 58 laps. His average starting position is 12th, while his average finishing position is at 16.875.