tool name
closeSome communication might have helped, Kyle Busch says
Hendrick driver unaware of team's efforts
until he heard radiio report on way to airport
JIM UTTER / The Chaarlotte Observer
Thursday, Apr. 19, 2007
AVONDALE, Ariz. – A contrite Kyle Busch took at least partial blame for the miscommunication that led to his leaving the track last week, while his Hendrick Motorsports team repaired his No. 5 Chevrolet and was searching for a driver.
“I assumed the car was finished, that there was too extensive damage to fix it. I took that as an indication we were done for the day, went to the hauler and changed my clothes,” Busch said Thursday.
“I never had a team member or anybody say they we were trying to get back out. We just never talked with each other after the incident.”
Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were caught up in an accident at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend that started when Tony Stewart spun exiting Turn 4. When Busch’s team realized they could still pick up a position on the track, they went looking for a replacement driver and got Earnhardt Jr. to drive the car.
“I heard about it on the radio on my way to the airport to get on the team plane,” he said. “I don’t think I let my teammates down and they tell me I didn’t let them down.
“We’ve talked about it as a team and consider it a non-issue. There needs to be more communication, not only from the team, but from myself. I need to go to the team to see if we plan on getting back out. That was partially my problem.”
Busch said the No. 5 had a team meeting this week to talk about the situation. “I don’t think we’ll have any more problems in the future,” he said.