"I didn't say that tonight" - When Kurt Busch confronted reporter over 'in your head' remark about rival NASCAR driver
Kurt Busch once confronted a reporter about misquoting him after a race on pit road. Busch said he didn’t say what the reporter claimed he did about rival Jimmie Johnson, daring her to pull out her sources on social media.
Busch is an American professional racing driver who last competed in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with 23XI Racing. The incident happened during a race weekend at Richmond Raceway in September 2011 when the now 46-year-old was still driving for Penske Racing.
During a post-race press conference at Richmond Raceway, Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer asked Kurt Busch about his statement on Jimmie Johnson saying he thought he was in his rival’s head. The No. 22 driver denied the statement and confronted the reporter.
“Jimmy, after the race on pit road when you and Kurt were both asked to discuss what had happened, Kurt said that he thought he’s in your head…” Fryer asked Jimmie Johnson. [0:45]
Busch cut the reporter and said:
“I didn’t say that tonight.”
The Las Vegas native continued lashing out at Fryer after the reporter said she would pull the transcript.
“Pull your Twitter… Facebook.”
After Saturday’s press conference, Busch went up to the reporter and tore the transcript before leaving.
A few days later, the driver said he apologized to Fryer and NASCAR reporter Joe Menzer who had a physical altercation with him after the race.
The 2011 Wonderful Pistachios 400 from Richmond Raceway saw Busch and then five-time champion Johnson taking each other out on track. Busch first spun Johnson on lap 185 before the Hendrick Motorsports driver retaliated and spun his rival after rejoining the race.
The Richmond stop was the final race before the Chase for the Sprint. Both drivers made the cut-off but Tony Stewart was crowned the champion that season.
Kurt Busch once told Jimmie Johnson to humble himself
Ahead of Jimmie Johnson’s debut in the Indy 500 in 2022, Kurt Busch offered his old rival some advice. He told Johnson to be humble and enter the race with a rookie mindset.
In an interview with Motorsport, Busch, who attempted the double in 2014, said:
“Jimmie will have to be humble and open to the idea of being a rookie again.”
The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion also told Jimmie Johnson to understand the car better during practice and qualifying, recalling his crash in practice at the 2014 Indy 500.
“But I’d say in my case, the wreck was a good lesson, because if I hadn’t made that mistake in practice, I’d have done it early in the race instead, and it would have been a disaster," Busch said.
When Busch attempted the double in 2014, the driver finished sixth at the Indy 500 but had to settle for a DNF at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte due to an engine failure. Meanwhile, Johnson’s Indy 500 debut saw him crash his car on lap 194 after qualifying 12th.