Kyle Busch Unleashes Raw Thoughts on Christopher Bell After Fierce COTA Showdown: ‘Last Year’s Butthead Got Me This Time’
Kyle Busch didn’t hold back when reflecting on his intense battle with Christopher Bell during the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 2, 2025. The two-time champion, driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, came agonizingly close to snapping his 60-race winless streak, only to see Bell snatch victory in the final laps. What followed was a candid post-race take where Busch flipped the script on their rivalry—and owned up to his own missteps.
The race was a rollercoaster for Busch, who dominated much of the day, leading a race-high 42 laps on the reconfigured 2.3-mile road course. But a late caution on lap 78—triggered by Denny Hamlin slamming into Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet—erased Busch’s commanding six-second lead. On the restart, Bell, piloting the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with fresher tires, pounced. By lap 90, he overtook Busch in Turn 1 and held off challenges from William Byron and Tyler Reddick to secure his second straight win of the 2025 season. Busch, struggling with tire wear, faded to fifth, crossing the finish line nearly six seconds behind.
In a post-race interview with NASCAR’s Kaitlyn Vincie, Busch tipped his hat to Bell’s masterful move while taking a playful jab at their history. “I’ll give Christopher credit where it’s due—he ran me hard, and I was a complete butthead out there,” Busch said. “Last year, the No. 20 was the butthead; this year, it was me.” The comment harked back to the 2024 COTA race, where Bell spun Busch out in a controversial clash that sparked a heated exchange between the two. This time, Busch admitted his own aggressive tactics backfired.
“I wish we’d had a bit more at the end,” Busch lamented. “Those two-lap fresher tires on the 20 made the difference. That yellow killed us—I was saving my tires, running my lines, and had a gap. Then it all went away.” Despite the loss, Busch praised Bell’s execution: “Good job to the 20 bunch, but man, I wish it was us in Victory Lane.” For Bell, the win marked his 11th career Cup Series triumph and solidified his hot start to 2025, following his Atlanta victory the previous week.
Busch’s fifth-place finish, while a letdown after leading so dominantly, was his second consecutive top-10 result—a glimmer of consistency not seen since September 2024. Still, the sting of defeat lingered for the veteran, whose last Cup win came on June 4, 2023, at Gateway. As he heads to Phoenix next, Busch’s unfiltered reflection revealed both respect for his rival and frustration with a missed golden opportunity at COTA.
