Fresh off his week-long suspension for a separate run-in with a reporter, Kurt Busch was at it again at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday.
Busch had been advised by Sprint Cup team owner James Finch to refrain from speaking to reporters. However, after placing third in Saturday’s Nationwide race at the track, Busch by rule had to make a mandatory press conference appearance. That’s when Busch and ESPN’s Marty Smith had a tense exchange of words. Here’s ESPN.com:
As he waited to be interviewed, an MRN Radio pit reporter said on the live broadcast that Busch left the top-five area without interviewing.
Busch was told of the comment and replied, “That’s what everybody says, don’t they.”
Busch then left the room to cool off. Several reporters, including Smith, with a camera crew, followed. Busch then told Smith to come over with his camera. When Smith got there, Busch said he wasn’t doing interviews there, adding, “You ever hear of sarcasm?”
That led to a brief exchange during which Busch said, “You don’t know how long I’ve been working on this.”
Busch eventually returned to face the media, albeit with a terse attitude. “It was great to drive the car,” he said when asked how it felt to return from suspension. And then: “It was a great finish, all in all. The restart before the final one, I was on the inside and went from third to eighth, and then the restart on the final one, I went from eighth back up to third.”
Busch has a well-documented past of losing his temper. Maybe somebody should teach this guy how to take deep breaths.
Photo: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
