RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin came 18 laps from a perfect weekend at Richmond Int’l Raceway.
Kyle Busch was left looking for a police escort out of the track and just might need one for the rest of the year.
Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. battled for the lead over the final 17 laps until the two made contact in turn three with two to go. Earnhardt took a trip to the outside wall, and Busch drew the ire of Junior Nation, which erupted in rage when Earnhardt spun.
“For some reason, they [Earnhardt’s legion of fans] are awfully confused,” Busch said after the race. “They were giving me the No. 1 sign the last 10 laps of the race and I was in second place still. I don’t know if that’s too many Dale, Jr. Budweisers or they’re AMPed up or what.”
Busch made light of the fact that he’s now No. 1 on the Junior- Nation hit list, even though it was in all fairness a “racing deal.”
“Junior and I were just racing hard, and from the front-end replay, it looked like he came down a little bit,” Busch said. “It’s just a part of racing. I probably could have moved down a little bit lower in the corner and he could have moved up higher in the corner. It’s just the product of good, hard racing.”
Earnhardt was a little more pointed.

VIEW POINT: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. answers questions from the media following Saturday night's Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond Int'l Raceway. Earnhardt spun out while leading during the race's final laps. (HHP/Alan Marler Photo)

“Whether it’s fair or not, he [Busch] is going to need some security,” said Earnhardt, who looked absolutely drained. “Tony [Eury, Jr.] said it looked like Kyle got loose underneath me. That happens.
“He got a great run off turn two and nearly got by me. He gave me room off on the outside of turn two, so I wouldn’t say that was intentional going into three. If he had wanted to, he could have just thrown me in the fence off two.
“We had been racing each other earlier and had no problems. I have done that before, and that is what happens if he got loose underneath me.”
Busch bristled a bit when asked if the move was intentional.
“If I wanted to take him out, I probably would have done it on the last lap where I still could have won the race,” Busch said. “It was the product of good, hard racing. I hate that it happened, but we just didn’t give each other enough room.”
Compounding the incident was the fact that Earnhardt was two laps away from breaking a 71-race winless streak — two years ago Saturday, as a matter of fact.
“Sometimes I make mistakes, and other people have to pay for them. Tonight it was the 88 bunch, unfortunately,” Busch said. “If I apologized up and down to them [Junior Nation], it wouldn’t make a difference.”
For Earnhardt, it was a heartbreaking end to what might have been his first victory for Hendrick Motorsports. For Busch, it’s a headache he didn’t need.
“The worst part about it is that I have been priding myself on running good all year and I was in a position for a win,” Earnhardt said. “I ran hard and got wrecked. I had a top-three car and should have finished in the top three. I was going for the win today and just ended up on the hook.”
Busch was between a rock and a hard place.
“I feel like it’s like that,” Busch said. “Everybody probably is racing around the track just scared to death of wrecking Dale, Jr., so why should I be different? You know, that was just a product of good, hard racing. I apologize that it happened and I hate that it did.”
There’s an added element to this tangle: Junior is driving the car that Busch was removed from at the end of last season. Rick Pigeon, who has been with Hendrick Motorsports for many years, came down to Busch’s pit after the race and confronted him.
“If you know Rick Pigeon, you know Rick Pigeon,” Busch said. “He was a friend of mine and has always been a good friend of Dale, Jr.’s, but for him to come down here like that was a little uncalled for. It’s not all about him all the time, and he’ll know what I mean by that.”