from a Toyota Racing press conference transcript: Q) How will you race Kasey Kahne? Busch ‘You race him (Kasey Kahne) just has hard as you race him any other week. The first two instances were a mistake, just misjudgment. Kasey admitted it, he had to get on the brakes in Daytona and checked up a little bit and I ran over him. You couldnt really see through the cars in front of you to see what was happening. Daytona I just misjudged, I wanted to pull out and thought last second that I was going to stay in line and push Kasey. I turned him sideways when I was coming back in line. Last week was just hard racing. Youre in the last three laps and youre past the last pit stop and its all about track position. For us, we were racing as hard as we could. He pulled a huge slide job on me in turn three and I got back to his inside and I had been running down there on the flat all night and had been passing lapped cars down there and some of my restarts were even that low on the race track. I didnt think there was going to be a problem and when I got down there I just got tight and pushed up a little bit. Whether or not we touched, I think thats insignificant because Im not racing to wreck Kasey Kahne, but Kasey Kahne did crash because of me so its a part of hard racing at the end of the race and I hate that it keeps being the same guy, but if it were a Matt Kenseth on a Tony Stewart we probably wouldnt see a story.” Q) Have the incidents occurred with Kasey Kahne due to both of you racing up front? Busch ‘Its got some merit to it sure. Being up front racing with a guy, Kasey (Kahne), he won Bristol and I think we finished second to him there and then obviously he ran well at Vegas and he ran well at Kansas. We were up front at Vegas with him and running well there, but you run up front and you try for wins in the last 30 laps and you have to give it everything youve got. Youre not there to rollover and let a guy go. Even the Darlington piece, if I would have let him go, I dont know that I could have got back by him. It was a little difficult to pass and he did seem to have a good car on the long runs so I knew that protecting my spot was what I needed to do at that particular point. Racing up front, racing hard Im sure there would be a moment where it could come back on me and I expect it, its fine. I just told Kasey, I said, ‘Just dont make it hurt too bad.” Q) Are you expecting retaliation from Kasey Kahne? Busch ‘I dont think Kasey (Kahne) is that kind of guy, but if it happens Ill understand.” Q) Have you communicated with Kasey Kahne? Busch ‘We have communicated.”(Toyota Racing)
