Kyle Busch’s “Intentional” Backward Driving Has Former Rival Drawings Parallels With Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder

It has not been easy going for Kyle Busch so far this season and Bristol was just another chapter of misery for the 2-time Cup Series champion in 2024. The Richard Childress Racing driver started the season on a strong note, finishing P12 at Daytona and P3 in Atlanta. Things have not gone well since as the former champion has not managed a single top-20 finish in the next three races. Bristol was nothing short of a disaster as he faced both tire and pit road issues.
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However, one of his moments at the Food City 500 was reminiscent of the iconic NASCAR movie ‘Days of Thunder’ which stars Tom Cruise. On a recent episode of the ‘Happy Hour’ podcast, Rowdy’s former rival Kevin Harvick brought up the similarities between the two situations.
Kyle Busch has his Hollywood moment at Bristol Motor Speedway
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The incident took place towards the end of the first stage when Kyle Busch’s right rear tire had completely been damaged. The driver of the #8 car wanted to make it to the pits as the stage ended but was just unable to do so, bringing out the yellow flag. As he made his way to the pits, Rowdy was seen reversing his #8 car before turning it around. It was a lot like when Tom Cruise did the same in the movie.
“That’s a lot of downshifting to put it into reverse and neutral, it’s definitely intentional. It’s like that Days of Thunder moment, “Harry, put the tires back on my car. Put the tires on my car.” It’s gonna come down to one of those moments where he’s gonna drive out of the pits and stuff right into the side of the pace car or something,” Harvick said.
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Speaking to the media after the race, the #8 Richard Childress Racing driver said that tire issues forced him to do damage control instead of going for the race win. Considering where Kyle Busch found himself at the end of the first stage, that was already out of the question.
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Rowdy does well with damage control after massive tire wear issues
Throughout the day, the RCR star faced issues with his right rear tire. That is what caused him to spin in stage 1 and he suffered another spin later on in the race. Considering the fact that he managed to finish P25 despite these issues and an incident in the pits, it was quite an impressive performance. However, the results must get better if he wants to become a 3-time Cup Series champion.
“Today was one of those days where you just try to survive and get the best finish you can. Our FICO Chevrolet was good at the beginning of the race and we were able to work our way into the lead. The right-side tire wear was a huge factor and unfortunately led to me spinning out a couple of times,” Kyle Busch said after the race as per Motorsports Wire.
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It will be intriguing to see how the Richard Childress Racing driver performs in the upcoming months as he looks to cement his legacy as one of the greatest racers of the modern era in the Cup Series with a third championship victory.