It’s the thought that counts…right?

  Saturday May 2 was Kyle Busch’s birthday, but other than his win in the Russ Freidman 400, the presents were nothing to write home about.  “Everyone was giving me cake,” he said. “I was like ‘What are you all trying to do, make me fat? I’ve already gained 20 pounds in the last year. Shoot! Quit it! … My brother (Kurt) gave me a 12 pack of Miller Lite and all he said he wanted in return was a pack of M&Ms. He’s a big spender for sure.”

You don’t race with your buddies

  Folks at Southside Speedway booed Kyle Busch Thursday night in a charity race, mostly stemming from the incident last year at Richmond with Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Why the long memory? Reutimann explains:

  “Obviously, if you’re a driver and you run over Junior, you’re going to have a bad day with fans no matter what the race track you’re at … I don’t have a problem with him. He’s the same with everybody. If he’s the same with everybody, it’s hard to say a whole lot.”

I’ve been known to wear black

  Reutimann said he konws a little bit about what it’s like to walk in Kyle Buschs;s shoes. “I’ve had people throw beer at me and cuss at me and threaten to wait for me in the parking lot. I’ve sat in my car in the trailer with the window up waiting for my crew to get there so people didn’t come in and beat on my head with a jack handle. That’s at a local level.”

I’m not a fan

  The post-race press conference quickly turned into a popularity contest between team owner Joe Gibbs and driver Kyle Busch.

  “I always feel at home because there’s a lot of Redskin fans here,” Gibbs said of Richmond.

  However, Busch said his popularity might not be as strong at RIR, especially after last year’s tangle with the #88 car. “I wish there were as many Kyle Busch fans as there are Redskin fans around here.”

  “That’s a good comment you have in yourself,” Gibbs countered. “Surely we’re all here to see me.”
Hey good looking

  Before one reporter asked a question of Joe Gibbs, he had to point out his affiliation. “Happy to see you Coach Gibbs even though I’m a Cowboys’ fan,” the reporter said.

  As the former head coach of the Washington Redskins, Gibbs was un-phased but pointed out the reporter’s deficiencies. “I always say you’re too good looking to be a Cowboys’ fan.”

Hey stupid!

  Even with a second place finish in the Russ Friedman 400, Tony Stewart was not above sniping at the competition. “There were some guys that were less than impressive to be around tonight,” he said. “I guess that seems like as time goes on there is less etiquette and less give and take and more idiots out there than we have ever had before.”

And my other car is a….

  While most NASCAR drivers’ have speedy cars at home, it’s doubtful that few could match that of Greg Biffle. Recently Biffle has started seeing what his 2007 Shelby GT 500 Mustang will do on a quarter-mile drag strip. 

  And while Biffle’s engine is stock, he admits to making some improvements. “It’s a secret what’s under the hood but it’s a stock Ford engine,” he said. “It comes factory with a supercharger on it and I just changed the supercharger.”

  But Biffle didn’t quite stop there. “…and put exhaust on it…and I had a computer guy that works on my car, work with the computer deal,” he said. “But other than that I’ve never taken a valve cover off of it. It’s pretty amazing that a car from the factory will run 10 flat quarter mile, close to 150 mph.”

  And just how much power does Biffle’s car have? “It makes probably low 800s at the rear tires,” he said. “It’s a pretty cool car.” But Biffle realized he forgot something. “Yeah, I have nitrous on it too,” he added. “I had the bottle unhooked when I went 10 flat. I just had a small- it only has 50 horsepower spray on it. The car’s too uncontrollable to put the spray on it with the size of tire I have on it. I’ve got just a nine-and-a-half inch tire on it… plus I’ve got a stock clutch and transmission in it so I’m a little bit worried about breaking it.  It made 874 horsepower with the bottle on the chassis though.”

  Even with so much power, Biffle says he drives it on the street. “I can shut the air conditioning off and race the guy next to me,” he said.

One hell of a question

  At least one reporter in Richmond seemed to come up with an explanation on how Brad Keselowski managed to pull out the win at Talladega.

  “You’ve had just an awful time in the Nationwide Series and come back…” the reporter asked. “Did you sell your soul to the devil? What turned it around?”

  Keselowski answered with a query of his own. “Is that like a Joe Namath question?”

Don’t leave me hanging

  During the Nationwide race at Talladega, Matt Kenseth had the misfortune of having his car flip. Though Kenseth’s car landed back on its wheels, one reporter in Richmond asked what he would have done if the car had stayed on its roof. “I’m going to try to get out,” he said. “I’m not going to sit there. I’m going to try to get out.”

Edwards quacks up

  The national media was focused on driver Carl Edwards after his spectacular crash at Talladega. As a result, Edwards was busier than normal coming to Richmond. “We got to do a lot of media this week but not for the reasons I wanted,” he said. “I’m just happy I didn’t have to use my Aflac insurance and I’m good.”

‘The Wreck’take-two

  This past week, talk shows buzzed about the incredible wreck at Talladega involving Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. While both drivers expressed their views on the accident, one man other driver that had a close look at what happened was Ryan Newman.

  Newman was driving the car that was underneath Edwards before it was propelled into the fence.

  Newman, who has seen few replays of the crash said he was shocked. “I saw it firsthand, so, I mean it was scary then.”

  On Monday morning following the race, Newman got a better look at his wrecked car. “The windshield was folded in about four inches I would say,” he said. “That means it moved in farther than that and sprung back to where it is. So it was pretty close to the steering wheel, obviously still a good foot away from my head. But either way, it was a scary situation. I’m glad that Carl was in the position that he was. If I would have took all his car load, it would have came in farther on me.”

Who needs the fame?

  While driver Clint Bowyer is known for making notable quotes, when it comes to personal fame he is happy with his present level of notoriety. “I like it,” he said. “I’m gone enough from home. I guess if you were too famous, if I was like Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. I would have to make too many appearances everywhere. I kind of like making appearances on the home front.

What’re you talking about?

  Kyle Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington had to address the fact that the radio communication between driver and the pit appeared to be about anything but the race itself. “We talk about In-and-Out Burger and doing dinners and stuff like that,” Addington said. “It doesn’t bother me. It keeps the pressure of me. He’s not screaming at me.”

  Busch explained why he covers such a diverse array of topics over the radio. “It’s nice to relieve the pressure and stuff,” he said. “During the middle of the race there when I got into it with the #88 nobody said nothing there for a while and I’m like, ‘Well, damn, they must all be mad at me or something. Sorry.’”

Midlothian Exchange sports editor Sara Page contributed to this article.