CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch, to be clear, was only venting when he said he'd be knocked out of the playoffs this round.
The reigning Cup champion insisted he was frustrated and flippant when he wrote off his season. “I wouldn’t be continuing to go to the racetrack each and every week and pouring my heart and soul into this and taking time away from my family if I didn’t care,” Busch said. "That’s tongue-in-cheek talk and should be known as that, coming from me, obviously. "It is what it is, and we’re going to go on this week and fight like hell and try to make it through.”Here he is on the verge of elimination headed into Sunday's race on the hybrid road course-oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.