Page 15 - aruba-today-20220422

A15
sports Friday 22 april 2022
Kyle Busch steadily cementing a Hall of Fame NASCAR career

By JENNA FRYER pecting their first daughter
AP Auto Racing Writer via a surrogate — Busch’s
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A focus is on winning more
cascade of boos rained Cup titles.
down on Kyle Busch follow- He knows he backed into
ing his surprise win at Bristol the Bristol win, his first in a
Motor Speedway, a mo- season that has six top-10
ment that reminded him of finishes through nine races.
the icy reception the late He doesn’t believe the No.
Dale Earnhardt received 18 Toyota team is where it
after a controversial 1999 needs to be to contend for
win at the track. the title just yet.
But this wasn’t even close “We got a lot of work to
to that. Earnhardt wrecked do to win more races and
leader Terry Labonte out of be in contention each and
his way and shrugged it off: every week,” Busch said. “I
“I didn’t mean to turn him feel like I’m in the prime of
around, I meant to rattle his my career and I would love
cage.” Driver Kyle Busch celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, April 17, 2022, to be running up front and
Busch had done nothing of in Bristol, Tenn. Associated Press dominating and winning
the sort. He was comfort- races and contending for
ably in third on the final lap “To me, it’s a long time, Cup victories, is closest to Rick Hendrick cut him loose championships. That’s our
of Sunday night’s race at 18 years,” he said. “The Busch among active driv- to sign Dale Earnhardt Jr. ultimate goal.”
dirt-covered track. It was biggest thing to me is just ers; Busch, a two-time Cup Gibbs grabbed the Next up is Talladega Super-
Chase Briscoe who spun having that opportunity champion, is the only ac- 22-year-old ahead of the speedway, where Busch
into leader Tyler Reddick, and being thankful for my tive driver with multiple 2008 season and Busch has has just one victory, in 2008.
and all Busch did was slip chances with Joe Gibbs titles. undoubtedly put together He’s not counting on past
through the smoke for the Racing.” His journey started first with a Hall of Fame career. He experience in what should
60th victory of his Cup Se- Busch thanked longtime Jack Roush, who had older has 325 victories across be a hectic race with NAS-
ries career. sponsors M&M’s and Inter- brother Kurt Busch under NASCAR’s three national CAR’s new Next Gen race-
With the checkered flag in state Batteries, as well as contract, and Kurt swore series and “retired” from car.
his hand, Busch laughed the leadership at JGR be- the driver seven years his Xfinity Series racing at the “It’s such a crapshoot
at the crowd reaction: “I ginning with Hall of Fame junior was going to be bet- end of last season when he there in the last 20, 30 or 40
mean, man, I feel like Dale team owner Joe Gibbs for ter than him. Roush gave crossed the 100-win thresh- laps that you never really
Earnhardt Sr. right now. This “having my back over this Kyle Busch some Truck Se- old with 102. know who is going to win,
is awesome. I didn’t do long a time, keeping me in ries starts when he was 16, He still races the five Truck what’s going to happen,
anything.” the seat.” but by the time he turned Series events NASCAR per- and where the wreck is go-
What the crowd didn’t re- Busch ranks ninth on the all- 18 and was approved to mits for his Kyle Busch Mo- ing to come from,” Busch
alize is that Busch’s ninth time wins list, but the Bristol race at higher levels, he’d torsports team, though he is said. “You’ve just got to do
career Cup win at Bristol win moved him 17 victories been snagged by Hendrick winless through his first three what you can in order to let
had just earned him a spot away from the Earnhardt, Motorsports. starts this season. these races kind of fall into
in NASCAR’s record books. the late seven-time cham- Busch won with Hendrick Now 36 and awaiting the place, and sometimes it’s
The victory tied Busch with pion and member of the but he was immature and, birth of his second child — just worth taking the finish
Hall of Famer Richard Petty first NASCAR Hall of Fame like his big brother, rather Busch and wife, Samantha, that’s coming to you and
with at least one win in 18 class alongside Petty. Kev- temperamental. He lasted have publicly struggled moving on and going to
consecutive seasons. in Harvick, with 58 career just three seasons before with infertility and are ex- the next one.”q

Ex-tennis pro Shriver: ‘damaging’

relationship with coach

LONDON (AP) — Former Candy died in 2020. nals before losing the title
professional tennis player “I still have conflicted feel- match to Chris Evert.
Pam Shriver, now a tele- ings about Don. Yes, he Shriver, who is from Mary-
vision commentator for and I became involved in land, would later team
ESPN and the BBC, says she a long and inappropriate with Navratilova to win
“had an inappropriate and affair. Yes, he was cheating 21 Grand Slam trophies in
damaging relationship with on his wife. women’s doubles.
my much older coach” But there was a lot about In Wednesday’s piece,
that began when she was him that was honest and Shriver writes her “main
17 and he was 50. authentic. And I loved motivation is to let peo- Pam Shriver speaks during a news conference introducing
In a first-person account him,” she says. “Even so, he ple know this still goes on the 2015 inductees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in
published Wednesday by was the grown-up here. He — a lot. I believe abusive Newport, R.I., Saturday, July 18, 2015.
British newspaper The Tele- should have been the trust- coaching relationships are Associated Press
graph, Shriver describes worthy adult.” alarmingly common in sport tor.” says.
a “painful and emotional Shriver, who is now 59, as a whole. My particular “Every time I hear about a Shriver says coming for-
journey” that included turned pro in 1979, a year expertise, though, is in ten- player who is dating their ward may help some
what she writes was a re- after she made it to the nis, where I have witnessed coach, or I see a male younger players and “help
lationship with coach Don U.S. Open singles final at dozens of instances in my physio working on a female coaches to understand
Candy that lasted a little age 16. She beat Martina four-and-a-bit decades as body in the gym, it sets my that they need to not cross
more than five years. Navratilova in the semifi- a player and commenta- alarm bells ringing,” she that boundary.”q