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A23
SPORTS Wednesday 18 september 2019
Kyle Busch criticism highlights NASCAR's financial disparity

By JENNA FRYER who have never won Late
AP Auto Racing Writer Model races running on
The massive divide be- the racetrack. It's pathetic.
tween NASCAR's heavy- They don't know where to
weights and the underdog go."
teams just scraping by re- The comments have drawn
ceived renewed atten- sharp criticism, with some
tion following Kyle Busch's saying they came off as
damning assessment of entitled simply because
how backmarkers raced in another driver didn't get
the playoff opener over the out of Busch's way. Some
weekend. responses came from some
Busch rallied from an ear- lesser-known drivers on
ly incident at Las Vegas underfunded teams and
Motor Speedway that helped spark a debate
dropped him two laps off over on-track etiquette
the pace to stunningly po- during the playoffs.
sition himself for a top-five Tommy Joe Martins, an
finish. Instead, he ran into Xfinity Series driver when he
the back of Garrett Smith- can piece together a deal
ley, who was 12 laps down to get in a non-competitive
in 35th place. car, on Tuesday supported Kyle Busch prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sunday,
Busch, the regular-season "my friend" Smithley and Sept. 15, 2019.
champion, dropped to a called him a "really good
19th-place finish and went racecar driver." teams. His break in the Cup ing family, and we certainly had to basically give up the
from first to fourth in the "This fear for any of us driv- Series came with Hendrick didn't have the funds to chance to win races in or-
playoff standings. Clearly ing for a small team: be- Motorsports and he was race. The only race car my der to 'fund' getting the op-
aggravated after Sunday's come a controversy," Mar- then hired at Joe Gibbs parents ever bought was a portunity to race," he con-
race, he was blunt about tins posted on Twitter. "We Racing, which has won 14 used Bandolaro race car tinued. "I am one of only a
the incident with Smithley, all just want to race & be of 27 races this season and when I was 15. I didn't think I handful of drivers that ac-
who was among 23 driv- respected. Stuff like this placed all four of its drivers had a chance starting that tually has never spent any
ers on the track that day proves how bitter the di- in the playoff field. Busch late." of my own money to race.
who are not in the 16-driver vide is between 2 sides of has 207 victories across Smithley said he won So spending money to go
playoff field. this garage. It's depressing NASCAR's three national enough races that a lo- win in a late model was
"I was told he was go- to me." series and won the 2015 cal golf cart shop owner never an option, because
ing to go high. I thought Smithley will be Rick Ware Cup championship. stepped in as a sponsor, the only way I can afford
he was going to go high," Racing's driver for Saturday His criticism of the smaller bought him a Legends car to race is if someone else
Busch said of the instruc- night's race at Richmond teams and the drivers try- and helped Smithley move pays for it."
tions he received from his Raceway, the second ing to claw their way up to up to touring level. Then Smithley said he sells his
spotter. "We went middle event in NASCAR's 10-race Busch's level prompted a he decided to relocate to own sponsorship, which he
because I thought he was playoff series. It will be his lengthy rebuke from Smith- North Carolina, the hub of then brings to a team in or-
going to go high. Killed our 13th career Cup Series ley. NASCAR, and try to make it der to secure seat time. He
day. I don't know. Should start; he has one top-five He noted that, unlike Busch, in the big leagues. said most companies and
have run fourth probably. finish in 133 starts across the who followed his older "When I decided to move sponsors prefer to back
Instead 19th. We're at the Xfinity and Truck series. brother, Kurt, into a ride at to Charlotte to pursue a "someone like Kyle" to get
top echelon of motors- Busch has always driven NASCAR's top level, Smith- career as a professional the marketing value they
ports, and we've got guys for one of NASCAR's top ley "didn't grow up in a rac- driver there is no doubt I want.q

Keys beats Kasatkina in 1st

round of Pan Pacific Open

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Fifth- happy to get the win." Uytvanck 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
seeded Madison Keys im- The American will next face In other first round match-
proved her overall record Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan. es, qualifier Ana Bogdan
against Daria Kasatkina to Also, Hsieh Su-wei of Tai- beat sixth-seeded Polona
6-0 by beating the Russian wan saved a match point Hercog 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, Anas-
6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the before defeating Garbine tasia Potapova came from
first round of the Pan Pa- Muguruza of Spain 3-6, 7-6 a break down to beat wild-
cific Open. (1), 6-1. card entry Han Na-Lae 7-6
Keys converted six of her 10 At the Korea Open in (4), 6-1, and qualifier Pris- Timea Babos of Hungary returns a shot to Jelena Ostapenko of
break points in the match. Seoul, qualifier Timea Ba- cilla Hon defeated Hiro- Latvia during their first round match of the Korea Open tennis
"I feel good. I'm always bos upset former champi- shima semifinalist Mihaela championships in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019.
a little bit nervous ahead on Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, Buzarnescu 6-3, 6-4. Associated Press
of my first matches," Keys 6-3 in the first round. At the Guangzhou Interna-
said. "It's always hard to Babos will next play third- tional in China, top-seed- Kenin recorded 6-4, 6-2 match point before beat-
get out there and get all seeded Karolina Mucho- ed Elina Svitolina defeated victory over Laura Siege- ing doubles partner Yingy-
the nerves out. I started a va, who dropped a set be- Dalila Jakupvic 6-3, 6-3. mund and sixth-seeeded ing Duan 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3),
little slow but I was really fore defeating Alison van Also, third-seeded Sofia Saisai Zheng had to save a 6-1.q