Dale Earnhardt-Kyle Busch Rivalry (Dale Earnhardt Survives)

The Dale Earnhardt-Kyle Busch rivalry is one of two notable rivalries, the other with Kyle's older brother Kurt Busch, of Dale Earnhardt's late career. Spanning the last season of Earnhardt's career, the young Kyle Busch, just like his older brother years prior, wanted to show that he wasn't gonna take any of Earnhardt's attitude.
=== 2005 Golden Corral 500 ===
About halfway through the race Earnhardt was running directly behind rookie Kyle Busch, in the fifth position, with Casey Mears in fourth to his outside, and looking to make a move to pass Busch and enter third position. Busch, according to Earnhardt in his "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story" documentary, had, "in his naive inexperience", hit the flat surface below turn 3 and got loose, collecting Earnhardt and Mears in the process.
At the time, Earnhardt, in a post-race interview, simply stated "That boy better not do nothing like that to me again, he's gonna get what's comin' to him. He'll learn."
=== 2005 Food City 500 ===
Just after crossing the line with 3 laps to go in the 2005 Food City 500 at Bristol, Earnhardt and Kyle Busch were battling for a second place finish when Earnhardt gave Busch his lesson, dumping him coming into turn 1. Earnhardt would go on to finish second under caution behind Kasey Kahne who won the event. Kyle Busch would DNF due to extensive damage to his car hitting the wall in the left-front.
Kyle Bush in a post-race interview said "Earnhardt must have dementia if he thinks I'm not going to show him I can stand my own after this."
=== 2005 Chevy American Revolution 400 ===
Things escalated with the 2005 Chevy American Revolution 500, after running up front all day, Earnhardt was suddenly caught with 7 to go by Kyle Busch who was driving harder in the last ten laps then he had all race, coming from 6th to 2nd (speculation says he drove so hard just so he could get to Earnhardt). When Busch got to the leading Earnhardt with 7 to go he raced him into turn 1, getting blocked by Earnhardt out of turn 2 despite having a run. After the two drivers traded quarter-panel paint down the backstretch Kyle Busch drove high, going faster into turn 3 then any other car that night, then slammed the brakes and dove down the track right into the right rear side of Earnhardt's car, taking him and Earnhardt both out entering turn 4.
Post-race the two drivers had an altercation in which Kyle parked his car right up against the right side of Earnhardt's car, blocking him in on pit road. The two men jumped out of their cars and exchanged words well Earnhardt's crew stood right behind Earnhardt in case anything happened. Busch, in a hotheaded moment reminiscent of his brother four years prior, punched Earnhardt, breaking his nose. To many people's amazement, the 54 year old Earnhardt simply wiped the blood off his nose and punched Kyle in his nose, who then "went to beating on my fist with his skull" according to Earnhardt. Earnhardt stopped beating Kyle once it was obvious he was subdued, making sure to keep a self defense case. Kyle Busch would suffer a broken orbital bone, broken nose, cracked bottom lip, and a concussion for weeks (needing to be subbed for in the next 3 races) due to being knocked unconscious, and had to be drove to the nearest hospital by ambulance. Earnhardt wasn't fined due to self defense and didn't bother pressing charges on Busch; "The young punk probably can't afford bail, he doesn't win nothin'." Earnhardt was quoted as saying to local police.
NASCAR warned both drivers to settle down or penalties would be issued if another incident occurred.
In his documentary "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story" Dale talked about how after the confrontation the two drivers made up and are now on good terms.
Category:Dale Earnhardt Survives