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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tony Stewart called his last-lap dust up with Kyle Busch at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night "just a part of racing," and Busch apparently agrees.

Stewart said he spoke to Busch on Tuesday and that the two NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers were on the "same page" following the crash that sent Busch to the infield care center and Stewart to victory lane in the final moments of the 400-mile race.

Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap and tried to fend off Stewart. He successfully blocked Stewart once, but when he tried to do it again Stewart hooked Busch's right rear fender, sending the leader into the wall a few hundred yards from the finish.

Stewart, the Cup points leader heading into Saturday's race at Chicago, said it was important to clear the air with Busch as quickly as possible.

"When something like that happens, you want to make sure that both guys are on the same page with what happened and we definitely were," Stewart said. "I mean, there was no question on either one of our parts of what happened."

Stewart knew Busch would do everything he could to hold on for the win.

"Nobody in his position would have just stayed there and let somebody drive back by him," Stewart said. "You've got to do something, and he wasn't trying to wreck us, he was just trying to make me slow down."

Busch, who skidded across the finish line in 14th place, has not spoken publicly since the wreck.

Stewart downplayed the significance of the crash, saying such finishes have been a part of racing at superspeedways for decades.

It marked the second time a crash has marred the end of a restrictor-plate race this season. Carl Edwards went flying into the catch fence at Talladega this spring while trying to block Brad Keselowski in a mad dash to the finish.

"There's just so many instances and cases where that's happened in the past," Stewart said. "It's really no different than what we've got going on other than the fact that instead of two cars being involved, now we have 32 cars in the pack. That's the only variable that's changed."

TIRE TALK: Stewart also said Goodyear has solved the tire problems that plagued last year's race at the Brickyard.

Stewart is among the drivers who have participated in Goodyear's seven test sessions at the track since last year, when severe tire wear turned the race into a series of 10- to 12-lap sprints.

"I can promise you they put on a full-court press on making sure we don't have the issues we had last year," Stewart said during an appearance to promote the July 26 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We were able to run almost 30 laps and were still not down to the cords on the tires, so I'm confident that with a full field there shouldn't be any issues at all.

"Obviously, I can't guarantee that, but I can tell you that normally the test is a lot worse on tire wear than it is in the race," he said. "I think they've come back with a combination that's not only durable but also to where it should be better racing."