KANSAS CITY, Kansas. – Kyle Busch was on his way to his first win of the season, which would have given him a win in a record-extending 20th consecutive NASCAR Cup season, when he lost control of his car and spun while hitting Chase Briscoe tried to beat the race with 32 laps to go.
Busch finished 19th. His career winless streak increases to 51 races heading into next weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I’m numb, I don’t know what to do,” Busch told NBC Sports’ Parker Kligerman after the race.
What drivers said after the Kansas NASCAR Cup playoff race won by Ross Chastain
This is what the drivers were talking about after Sunday’s race.
Busch was closing in on Briscoe as he went through Turn 2. Busch was driving one lane above Briscoe and was near Briscoe’s right rear bumper when Busch’s car suddenly bounced off the wall and slid across the back lane. Busch finished eighth, but was never close enough to challenge for the lead after that.
“I’m sure he was racing to stay in the lead with whoever was there in front of him,” Busch said of Briscoe. “Granted, they have a race to run, but back in the day, when you weren’t even 30 or whatever it was, the lap traffic would stop and give you a lane and let the leaders race. That just wasn’t me. I got that, so I tried to force my hand to grab that and go to his outside, and for whatever reason, it just gave all the air in the wrong places and I spun out.
When asked if he should have gotten extra attention from Briscoe for not trying to destroy Briscoe when they finished 1-2 in the Southern 500, Busch said, “It doesn’t matter what I expect. I don’t think anyone gives anyone anything anymore. It’s all take, take, take.”
Briscoe gave his opinion on the matter after the race.
“I couldn’t really run against the wall, so I tried to give him a car width and a few inches and saw him break free as soon as he got to the right rear of me,” Briscoe said. “It didn’t feel like I was trying to do anything. I literally left it in the top lane. As soon as you get out on the right, especially here when you go over the wall, these cars really get loose.
“I hate it for him. He’s been so close all year and I’m a Kyle Busch fan and wanted to see him win to keep the streak alive. I hate that we’re part of the conversation.”
Ross Chastain gets his first win of the season with the victory in Kansas
Trackhouse Racing driver led the final 21 laps to earn his fifth career NASCAR Cup victory.
Eventual winner Ross Chastain was second behind Busch at the time and explains what he saw during the incident.
“(Busch) fought all the way through turns one and two,” Chastain said. “That lap he wrecked and he fought the whole corner to get outside (Briscoe). That’s a spot that I didn’t believe was a vulnerable spot when this car first started, and I heard my friend, Daniel, telling me: I heard other Chevy drivers say to me, “Be careful if you’re sitting in the right rear seat.” Then it happened this year in Phoenix, and I was finally a believer.
“Yeah, when (Busch) spun around, he was in the most vulnerable spot he could be to get loose, and he hit the wall and spun out unforced. I mean, I couldn’t get back to him. He had behind him, but I was close enough. I think if I’m the leader and he’s in second place, I (Briscoe) try to take every opportunity I can get.
“Yes, I was surprised when I saw him turn away, because he could have been behind him and passed him in the next corner. I couldn’t reach him. I was already too loose.”
Once Busch spun around, Chastain had to take action to avoid hitting him.
“I think I stepped on the gas and the brakes,” Chastain said. “As he spun, I was just happy that he spun to the left. If he spun back to the right, I’d probably drive him into a post. At that point, I’m committed. It was such a late spin from the exit, that is where we all crashed into the wall where I was already sliding.
“So it was just a coincidence. It was because of the racing opportunity, the racing luck that I made it.”
