KANSAS CITY, Kansas. — Kyle Busch was heading toward his first victory of the season, which would have given him a record-extending 20th consecutive NASCAR Cup season, when he lost control of his car and spun -tail as he attempted to lap Chase Briscoe with 32 laps to go. the race.
Busch finished 19th. His career-long winless streak climbs 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 Ross Chastain’s Kansas NASCAR Cup playoff race
Here’s what the drivers were talking about after Sunday’s race.
Busch was approaching Briscoe as he passed through Turn 2. Busch took a lane over Briscoe and was near Briscoe’s right rear bumper when Busch’s car suddenly bounced off the wall and slipped on the back stretch. Busch finished eighth but was never close enough to challenge for the lead afterward.
“I’m sure he was racing to stay on the first lap with whoever was in front of him there,” Busch said of Briscoe. “It’s true that they have a race to run, but in the old days, when you were under 30 or whatever, the traffic on the laps would kind of stop and give you a lane and let the leaders I just wasn’t into running to get that, so I tried to force my hand to get it and reach its outside, and for some reason it just gave all the air to the wrong places. and I found myself spinning.
When asked if he should have received extra consideration from Briscoe because he didn’t try to destroy Briscoe when they finished 1-2 at the Southern 500, Busch replied: “Not much no matter what I expect. I don’t think anyone gives anything to anyone anymore. Everything is up for grabs, take, take.
Briscoe gave his take on the matter after the race.
“I couldn’t really run on the wall, so I was trying to give it a car width and a few inches and I saw it come loose as soon as it got to my right rear,” Briscoe said. “I didn’t feel like I was trying to do anything. I literally gave him the top lane. These cars, as soon as you go right, especially here when you’re running on the wall, they really stand out.
“I hate it for him. He’s been so close all year and I’m a Kyle Busch fan and I wanted to see him win to keep the streak alive. I hate that we’re part of the conversation.”
Ross Chastain earns first victory of the season with Kansas win
The Trackhouse Racing driver led the final 21 laps to earn his fifth career NASCAR Cup victory.
The eventual winner, Ross Chastain, was second to 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 destroyed, he fought the whole corner to get out of (Briscoe). It’s a place I didn’t think was a vulnerable place when that car first started, and I heard my friend, Daniel, tell me, I heard other Chevy drivers tell me, “Be careful when you’re in the right rear” Then it happened at Phoenix this year. , and I finally believed.
“Yeah, when (Busch) turned, he was in the most vulnerable place where he could break away, and he slapped the wall and turned around helplessly. I mean, I couldn’t get back to him . He could have driven behind.” him, but I was pretty close, I think if I’m the leader and he’s second, I try to get away from (Briscoe) whenever I can.
“Yes, I was surprised to see him spin because he could have driven behind him and passed him in the next corner. I couldn’t reach him. I was already too coward.”
Once Busch turned, Chastain had to take steps to avoid hitting him.
“I think I ran out of gas and hit the brakes,” Chastain said. “As he was spinning, I was just happy that he spun to the left. If he comes back to the right, I’ll probably push him into a tailspin. At this point, I’m committed. C It was a spin so late on the exit, which is where we all hit the wall I was already sliding on.
“So it was just by chance. It was by the chance of the race, the luck of the race, that I made it.”
