Livid Fans Corner Austin Dillon After He Throws a Wrench in Kyle Busch’s Dream Run at COTA

Back on June 4, 2023, at the Worldwide Technology Raceway, the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway had anything but smooth running with the red flags, crashes, and weather conditions all halting the race continuously. Still, we saw Kyle Busch celebrate at the victory lane just a year after ending runner up to Joey Lagano despite leading 66 laps in the inaugural race at the Gateway in 2022. However, seems like the lightening in the St. Louis area that year stole the thunder from the Richard Childress Racing driver’s No. 8 as he has not been able to repeat his heroics since. In fact, leading into The Americas, the future Hall of Famer had a losing streak of 59. And just when we thought things would change, he topped the count to even it at 60. And seems like his frustration with NASCAR on drivers cutting at Turn 6 is not ending soon.

“I heard they were gonna police Turns 4, 5 and 6, and then it turned into 3, 4, 5. And yesterday, it was only 4 and 5. They ain’t got a clue,” Busch told Frontstretch after the race, adding to him impending wish to get a positive result. Later, adding his thoughts on whether there should be any limits in COTA, he said, “No, because then you’ll just straight shot Turn 3 all the way to Turn 6. Don’t do that. No, you got to have track limits. We need to be a professional racing league that knows how to handle it professionally on a racetrack.

“You look at Formula 1, V8 Supercar and who the hell else that races road course racing and they all have track limits, and they all obey the track. I don’t think Turn 6 was policed very well today, so we all just started taking advantage of it and running through the dirt.”

Contrastingly, On3 reports that, “NASCAR informed teams they are only enforcing track limits in Turns 3, 4 and 5. Turn 6 was “wide open” to cut the course, NASCAR told Richard Childress Racing.” Seemingly, it is understandable just why Busch is frustrated at the outcome of the race. And with another Turn-6 incident and a loss adding to his resume, his fans are also not thrilled either. If you’re wondering who is to blame here, seems like most have decided it is the No. 3 teammate Austin Dillon.

With just 18 laps to go, Kyle Busch was finally, finally in control. After a grueling race filled with chaos, controversy, and frustration over track limits, he had fought his way to the front. Sitting comfortably in first place with a healthy two-second lead over the next driver, William Byron. Busch looked set to claim victory at COTA. His car was dialed in, and his strategy was holding strong. For once in years, everything seemed to be falling into place. But then—Turn 6 struck again.

This time, it wasn’t Busch losing control or cutting the course. Instead, it was his own Richard Childress Racing teammate, Dillon, who became the unexpected villain in Busch’s story. With Kyle leading the pack, chaos unfolded behind him. Denny Hamlin locked up heading into Turn 6A, making contact with the No. 3 car, sending him spinning into the gravel. The caution flag flew, shaking up the race in a way that would prove costly for Busch.

Stuck and unable to move, Austin Dillon’s misfortune triggered a caution flag. This erased Busch’s hard-earned lead and threw the race into chaos. What should have been a dominant drive to victory suddenly turned into a bitter defeat. Busch ultimately slipped down the order and finished fifth.

Now while it may have been an unintentional mistake on Hamlin’s end, as Corey LaJoie also explained, “That left lane was covered in dirt from guys dropping the RS off through 5. He got all 4 in that and was along for the ride,” it does bug many when they connect the dots with the Richmond incident. Just a month ago, Austin played a similar role on the Richmond Raceway. Logano led the race in the final lap but on the final corner, Dillon drove deep and virtually used Joey’s rear bumper as his breaks. With Hamlin working under Dillon, the No. 33 turned left, hooking No. 11 on the right. Consequently, Austin swift past the two to win the race.

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Kyle Busch had been the class of the field all afternoon, leading a race-best 42 of the 95 laps in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. His No. 8 Chevrolet had the speed, the strategy, and the track position to get the job done. Even after the caution erased his lead, he still had one final shot at victory when the race restarted with 13 laps to go. However, that’s when things started unraveling.

Christopher Bell, piloting the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, applied relentless pressure on Busch in the closing laps. With fresher tires and a well-timed move in the final turn of Lap 90, Bell surged past his former teammate. From there, Busch struggled to hold his ground. His tires were fading, his car was no longer handling the same way, and he slipped further down the order. In the final five laps, he lost three more positions, ultimately finishing fifth. A good 5.943 seconds behind race winner Bell at the checkered flag.

After the race, Busch congratulated Bell saying, “The 20 was right on me. I’ll give Christopher (Bell) credit, he ran me really hard and I was a complete butthead. But he did a great job working me over and just doing it the right way and being able to get by. Congrats to him, good job to the 20 bunch, but wish it was us.”

Now with a disaster striking on rising hopes and that too at his own teammate’s hand, fans are riling against Austin.

Fans erupt over Austin Dillon’s costly mistake

For Kyle Busch fans, this was the ultimate heartbreak. Just when it looked like their driver was about to seal the deal at COTA, his own teammate became the reason it all fell apart. An overwhelming reaction from fans was pure fury directed at Austin Dillon. “Dillon is the worst teammate alive,” one fan ranted, summing up the frustration of many.

The caution completely flipped the race, wiping out Busch’s lead and ultimately costing him a shot at victory. “Can’t have anything as a KB fan,” another fan lamented, watching yet another race slip away under frustrating circumstances. For Busch, the frustration is mounting. The last time he celebrated in Victory Lane was back on June 4, 2023. This was at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. He is now 60 races without a win! What should have been his race to lose ended in heartbreak yet again. The question remains: When will Kyle Busch finally break through again?

Some couldn’t help but imagine Busch’s reaction inside the car. “Kyle Busch has got to be screaming at his teammate 🤣🤣🤣🤣,” one comment read. Understandably, with a dream win so close, it is hard to just say it goodbye. This takes us back to the Richmond Raceway last month where Logano went straight to the Richard Childress Racing pit, forcing the team to run from their positions all because he was frustrated at the outcome. And of course, the $50,000 fine coming his way after NASCAR’s prompt warning.

While a few fans insisted, “Nah man, that was all Denny,” the majority weren’t having it. This is not the first time that Hamlin came under attack for possibly manipulating races to push his teammates for the victory. And then again, as Corie too explained, it may have been the dirt on the raceway that led to the incident.

One particularly ruthless fan even went as far as to say, “Austin Dillon should be sent to Guantanamo,” the infamous prison in Cuba. While this was definitely said in jest, the frustration is visible as Busch’s long wait to end his winless streak goes on. Whether Dillon meant to or not, he had just wrecked Kyle Busch’s best shot at victory.

In a post-race interview, Busch admitted that Bell’s fresher tires likely played a role in the outcome, adding, “Maybe the two-lap fresher tires the 20 had made the difference.” Despite his disappointment, Busch still held onto hope, reflecting on how close he had come. “Wish we had a little bit more at the end,” he admitted. But perhaps the most telling quote of all was his final remark, “Congrats to the 20 bunch. But wish it was us.”

What do you think? Is Kyle Busch destined for another win? Or is there only misery ahead in his Cup Series journey? Let us know in the comments!