And it’s the second round of trouble for Kyle Busch, as he found himself in a bind again on lap 228, spinning out from 31st place, way behind the lead lap, prompting NASCAR to pull out the caution flag. Unlike the last time when he cut a tire, it looked like he just flat-out lost it this time.
Kyle Busch prevented other drivers from experiencing the same outcome he faced
He’d been neck and neck with Austin Cindric for a shot at getting back on the lead lap via the free pass. Cindric snagged that chance, getting himself back in the mix after his own early tire troubles. With the stage winding down and less than 20 laps left, the teams are preparing for another pit stop dance.
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Busch, however, took a bit of a silver lining from the situation, quipping that his spin might just be a saving grace for others struggling with their tires, saying, “So glad to be the one saving everyone’s a**.” The only good news for the day was that each team’s got an extra set of Goodyear tires at their disposal, so they do not need to worry about the number of tires, courtesy of NASCAR.
Before this incident, in Stage 1, Kyle Busch pulled a move straight out of “Lightning McQueen’s” playbook from “Cars.” After a tire gave out 124 laps in, Busch reversed from the upper track to the lower, then whipped a 180 to get a new tire. The stunt, while a hiccup in his Bristol bid, sure gave the fans a show.
227/500
Caution for a Kyle Busch spin
"So glad to be the one saving everyone's ass"
Rowdy— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) March 17, 2024
Back in the 2006 movie, McQueen reverses after a bump from a rival. The fans ate it up, sharing McQueen GIFs on X, with many saying that surely he learned it from the Cars movie.
But Kyle’s moment in the spotlight was fleeting. What came next was a shocker – a run-in with a pit crew member on Bristol’s pit road.
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Kyle Busch’s day went from bad to bizarre when he accidentally drove into a pit crew member
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Busch was already wrestling with tire issues and a loss of grip that took him out of contention after a promising start. Then, a blown tire was just the icing on a very unfortunate cake, leaving him lagging behind with no chance to catch up.
Following that, during the race’s last pit stop under green flag conditions—where drivers were pushed to the limits of tire management over 500 laps—the unexpected happened. A crew member, struggling to secure the front left wheel, ended up on the hood of Busch’s car as he tried to speed away. Luckily, Busch quickly slowed down, preventing the mishap from turning worse, and thankfully, the crew member was okay. And eventually, Busch finished P25.
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Read More: NASCAR Update: Kyle Busch Claims 31st NASCAR Truck Series Career Stage Win at Bristol
Not to mention, Busch didn’t fare any better in the truck series race, where Christian Eckes took the win. Now, all eyes are on how he’ll bounce back at Circuit of the Americas.