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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Qualifying Mar 11, 2023 Avondale, Arizona, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch 8 during qualifying for the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Avondale Phoenix Raceway Arizona USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230311_gav_sv5_032 | Credits: Imago

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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Qualifying Mar 11, 2023 Avondale, Arizona, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch 8 during qualifying for the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Avondale Phoenix Raceway Arizona USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230311_gav_sv5_032 | Credits: Imago
During the NASCAR Truck race at the Circuit of The Americas, Kyle Busch finished 2nd. The veteran driver was in contention to win, but a rough strategy call cost him the shot. Speaking after the race, the Richard Childress Racing driver reflected on what transpired earlier and gave his blunt thoughts.
The 2-time Cup champion pretty much confessed that he may have contributed to the loss and was willing to accept any blame.
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What led to Kyle Busch missing out on the truck race win?
Talking to Bob Pockrass, Richard Childress Racing said, “We were playing the long game there. Typically, anytime I play the short game, it always bites me.”

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 04: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Alsco Chevrolet speaks during a news conference before practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on March 4, 2023, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 04 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Icon116230304057 | Credits: Imago
“I always get trapped a lap down or get caught on pit road with a yellow. I guess here at a road course, you got to remember that’s different, you don’t really get trapped a lap down. We should have pitted.”
“Brian [Pattie] wanted to come in three laps before that yellow. We should have at least come in a lap after. I said, ‘Can I go one more?’. Then we decided to play the long game because we had such a gap.”
Kyle Busch said his crew chief Brian Pattie actually wanted Busch to pit a few laps before the yellow and Busch overruled him.
So what does Pattie do going forward in a similar situation? Busch has a suggestion: pic.twitter.com/tjf1ogals6
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 25, 2023
“Crew chief’s got to crew chief, so I got to tell Brian to man up and tell me to shut up.”
READ MORE: Kyle Busch Claims His “Hands Are Too Soft and Girly” Now, Throwing Shade at the Next Gen Car
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Did Kyle Busch manage to redeem himself in the Cup race?
The Richard Childress Racing driver had a bit of a task ahead of him coming from 9th on the grid. But on the bright side, the Circuit of The Americas is a track where Chevrolet had performed well in the past. As a result, Busch was right in the mix for the win. But sadly, that didn’t happen.
Instead, Busch ended up getting the exact same result as the Truck Series race. He again came very close to taking the chequered flag, but could only muster a second place. Only this time, he did get points for his finish.
After the Sunday race, one could have imagined him going through the same emotions that he showed on Saturday. However, he seemed much calm.
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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Media Day Feb 15, 2023 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch 8 speaks to the media at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMikexDinovox 20230215_mcd_ad4_126
As per nascar.nbcsports.com, he said, “Even today we didn’t have great long-run speed. We had great middle-run speed. Overall, for as much effort and everything that we’ve put into coming here and focusing on this place, all the testing and everything we’ve been able to do during the off-season, come out here with a really good finish.”
He also congratulated the race winner and 23XI Racing driver, saying, “Tyler [Reddick] obviously is a really good road racer. He proved it driving this car here last year. I was able to get in it and run right back to him. I’ve been trying to emulate the things he did in order to make this car fast last year, but not quite all the way there. They had a whale of a car.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Busch Snubs the Haters in Latest Instagram Post
By his own admission, after what went down at the Truck Series race, Kyle Busch needs to learn to trust his team to guide him to victory. As long as he and the Richard Childress Racing team are on the same page, in terms of strategy, race wins, moving ahead, are on the cards.
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