The NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington has just concluded. Martin Truex Jr took his third win of the season at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
However, there was plenty of chaos unfolding around him, and poor old Kurt Busch was one of the victims. The #1 driver clattered the inside wall on the front stretch.
Apparently, the damage was so bad that the car caught fire, just like in Talladega. Some suspected that the oil line got severed, and it appeared that this happened often to the Chip Ganassi Racing car.
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While he was alongside Matt DiBenedetto, Busch got loose and spun towards the inside wall.
Kurt Busch's day goes up in flames.#NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/KzFCy5dHLy
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 9, 2021
There was no indication of contact between DiBenedetto and Busch, but some suspected that Bubba Wallace tagged him. It is also worth noting that Wallace and Busch were fighting for the free pass. Sadly, that spelled the end of Kurt Busch’s race, while Bubba Wallace finished in a disappointing 21st.
Kurt Busch was not the only driver in trouble
Aside from Busch, Aric Almirola spun and went nose-first into the wall, ending his race. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch also encountered some trouble after his tyre blew and he drifted towards the outside wall.
After a small brush, Busch’s #18 Joe Gibbs Racing car spun, but managed to escape any further impact. It was quite gutting, as he was one lap away from completing 18,000 laps in the lead.
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During Stage 2, Cole Custer almost had a similar crash. The only difference was that Anthony Alfredo got loose and clipped Custer’s car, sending him into the wall. Meanwhile, Truex Jr dominated the first two stages and rounded them off with the overall victory.
Somewhere behind him, Kyle Larson pulled off a daring move when he squeezed in between Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick.
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Larson tried his level best to hunt Truex Jr down, but it just was not enough. In the process, the Joe Gibbs driver became the first driver to win both stages and the final victory.