Part Failure and Wreck Ruins Kyle Busch’s Day

BRISTOL, Tenn. — A dominant day for Kyle Busch turned south fast near the three-quarter mark of the race at Thunder Valley.

The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota started third and led 256 of the 500 laps in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He even led his 12-thousandth career lap in Sprint Cup Series competition. But after losing the lead to Kevin Harvick on lap 348, he reported that something was wrong with his car.

On lap 359, Busch’s car got loose rounding Turn 1. His car slid down the track and then turned backward towards the wall. As his car sat there motionless, Justin Allgaier, subbing for Michael Annett, clipped the left front of his car. Allgaier continued up the track and collected Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson.

When asked what broke on the car, he said he didn’t know.

“It’s a shame,” Busch said. “The last few times we’ve been here, we’ve had really fast M&M’s Toyota Camrys and we haven’t been able to finish. We’ve been having parts failures here, so something we’ve got to address and fix. I’m really tired of losing races here with parts falling apart, so they’ll hear about it on Tuesday.”

When asked what he’d tell his team Tuesday, he said “They already know just by watching the race, but it’s frustrating because that’s like two or three or four races in a row here at Bristol that we’ve had problems. Yeah, maybe a couple of them were my doing, but we’ve also had parts failures here and we can’t be having that sort of stuff.”

He took issue with Allgaier clipping the side of his car.

“The person that’s really the biggest moron out there is the spotter of the 46 and the driver of the 46 (Justin Allgaier),” Busch said. “I’ve been wrecking for half a lap and they just come on through and clean us out. That’s stupid, so I don’t know – frustrating day. Let’s go home.”

Busch leaves Bristol sixth in the points, down two spots from Watkins Glen, standings trailing Harvick by 88 points.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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