Sunday’s Cup Series race at Nashville ended up demanding five overtime restarts to call it a day. Many drivers lost the chance to get a good finish courtesy of it and the most prominent name amongst them was that of Kyle Busch. While he ended up with another DNF that now puts him several points below the playoff elimination line, there was a prior incident that grabbed attention – in the first overtime restart.
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The sequence began when Ross Chastain was chasing down the leader Denny Hamlin off Turn 2. Kyle Larson went low before coming up high and driving into Chastain, causing him to spin and crash. During the caution that ensued, Busch significantly slowed down behind Chastain’s Camaro to get clear of it. Though he’d fallen back multiple spots by the time he picked up speed again, he was allowed to retain the spot – fourth – that he was at before the crash.
NASCAR greenlighted this decision since Busch had made a good judgment call. According to Frontstretch, the officials decided that the driver had slowed his car down and avoided contributing to the crash. Had he not done so, several other drivers could’ve been at risk of injury. This warranted him getting his position back.
KYLE LARSON INTO ROSS CHASTAIN.
DOUBLE OVERTIME AT NASHVILLE. #NASCAR
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— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2024
Did Kyle Busch graze the wall while slowing down to avoid wrecking into Chastain?
Footage of the incident shows Busch appearing to graze against the wall while getting off the gas. This raises the question of whether he should have been given his spot back, on which fans have been expressing their takes on social media.
The words of one summarizes NASCAR’s stand on the matter:
He barely grazes the wall and slows down to avoid a wreck. I think this decision is fine.
— Todd (@TheBravesWay) July 1, 2024
Unfortunately for the driver, the good fortune lasted only so long. Larson, once again, struck into his path in the restart on Lap 321. On the restart, Busch was lined up behind Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ran out of fuel and failed to go.
This caused Busch to break out of the array and he ended the race with a DNF. He is now a daunting 104 points below the playoff elimination line. Only seven more races are left to go in the regular season and things have just gone from bad to worse for Busch.
