Going into the first-ever street course race in NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch already knew what to expect from the race. Interestingly, Busch had previously spoken about the problems drivers would face if they were impacted by rain during the race. Unfortunately, the rain did eventually come down on the track, making the race chaotic for the driver, just like the two-time Cup Series champion had predicted it would do.
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The wet conditions at the circuit negatively impacted the RCR driver as he found himself lodged into the tire barrier mid-way through the race. Following the race, Busch explained his situation and how he ended up in a wreck while discussing his overall performance during the race on Sunday.
Kyle Busch discusses his wreck and the “eventful” Chicago race
Speaking with the media, Busch stated, “Today was eventful for sure to start. Just trying to get all you can there early in the race and try to make some passes when other guys are being a little bit tentative and seeing some areas where you can try to pounce on them and just got too much in the braking zone there for our car and slid all the way into the tire barrier.”
“So unfortunate right then and there in that part of the race to have trouble, but honestly the rest of the day we were mired back in traffic, wasn’t really able to make up a whole lot of ground in order to make our moves to come forward.”
“We had a hand dealt to us there late in the going. Where we thought about the race getting shortened and pitting and getting ahead of some of those guys. So we did that and was able to flip the field and get ourselves back up front.”
Busch had accurately foreseen the race’s outcome
In a media interaction a day before the race, Busch discussed the potential challenges rain could pose for all competitors on the track. The press had asked Busch if the prospect of rain made him slightly nervous.
His response indicated agreement, suggesting that neither he nor other drivers were eager to navigate the track in such conditions. Furthermore, he expressed his discomfort regarding hampered vision due to the sprays coming off the cars ahead. He explained that under such a spray, the conditions weren’t terrible, but they were indeed very slippery.
On race day, Busch’s fears came to life. While the drivers in the lower half of the field grappled with challenging conditions, the fans enjoyed a spectacular show. The action on the race track was near-constant, punctuated by frequent crashes, making the event thrilling for spectators.
