Why Was Kyle Busch Upset With Alex Bowman During the NASCAR Cup Race at Iowa?

Neha Dwivedi | 04/08/2025
Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman

Kyle Busch’s weekend at Iowa Speedway unraveled almost from the moment it began. His crash in Saturday’s practice session ultimately destroyed his primary car, forcing him to start the Iowa Corn 350 from the rear in a backup machine. As he tried to fight his way back into contention, his frustration only mounted, especially after a tense pit road ordeal with Alex Bowman.

Rolling off 37th, Busch nursed the backup car to 33rd after Stage 1. Stage 2 brought much more progress, as he climbed to fifth and grabbed stage points, but then the drama on pit road left him fuming.

During a stop, Busch’s awkward entry into the stall created a traffic jam, drawing Bowman’s ire. Busch didn’t mince words over the radio: “Go tell the 48 to f**k off. It’s a sh***y situation, we all f***ing suck. What do you want me to f***ing do?”

Busch punctuated the exchange with a hand gesture out the window aimed at the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Bowman, meanwhile, kept his day cleaner, climbing to a seventh-place finish.

Despite flashes of speed, Busch’s day ended in 20th place. Reflecting on the run, he said, “We started the weekend in a deficit after going to a backup car on Saturday, and spent most of the day Sunday just battling for track position in our Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet. 

“Crew chief Randall Burnett made some race strategy calls that got us into the top-10 and earned us some stage points. But we lost that track position in Stage 3 and struggled to return to the front. Our Chevy couldn’t turn in traffic, even with the freshest tires, and dirty air didn’t help. We busted our behinds out there today but didn’t have enough.”

For Busch, the underwhelming result has extended to a two-year slump in which near-misses have piled up but a trip to Victory Lane has remained elusive. His No. 8 car simply hasn’t shown the same pace it flashed early in his tenure with Richard Childress Racing in 2023.

Post Edited By: Abhishek Ramesh
Alex Bowman Iowa Speedway Kyle Busch

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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