KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In a frustrating season for Kyle Busch that has featured untimely crashes, mechanical failures, lackluster speed and heartbreaking losses in photo finishes, there was a moment on Sunday (Sept. 29) at Kansas Speedway where a glimpse of light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
Busch started the race in third and remained a fixture in the top half of the field throughout the afternoon. Mixed strategy toward the end of the second stage split the field, and Busch was able to capitalize with track position at the beginning of the final stage.
Busch soon made his way to the lead after a lengthy, grueling battle with Ross Chastain, but he wasn’t able to pull away, as the two leaders remained separated by approximately a half-second.
With just under 35 laps to go, the No. 8 car was good on fuel and in complete control of the race. Winless this season with only seven races to go, Busch has desperately fought to break into victory lane and extend his record of consecutive NASCAR Cup Series seasons with a win to 20. Could Kansas finally be Busch’s race after so many near misses this season?
It wasn’t his race for long. Chastain kept applying the pressure, and Busch had to quickly navigate lapped traffic. He was trying to put Chase Briscoe a lap down with 32 to go and ran the high line through turns 1 and 2, but a tight squeeze by Briscoe at corner exit took the air away from Busch’s car. He then brushed the wall, lost control and spun out on the backstretch.
Busch only fell to seventh by the time the caution came out, and he made his way up to fifth on the first restart. But the second restart was where everything unraveled, and Busch limped home to a disappointing 19th-place finish.
“I tried to force my hand to get to [Briscoe’s] outside, and when I did, just for some reason, whatever happened, it just gave all the air in all the wrong place and spun out,” Busch said.
In the Southern 500 at the start of September, Busch was running down Briscoe with fresh tires in the closing laps, but he didn’t force the issue and make any overly aggressive moves. Briscoe went on to win and lock his spot into the playoffs, and Busch was asked if he expected more give from Briscoe given how he raced him a few months ago.
“I doesn’t matter what I expect,” Busch said. “I don’t think anybody gives anybody anything anymore. It’s all…
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