When Kyle Busch is in the field for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, he immediately becomes the favorite to take the checkered flag at the end of the day. However, in Thursday’s Buckle Up in Your Truck 225, the 2015 Sprint Cup Series champion not only didn’t win the race, he didn’t even lead a lap.
Busch was driving through the field on lap 56 after suffering a pit road penalty when he got the worst of a three-truck accident with Spencer Gallagher and Jordan Anderson.
Running on the outside, Busch was attempting to pass both of the NCWTS regulars when Anderson and Gallagher, who made contact with Busch’s left-rear.
The veteran tried to save his machine, but he was ultimately sent spinning into the outside wall. Busch then slid down the track before coming to a stop on the apron.
“We got taken three-wide for no good (expletive)Â reason, fighting for 16th,” Gallagher said. “We got loose as hell and I wrecked Kyle.
“I feel terrible. That’s the last thing I want to do is wreck Kyle Busch for freaking 16th place. Lap 60. That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever been a part of in racing. I just don’t understand why we were put in that situation. I’m very distraught about that.”
“I now know how John Wes Townley feels,” Busch said after the incident, referencing an crash between Gallagher and Townley in the previous NCWTS race at Gateway Motorsports Park. That wreck also led to a brawl between the two upcoming stars, which warranted fines totaling $27,500 from NASCAR.
“We were going down the backstretch and Spencer checked up because he saw a hole in the bottom and went to the bottom, because he thought he could get there,” Busch said. “Yeah, Jordan Anderson kept his foot in the gas and didn’t check up but if you’re going to do that, you’ve got to stick to your orighinal plan and do what you planned on doing.
“You can’t just change your entry on getting to the corner. I tried to give as much room as I could give but there wasn’t enough room for three wide.”
The DNF brings an end to an impressive streak for Busch. The veteran had completed 17-straight Truck Series races dating back to the 2013 WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway, with 11 victories. Busch had also led a lap in every Truck Series start since 2012 at – again – Texas.
Busch finished 30th after his DNF, while Gallagher and Anderson went on to finish 16th and 17th, respectively.
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Heartbreaking! I’m sure there was a stampede out of the track following Kyle’s fan after the spin.