Kyle Busch sidelined early after crash at New Hampshire
Kyle Busch’s day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ended early after a crash at the end of Stage 1 in Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
Busch had started at the rear of the field after a wreck in Saturday’s qualifying session and had moved up only slightly after the green flag of the Crayon 301. As the opening stage drew to a close on Lap 70, Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet clobbered the Turn 1 wall. Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy followed suit, also scraping the outside barrier.
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Busch was running in 27th place at time of the wreck, and LaJoie was in 31st. Busch limped around to pit road and made an additional lap before the No. 8 crew determined that the damage was terminal.
“I‘ve been lacking right-rear grip the whole time we‘ve been here,” Busch told NBC Sports after a quick check at the infield care center. “Just couldn‘t get the right-rear feel in the race track. You‘re just going along trying to keep it under you as much as you can. It was getting late in the run, and I was trying a different line and it was just too high. I didn‘t like to be that high on entry. I couldn‘t give it wheel and have the right-rear stick with the lateral grip that you need.”
Busch placed last in the 36-car field, snapping a streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes. He entered the New Hampshire race ranked third in the Cup Series standings, with three wins already this season.
LaJoie continued after his wall contact and met the minimum-speed requirement at the start of Stage 2 before heading to the garage. He spent extensive time off the track for further repairs, but was running at the finish to place 33rd — 125 laps in arrears.
