Kyle Busch had plenty of criticism to go around after his car was part of a major pileup at Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Busch was caught up in a crash right at the beginning of Stage 2, one that he blamed on Joey Logano.
‘Looked like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck,’ Busch said of Logano, whose bump with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. triggered the chain reaction. ‘We still got 20 laps to go and he’s trying to go through the middle and make a hole that isn’t there and just created chaos …
‘You gotta know how wide your race car is to find a hole that it will fit in. And he obviously doesn’t know that.’
But Busch, who has never won in his 20 starts at the Daytona 500, saved his harshest words for NASCAR, after race officials denied his attempt to return to the track.
Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet seemed to avoid major damage from the wreck, though it did need to be towed back to the garage area. After replacing all four tires, the car returned to the race under caution. But once Busch pitted under the yellow for more repairs, NASCAR ruled him out of the race.
Busch complained afterwards he wasn’t given a chance to get back on the track and up to speed. He took to social media after not getting what he felt was a satisfactory explanation.
‘The race never went back to green yet,’ he wrote. ‘I don’t think they know their own rules or procedures.’
NASCAR’s new Damaged Vehicle Policy is designed to give teams a chance to make repairs and keep racing. However, officials stated Busch needed to reach minimum speed immediately after the repairs in the garage were completed. Under the rules, his visit to the pits for anything other than fuel resulted in him being parked for the rest of the race.
The ruling was perhaps even more frustrating for Busch at Daytona.
Despite 63 NASCAR Cup Series wins (ninth all-time) and two season championships, Busch has never won the Daytona 500 in 20 attempts.
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