Kyle Busch rips NASCAR for track limit confusion: 'They ain't got a clue'

Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA was largely free of controversy if you look past the widespread track limit confusion at the beginning of Stage 2. Kyle Busch certainly didn’t forget and after the race, took NASCAR to task for not knowing its own rules.

“I heard they were gonna police Turns 4, 5 and 6, and then it turned into 3, 4, 5. And yesterday, it was only 4 and 5. They ain’t got a clue,” Busch said, via Frontstretch.

After Stage 1, Busch said over his radio he noticed multiple times drivers such as Shane van Gisbergen cutting the course in Turn 6. No drivers were penalized during Stage 1 for cutting the course in Turn 6. Why was that the case? Well, NASCAR informed teams they are only enforcing track limits in Turns 3, 4 and 5. Turn 6 was “wide open” to cut the course, NASCAR told Richard Childress Racing.

NASCAR told drivers in the prerace meeting, “Vehicles must run the full course at all times. You will be judged as missing or shortcutting when all four tires are on the non-track side of the red and white rumble strips that define the apex of the turns,” per Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. Gluck added there was nothing in the drivers meeting about which turns would be officiated.

Kyle Busch among drivers confused by track limits at COTA

Almost immediately after Stage 2 began and drivers were informed of NASCAR’s updated policy on track limits, Kyle Larson fell victim. Larson cut Turn 3 and was penalized. When he was hit with the penalty, Larson said, “I didn’t know they were calling 3.”

Asked if NASCAR should do away with track limits at COTA, Busch gave an emphatic no.

“No, because then you’ll just straight shot Turn 3 all the way to Turn 6. Don’t do that. No, you got to have track limits,” Busch said. “We need to be a professional racing league that knows how to handle it professionally on a racetrack.

“You look at Formula 1, V8 Supercar and who the hell else that races road course racing and they all have track limits, and they all obey the track. I don’t think Turn 6 was policed very well today, so we all just started taking advantage of it and running through the dirt.”