Kyle Busch spins out, hits the wall in final Crayon 301 qualifying round
The Magic Mile has not been so magical for Kyle Busch and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team so far in New Hampshire. During the final round of NASCAR qualifying, Busch was first to hit the track. He had issues in practice and it showed up again in his final Crayon 301 qualifying lap.
After clipping the wall in practice with his right rear, Busch’s team went to work. He was great in qualifying and snagged the final spot in his group to make the final round. Busch, who has been on a strong run, wasn’t able to hold onto it.
Coming around the track, Kyle Busch lost the backend of his car as it spun around. Instead of locking up his brakes and slamming the wall, Busch was smart. He hit the gas hard and lessened the blow by basically trying to drive away from the wall and out of the spin.
Still, not what you want in qualifying.
That No. 8 crew is earning their salaries this weekend. Lots of work is being put into getting this fast car on the track where Busch can control it. Rowdy doesn’t mind having to wheel around the track, but he has to have a car that has some control under it or he won’t make it through Turns 3 and 4.
Kyle Busch was going to start P10 as long as his team didn’t make any big adjustments and if he stayed in the same car. However, after looking at the damage, Busch’s team will make repairs and the car will drop to the rear for the start of the Crayon 301.
Kyle Busch takes damage ahead of Crayon 301
The good news for Rowdy, he has three wins and is locked into the playoffs. Bad news, you have to compete for the regular season championship still. Getting that title means 15 extra playoff points and a big boost heading into the postseason. Busch sits third overall in the points, 15 points behind Martin Truex JR. and 36 points behind leader William Byron.
Byron had a power steering issue and will likely have a rough starting position. However, it doesn’t help that Martin Truex Jr. is starting P2. Oh, and Christopher Bell, the defending winner at this track, is one point behind Busch in the standings and will start on the pole.
Leading the Cup Series with 12 top-10s, Busch has a great resume. He has also been on an incredible stretch of races. Usually, top-10s and top-5s lead to wins, if that is the case, Busch will have a chance to take the checkered flag this weekend.
So, Kyle Busch wasn’t able to run a final qualifying lap and will now start at the rear. It will be hard for Rowdy to get his fourth career win at Loudon.