Busch’s Dreams Of Brickyard Triple Ends In Heartbreak
INDIANAPOLIS – There was no doubt that Kyle Busch was the favorite entering Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He was of course the two-time and defending winner of the race and scored the pole for the second-straight year on Saturday afternoon during qualifying. He kept the hot streak going early during the race, winning the first two stages comfortably.
But Sunday was not going to be Busch’s day.
On lap 111 Busch and race leader Martin Truex Jr. were racing side-by-side for the lead into turn one on a restart. Busch drove his Toyota to the outside of Truex’s Toyota in the apex. Truex’s car bobbled, then shot up the track, putting both cars into the turn one wall. Truex’s car was engulfed in flames before it came to a stop in turn two, but the driver got out of the burning vehicle before safety crews arrived.
Both cars were out of the race. Prior to the crash Busch had led 87 of the first 111 laps. He remains winless this season, with his last victory coming in the 2016 Brickyard 400 a year ago.
“I guess we could have continued to play the teammate game and try to settle it on a green flag pit stop, but he could be that much faster than me and yard me by three seconds on a run with the clean air then I would never be able to get the opportunity to pass him back even if we had to settle it on a pit stop,” Busch explained after he was released from the IU Health Infield Care Center. “That’s the way it goes.
“Just chalk it up to another one that we figure out how to lose these things by. It’s very frustrating and I hate it for my guys, they build such fast Toyota Camrys and the Skittles Camry was really good again today. I had wanted to go out there and put ourselves in the record books for three in a row, but not happening.”
Busch was asked if Truex got loose underneath him in the corner.
“I would guess, I don’t know,” Busch said. “I was on his (Martin Truex Jr.) outside and got hit, got blindsided and into the fence so I would imagine that’s what it was.”
Busch had a simple answer when asked if he had the fastest car Sunday.
“Yes,” he said.
Truex accepted all responsibility for causing the crash that took out the two best cars in the race.
“I just got loose and wrecked him (Busch) I guess, totally my fault,” Truex said. “I didn’t really know what to expect in that position and didn’t really realize that he was going to drive in that deep and suck me around. I will take the blame for that and obviously, it was my fault.
“I hate it for Kyle (Busch), he had a great car and we did as well, but that’s racing. Glad I was able to get out, fire was bad. I had no brakes and I had to run into the wall a second time just to get it to stop so I could get out. Fortunately, I’m okay and we’ll live to race another day.
“We worked well together and that’s the hard part about this stuff is when it’s time to go. I feel awful and just made a mistake. I definitely should have picked the outside and it would have been fine I guess. It’s just the way it goes. I hate it for Auto Owners and everyone involved at Furniture Row. We had an awesome car today and we got out front, I don’t think they were going to be able to beat us. A mistake on my part took us out of it, but we’ll get them next week.”
Source :speedsport.com
Comments
