Getty Chase Elliott prepares for a race at Circuit of the Americas.
One NASCAR Cup Series champion has apologized to another after an incident early at Circuit of the Americas on March 27. Chase Elliott sent Kyle Busch spinning off the track, but he later took full responsibility for the mistake.
The incident unfolded early in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Busch was running 13th overall when he suddenly spun off of the track. He was able to get the No. 18 back into the race, but he lost several crucial spots. Replay later showed that contact from Elliott’s No. 9 is what caused Busch to lose control.
“I messed up,” Elliott said after his fourth-place finish, transcript courtesy of NASCAR Media. “I got crossed up in the braking zone and hit him. Obviously, we were racing for last and probably weren’t even racing for stage points and I think he knows me better than that. But yeah, that was completely on me … and my fault.”
Elliott went on to secure points in Stage 1 while Busch remained outside of the top 10. Though the driver of the No. 18 was able to finish second behind teammate Denny Hamlin at the end of Stage 2 to secure some crucial points for the playoff push.
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Busch Had Another Issue Later in the Race
GettyKyle Busch spun multiple times at Circuit of the Americas.
While the contact from Elliott sent him for an early spin, Busch was able to put himself back into contention for a top-five finish during the final run to the checkered flag. He started the last lap by passing Tyler Reddick and chasing down teammate Christopher Bell.
However, the situation quickly changed when another spin derailed Busch’s late-race run and knocked him outside of the top 20. He lost control of the No. 18 after exiting the esses portion of Circuit of the Americas, and he went sliding off of the track. He was able to get moving once again, but he only finished 28th overall after another spin moments later.
There were questions about whether Busch received some “help” from Reddick late in the race. The onboard camera for the No. 18 actually showed that no other vehicles made contact. There was ample space between the rear of Busch’s stock car and the front of Reddick’s.
While Reddick did not make contact with Busch’s spin late in the race, it appeared that another driver played a role in the next one. Harrison Burton’s No. 21 bumped Busch’s No. 18 from behind and sent it spinning once again.
Busch Needs Even More Points at Richmond Raceway
The two spins dropped Busch from fifth to 28th and took away an opportunity to secure his second top-five finish of the year. He left Circuit of the Americas with only 18 points while fifth-place finisher Tyler Reddick secured 32.
There are six races complete, and Busch is still above the playoff cutline. He sits in 11th place overall with 154 points, 54 behind Elliott. He is also only five points ahead of Kyle Larson, who sits in the 16th position. However, Larson has a win at Auto Club Speedway, which gives him an advantage over Busch in the playoff chase.
Busch will now head to a short track to add more points to his total and potentially fight for the win. The next race on the schedule takes place at Richmond Raceway, a track where Busch has 32 previous starts with six wins and zero DNFs. Just as important are the 25 top-10 finishes, which show that Busch has been in contention during 78.1% of his Cup Series starts at the track.
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