Busch-Elliott flare-up adds spice to race
Kyle Busch is NASCAR's reigning Cup champion and the resident villain of the series. Chase Elliott has been voted most popular driver the last two years and is quickly building a loyal and rabid fan base.
Their on-track tussle at Darlington Raceway this week in South Carolina very well might be the start of a new rivalry NASCAR needs.
Busch admittedly misjudged a gap and unintentionally wrecked Elliott in what turned out to be the final greenflag lap of Wednesday night's race. Elliott crashed, climbed out of his car, waved off medical personnel and waited on the apron for Busch to circle the track under caution.
As Busch passed, Elliott gave him a long, middle-finger salute.
The tension didn't end there, either. Rain opened up over the South Carolina track moments after the incident and drivers were told to bring their cars to pit road. When Busch parked, a group of Elliott's team members stared him down.
NASCAR once thrived behind strong rivalries but they have lessened over the years into brief feuds or spats. Busch had an ongoing issue with Brad Keselowski for several years, while Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin both tangled with Joey Logano. Nothing developed into anything like the battles between Richard Petty and David Pearson or how Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon raced for supremacy in NASCAR.
Busch said after finishing second in the Xfinity Series race Thursday that he had spoken to Elliott and “it went really well. Chase is a class act.” Elliott is scheduled to speak to the media Friday.
The series was suspended 10 weeks during the coronavirus pandemic and just restarted Sunday. Kevin Harvick won the first race at Darlington, Hamlin and Busch gave Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish in Wednesday's race at the same track.
Cambridge's Matt Kenseth finished 30th.
Xfinity Series: Chase Briscoe capped a heartbreaking week by winning the Xfinity Series' return to action at Darlington Raceway.
Briscoe was in the Darlington infield Tuesday awaiting the race's original start when he digitally joined wife, Marissa, for a 12-week exam for their expected baby. The couple heard the tragic news: There was no fetal heartbeat.
Still, Briscoe was in the lineup for the series' first action since March 7 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and used two strong restarts and a quick pit stop to finish on top. He got the lead out of the pits during the final caution, then pulled away from Busch and Justin Allgaier on the subsequent restart with seven laps to go for his fourth career win and second this season.
“This is the biggest day of my life after the toughest day of my life,” Briscoe said.
NASCAR Cup Series Toyota 500 Results Darlington, S.C. Wednesday At Darlington Raceway Lap length: 1.37 miles (Start position in parentheses)
1. (16) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 208 laps, 47 points. 2. (26) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 208, 35. 3. (20) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 208, 40. 4. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 208, 33. 5. (13) Erik Jones, Toyota, 208, 39. 6. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 208, 39. 7. (9) Aric Almirola, Ford, 208, 35. 8. (37) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 208, 29. 9. (7) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 208, 29. 10. (15) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 208, 44. 11. (24) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 208, 26. 12. (34) William Byron, Chevrolet, 208, 30. 13. (14) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 208, 24. 14. (6) Ryan Newman, Ford, 208, 23. 15. (18) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 208, 22. 16. (21) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 208, 21. 17. (23) Michael McDowell, Ford, 208, 20. 18. (19) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 208, 29. 19. (2) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 208, 18. 20. (10) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 208, 17. 21. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 208, 24. 22. (4) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 208, 35. 23. (32) Chris Buescher, Ford, 208, 14. 24. (31) Corey Lajoie, Ford, 207, 13. 25. (39) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 207, 12. 26. (35) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 207, 11. 27. (25) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 207, 10. 28. (29) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 207, 0. 29. (30) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 207, 0. 30. (11) Matt Kenseth, Chevrolet, 206, 9. 31. (22) Cole Custer, Ford, 206, 6. 32. (28) Gray Gaulding, Ford, 206, 5. 33. (33) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 204, 0. 34. (36) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 204, 3. 35. (12) John H. Nemechek, Ford, 202, 2. 36. (38) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 202, 0. 37. (27) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, transmission, 201, 1. 38. (17) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, accident, 200, 14. 39. (1) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, engine, 69, 2. Average Speed of Race Winner: 106.085 mph. Time of Race: 2 hours, 42 minutes, 23 seconds. Margin of Victory: Caution seconds. Caution Flags: 11 for 54 laps. Lead Changes: 17 among 14 drivers. Lap Leaders: R.Preece 0; T.Dillon 1-8; J.Logano 9-27; B.Wallace 28-30; C.Bowyer 31-83; M.Truex 84-99; K.Harvick 100-109; D.Suarez 110; C.Bowyer 111-128; R.Newman 129-133; E.Jones 134-160; C.Elliott 161-175; B.Keselowski 176-181; B.Poole 182; C.Elliott 183-190; B.Keselowski 191; C.Elliott 192-196; D.Hamlin 197-208 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): C.Bowyer, 2 times for 71 laps; C.Elliott, 3 times for 28 laps; E.Jones, 1 time for 27 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 19 laps; M.Truex, 1 time for 16 laps; D.Hamlin, 1 time for 12 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 10 laps; T.Dillon, 1 time for 8 laps; B.Keselowski, 2 times for 7 laps; R.Newman, 1 time for 5 laps; B.Wallace, 1 time for 3 laps; D.Suarez, 1 time for 1 lap; B.Poole, 1 time for 1 lap; R.Preece, 1 time for 0 laps.