Kyle Busch and family in mall when shots fired
Kyle Busch’s tumultuous year took another turn.
Busch, his wife and their two children escaped the Mall of America in Minnesota after shots were fired, three days before racing at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
“If you look at that dark cloud that’s over me lately, hence the other day, we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time a lot of times,” Busch said Saturday.
When shots were fired Thursday, Busch and his son, Brexton, were waiting in line to ride a roller coaster while his wife, Samantha, and their daughter, Lennix, were shopping elsewhere in the largest mall in the country.
“It’s a lot to process as an adult but really hard as a parent to explain to your child what happened,” Samantha wrote in a post on Instagram.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker T. Hodges said no one was struck by the gunfire, adding on Friday that the department was still searching for two people involved in the shooting.
The harrowing experience, though, did not appear to give Busch a newfound perspective on his life and career. A twotime NASCR champion, he does not have a contract for next season and that appears to be his chief concern.
“This is a performancebased business,” said Busch, who will start third in the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday. “So it is life-or-death fear if you’ve either got a job and you’re working and you’re making a living, or you’re at home figuring out what your next steps are.
“I’ve kind of thought about that like, ‘OK, what are my next steps? What do I do if I don’t continue to race? And I have no idea. I have no clue.”
Busch, the 2015 and 2019 NASCAR champion and winner of 60 career Cup races, has one victory this year and is ranked 11th in points.
Over the last seven races, Busch has failed to finish within the top 10. That stretch includes a 36th-place finish at Pocono two weeks ago after he and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who won the race, were disqualified because their Toyotas failed inspections.
“It’s a matter of luck, and there is absolutely none following the 18 car right now,” Busch said.
MORE NASCAR CUP
Bubba Wallace won his first career pole Saturday, becoming the only driver to break 190 mph in the Next Gen car during qualifying this season. Wallace also gave 23XI Racing, formed by Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin in 2020, its first pole.
“With the speed that we have, there’s no reason that we can’t go out and win,” said Wallace, who
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Four races remain in the regular season, creating a sense of urgency to qualify for the playoffs. That’s true even for some drivers who have won a race.
NASCAR has had 14 different Cup winners this season, closing in on the playoff-era record of 16 set last year. If a new mark is made and there are three new winners over the next four races, one driver with a victory would be eliminated from the 16-car playoff with a tiebreaker based on points.
Chase Briscoe, who has one victory and is No. 12 in points, is confident his postseason bid is safe if there is not a new winner at MIS, though he would love to seal a spot on his own.
“Another win would be the easiest way to take the pressure off 100 percent,” said Briscoe, who will start 23rd in the 37-car field in the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.
AXFINITY SERIES
Ty Gibbs won his Xfinity Series-high fifth race this year and ninth of his two-year career at Michigan International Speedway.
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The 19-year-old grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, in the No. 54 Toyota, led 54 of the 125 laps on the 2-mile oval.
“I’ve had an awesome time on this series,” Gibbs said. “I work as hard as I can to be the best I can. I don’t really have any other hobbies.”
Justin Allgaier finished second followed by
Noah Gragson, who won the pole and the first two stages at the New Holland 250.
Gibbs will start sixth on Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series race in the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, filling in for Kurt Busch, who is missing his third straight race with concussion-like symptoms.
AJ Allmendinger was aiming for his second straight Xfinity Series win this season and second in a row at Michigan. He led seven laps before finishing seventh. Allmendinger has a 19-point lead over Allgaier in the standings.
Gragson led 39 laps, including the last one in the second stage when he passed Allmendinger on the last turn. Allmendinger was unhappy about that and voiced his displeasure with his team on the radio.
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