On the final restart at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch was hoping to end a promising day on a high note. He had run inside the top ten for most of the day, and restarted 11th with two fresh right-side tires.
He didn’t make any forward progress in the chaotic restart, and John Hunter Nemechek passed him as the field crossed the line with three laps to go. A lap later, Busch got back underneath Nemechek through Turns 1 and 2.
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He nearly cleared the Legacy Motor Club driver for 12th at the exit of the corner, and two cars made contact. Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet nailed the outside wall, damaging the car. Nemechek then worked his way around him entering Turn 3.
However, Busch then appeared to swerve right, knocking Nemechek into the outside wall. Busch went on to finish 20th, and Nemechek rolled down pit road to finish 21st.
Both reacted to the clash on social media following the race, giving two very different takes.
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“Not freaking clear,” posted Nemechek. “Great day going, and just got wrecked. What an ass.”
Busch responded by sharing video of the SMT data, which appears to show Nemechek turning slightly down the track.
“I did not start this,” Busch said alongside the video. “The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the RS (right side) of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him and I was judging my left side tires to the hash marks. Always know who your racing beside.”
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One thing that is certain from the No. 42 in-car video is that Nemechek wasn’t as close to the wall as the cars directly in front of him, and that he definitely lifted once they made contact. As for what happened after, well, that was clearly retaliation.
A NASCAR official can also been seen taking pictures of Busch’s right-front fender after the race as well.
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