Just past the halfway point at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon, Kyle Busch’s conservative race strategy backfired, as he became collected in the dreaded “big one” on Lap 103.
Busch’s No. 18 M&M Toyota Camry was running at the rear of the field, when J.J. Yeley and Aric Almirola collided inside the top-10, triggering a 10-car wreck on the backstretch.
Also included in the accident included: A.J. Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon, Terry Labonte, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers.
“We were just all starting to shuffle around there and getting ready to pit, and I think it was the 83 in front of me, and I think he might have been trying to check up to get to the bottom,” said Almirola. “I just barely started to push him and it hooked his car and we all wrecked.”
Busch, presumably safe in the second round of the Chase had hovered towards the rear of the pack, hoping to stay under a blanket of protection and it appeared that move paid off, even as Yeley and Almirola wrecked, but contact from behind from fellow Sprint Cup Series rookie Dillon sent Busch’s automobile hard into the outside wall.
Busch, who announced this week that he and wife Samantha are expecting their first child in May, was able to leave the scene of the crash under his own power and drive to the garage, but immediately climbed from his machine both times, without comment.
The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team along with assistance from others JGR teammates frantically repaired his racecar and he later returned to the race track, lifting himself from 43rd to 40th, but their efforts fell short of making the cut.
Busch, the California winner, entered Sunday’s GEICO 500 fourth in “Contender” championship standings, but left the 2.66-mile superspeedway ninth overall.
Dave Rogers, crew chief for Busch offered, “My hats off to all these guys — everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and everyone at TRD (Toyota Racing Development). It’s a shame, everyone has been working really hard. I felt like we got off to a slow start early in the season and we were advancing through the playoffs pretty well with hard work and good decisions and good teamwork.
Rogers reiterated that his driver did everything right Sunday, just became a victim of Talladega’s curse.
“The team was performing really well and working extremely hard. I thought we were in a decent spot coming into the race and rode around in the back. Kyle (Busch) got checked up for the wreck and had everything saved up, but he got run over from behind. There is no safe place in here. Everyone, every time we come to a speedway everyone will strategize — we’re going to ride in the back, we’re going to ride in the front, we’re going to do this. The truth is that if you’re out there on the race track at Talladega or Daytona, you have a pretty good chance that you’re going to get in a wreck and today was our day. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.”
Bowman and Yeley retired from the event, after extensive damage on both Toyotas were deemed irreparable by the BK Racing team. Almirola returned to the race, 29 laps down.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
