If not for the two-week break provided by the Olympics, Kyle Busch may have been forced to miss a NASCAR Cup Series race due to injury.
During a recent vacation, Busch was photographed with a brace on his left wrist after injuring it in the final laps of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While contending with Denny Hamlin for position in Turn 3, Busch lost control and collided with the outside wall. He attributed the injury to the “great Next Gen race cars,” quipping that “snap the wheel and snap your wrist” as a consequence of the car’s design.
The timing of the two-week break was fortuitous for Busch, who has faced a challenging season. Despite his status as a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Busch has yet to secure a win this year and currently finds himself on the outside looking in for the Cup playoffs. The wrist injury, though serious enough to require attention, was not severe; it was diagnosed as a sprain with no fractures. Busch acknowledged that without the additional time off, he would have struggled to compete effectively. “I’m good. I’m pretty good now,” he stated, indicating that the rest period was crucial for his recovery.
As the NASCAR series resumed, Busch turned his focus to the upcoming race weekend. He qualified 12th at Richmond, a venue where he holds the record for the most wins among active drivers, with six victories. His team, Richard Childress Racing, displayed promising performance overall, with his teammate Austin Dillon advancing to the final round of qualifying.
Reflecting on his qualifying performance, Busch remarked, “Yeah, I mean, we unloaded good here. We felt good balance and decent speed. So definitely a balance difference between the two sets of tires. That was probably our biggest struggle. If we can close that gap, I felt pretty good on the controls.” He also praised Dillon’s performance, noting, “Austin laid down a really good lap to make the top ten, so I thought I could have run at least what Denny ran if I were to hit my line and everything perfect. But I messed up just a little bit, so I didn’t quite get that.”
Busch’s ability to recover in time for the race underscores the unpredictable nature of racing and the critical role of timing and health in a competitive season.
