Kyle Busch had little to say after a late penalty cost him a chance to win Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.
Kyle Busch upset after late penalty costs him chance at Richmond win
NASCAR penalized Kyle Busch after he committed too late to pit road, forcing him to drop to the rear of the field on restart.
Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Busch was second to Joey Logano when an incident involving Ryan Blaney brought out the afternoon’s final caution with 23 laps remaining. Initially, Logano gave the appearance he wasn’t going to pit, but as he neared the pit road entrance the Team Penske driver swerved at the last second and decided to enter the pits. Busch then attempted to follow Logano, but as he did the right-side tires on the No. 18 car clipped the orange square signifying where a driver must be if they want to pit, which is a penalty.
The commitment line violation forced Busch to drop to the rear of the field on the ensuing restart. He protested the call to his Joe Gibbs Racing team, saying NASCAR got “the wrong guy.” Replays, however, confirmed officials got the call correct.
Busch finished 16th in the Toyota Owners 400. Logano went on to record the win at the three-quarter mile short track.
“Balls and strikes,” Busch said when asked by Fox Sports about the penalty before walking away without further comment.
NASCAR penalized six drivers for commitment line violations on Sunday, an unusually high number. Also penalized were Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick, Reed Sorenson, and Martin Truex Jr.
In the weekly pre-race drivers meeting a video clip instructed drivers that they must have all four wheels to the inside of the orange square if they are to enter pit road. If a wheel comes in contact with the square, a penalty will be issued.
Logano said he was not trying to bait Busch into committing a penalty and only turned at the last-second because crew chief Todd Gordon changed his mind on whether to pit. Because of how close Busch was tucked behind Logano, he had almost no visibility to see the pit marker.
“I took a hard left and was able to get down,” Logano said. “But when you’re the trailing car, you’re looking at a rear spoiler so you’re not 100 percent sure where that box is. It’s a tough situation.”
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