Busch Makes Surprising Early Exit In Darlington Truck Race

Kyle Busch's destroyed truck in the garage at Darlington Raceway Friday night. (Max Corcoran/Race Face Digital photo)

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kyle Busch made a dubious page in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history books that he would have preferred not to make Friday night at Darlington Raceway.

After getting loose off turn two while fighting Corey Heim for the early lead, Busch spun and crashed into the inside wall on the backstretch, sustaining heavy damage just two laps into the Buckle Up South Carolina 200.

Though his Spire Motorsports crew attempted to repair the No. 7 Chevy Silverado and got Busch back into the race briefly, the all-time Truck Series wins leader suffered a cut right-front tire and pounded the turn-one wall on lap 12, ending his night before it had a chance to begin.

Busch finished 32nd in the 32-truck field, marking the first time in his Truck Series career that he’d finished last in 175 starts. He also completed the fewest laps (six) of any race in his Truck tenure.

After being checked and released from the infield care center, Busch was understandably frustrated when asked about his early exit from a race he was expected to contend for the victory in.

“[That was] just me overtrusting the grip on the start and putting ourselves in a predicament we shouldn’t have been in that led to the crash,” lamented the two-time Cup Series champion, who sold the assets of Kyle Busch Motorsports to the Spire team at the end of last year.

“It was very on edge ... and I just lost it.”

Darlington marked the last of Busch’s five scheduled Truck Series starts this season, and Friday night was the first time Busch had ever participated in a Truck race at the Track Too Tough to Tame.

Busch ends his year in NASCAR’s third-highest division with two wins (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway) and three top-five finishes in five starts. His Truck Series win record now stands at 66.