NASCAR insiders address overlooked restart controversy at Martinsville involving Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch was involved in a restart controversy at the Cup Series Playoff race at Martinsville on Sunday, and it left fans and experts confused. On The Teardown podcast , Jeff GluckJordan Bianchi of The Athletic discussed the issue that began with Busch losing a wheel .
"There was a moment that was also not such a great moment when they were coming to the green flag, and TV says, 'Woah, Kyle Busch's wheel just came off. NASCAR is gonna see this,'" Gluck said. "They waved the green flag, and then NASCAR saw the wheel came off. Then they throw caution.
At the time, William Byron had a lead on the restart when Busch lost a wheel. When NASCAR lined everyone back up after the caution, Kyle Larson was the leader. Gluck and Bianchi also mentioned that the incident hurt Ryan Blaney as he lost two spots.
"The benefactors of that moment, it didn't change the outcome of the playoffs, but that was like a 'Oh my goodness. What is happening here?' Gluck asked.
Kyle Busch has one last chance to win a Cup Series race in 2024Bianchi responded, "The green flag technically did come out. Once the green flag came out and then the yellow flag came out, so there was a split second of green there," Bianchi also said the biggest issue he had with the incident was Busch's tire being out there and nobody saw it.
"If that's the case, that's the bigger problem to me," he said. "I understand the green flag caution thing, can explain that. But if the tire is out there longer and no one spotted it, that to me is the bigger issue."
Busch earned a P28 finish at Martinsville and just has one more chance to win a race this year when the drivers compete in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race on Sunday. Since competing in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2005, Busch has one at least one race each year. Busch's last victory came in June 2023 when he placed first in the Illinois 300. In his career, Busch has won 63 Cup Series races and claimed two Cup Series titles.
