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Bob PockrassNASCAR
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kyle Busch has not talked to Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland about the finish of Sunday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff opener at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
But he has let his opinion be known and expects the message has gotten across about the final lap where Gragson, trying to pass Gilliland on the inside in the final turn for the win, couldn’t complete the move, sending both cars spinning and Justin Haley capturing the victory.
“Noah Gragson wiped out Todd Gilliland, and I have not spoken to either one of them,” Busch said Friday at Darlington Raceway. “There was a team meeting. I spoke to the crew chiefs on how to handle the team meeting and what to say, but I was not there to say it.”
And what was the message?
“Any time a new driver comes to KBM, there’s always been the explanation, you do not wreck a teammate and [you] treat a teammate with utmost respect because you don’t want to have to be in those meetings on Monday,” Busch said.
“That message has always been delivered and where that message went wrong, I don’t know. [Gragson crew chief] Rudy [Fugle] was supposed to handle it [at the team meeting] basically saying Noah was wrong in forcing the issue that hard in the final corner of the final lap, being behind and stuffing it in there.”
Gragson took blame for the accident when it happened. A win would have allowed him to automatically advance to the semifinal round of the truck playoffs. Gilliland, who missed the four races before turning 18 in May, did not make the playoffs.
Instead, it was GMS Racing’s Haley who earned the automatic semifinal-round bid.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Gragson said after the race. “That one’s on me. [I was] just trying to get a little bit too much trying to win. Wins are so big here. I mainly apologize to Todd and the 4 team.”