Once again, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch was forced to find another ride home
On Sunday, NASCAR returned to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch was leading in the closing laps at the 1.54-mile track.
Watch the Kurt Busch vs Kyle Busch battle video below.
The brothers raced through lap traffic. Kyle Busch ran high to work around lap traffic. However, the lap car of Ross Chastain and teammate to Kurt Busch moved from the bottom, to the top lane.
With the move, he put Kyle Busch in dirty air. Kurt Busch chose the bottom lane at corner entry and drove right by to take the victory.
Kurt Busch after the Atlanta win
“Shake and bake! Yeah, and the 42, he did his job as a teammate,” Kurt Busch told NBC Sports post-race. “Ross is going to get a little flak for it, but that’s what it takes to be a good teammate at the right moment, so I couldn’t be more proud of Ross Chastain. I’ll pay him back eventually, but right now this is our No. 1 car in Victory Lane.”
After the win, Kyle Busch approached Kurt Busch and gave him a hug. He’s happy for Kurt, but that doesn’t mean he’s not, real pissed.
“He did stop by Victory Lane and do the Kyle Busch grumpy. That’s what I expected,” Kurt Busch said.
Busch added, “Yeah, again, what happened on track was the perfect scenario for a teammate to do the work that he needed to do. If I’m running third, Ross isn’t part of the equation. That was exactly what a teammate needs to do, and Ross did that in a way that gave me a sense of pride on the education and the mentorship that I have helped Ross with this year. It was a perfect give-back.
Back in 2019, Kurt and Kyle Busch banged doors in a closing laps battle at Kentucky Speedway. Kurt took the win in that situation as well. Kyle and Kurt were set to fly out on a private plane, together. However, Kyle elected to leave Kurt in Kentucky as the winner handled his 2019 victory celebrations.
And on Sunday, the same thing happened. This time, Kurt expected to be ditched.
Kurt Busch stated, “I already knew to find another ride, especially with Ross Chastain coming off the top rope.”
Related: Atlanta race results from July 11, 2021 (NASCAR Cup Series)
Ross Chastain
Chalk a win in the Chip Ganassi Racing column.
“Kurt asked for the bottom so I gave him that lane,” said Ross Chastain. “I was racing to stay on the lead lap. I’m very aware of what’s going on on the track around me. Kurt asked me for the bottom and I gave it to him.”
“To see a Chip Ganassi car in Victory Lane with all that’s happened the last couple of weeks and all this year, there is nothing I want more. One team, one goal and that’s to win.”
Kyle Busch
“Good car all day,” said the No. 18 spotter Tony Hirschman said over the radio. “Just got teamed up on there, dirtied up.”
Kyle Busch confirmed that to NBC Sports, “It shows you what kind of driver he is.”
“He turned dead right in order to get right in front of me,” Busch later explained.
Kyle added, “He changed direction with me. It’s pathetic. You can do whatever the hell you want, it’s just going to come back on you.
With the win, Kurt Busch is now locked into the playoff battle. It was his 33rd career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Related: Is Kurt Busch retiring from NASCAR?
Kurt Busch vs Kyle Busch
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Links
Kurt Busch | Kyle Busch | Ross Chastain | Atlanta Motor Speedway | NASCAR
