The loud roar of engines, the blur of colorful cars zooming past, and that racing heart-pounding feeling when cars hit 200 miles per hour—welcome to the wild world of NASCAR. It’s a sport where precision and raw aggression are so close that sometimes it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Take Richmond Raceway, for example. When the pack was packed tight after that Stage 2 restart, eleven cars were battling to stay in front, racing three-wide down the backstretch. And then it happened. Kyle Busch, in the middle of the action at Lap 198, gave just a tiny nudge to Chase Briscoe’s No. 19. At first glance, it looked harmless. But that little tap sent Briscoe spinning wildly across the track into a sea of traffic. 

As the dust settled and the wreckage was cleared, the conversation shifted from the track to the broadcast booth—and eventually, to the podcast studio of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. He and his co-host didn’t hold back, diving right into what everyone was thinking: was Kyle Busch’s nudge a strategic move or just an unavoidable part of racing at crazy speeds?

Dale Jr. Analyzes Kyle Busch’s Performance After His Major Crash at Richmond

Busch’s trouble started early when he complained about his car’s handling, especially that the right rear felt all over the place and was on the verge of spinning out. Plus, his tires were worn down, making it hard to grip the track. Things got worse during a green-flag pit stop in the second stage when he was caught speeding on pit road. Turns out, it was because of a malfunction with the pit limiter, which was active in multiple spots.

Just when he was trying to get back on track, tragedy struck. Busch was caught up in a huge 12-car pileup, an incident that also took out other top contenders. Highlighting the very incident, Dale Jr and his team said, “I know all those guys don’t want to be in that wreck, but damn it. Yeah, we were right in the middle of it. I love seeing all that. I thought we were done.”

Before the race, Busch insisted he wasn’t stressed and was just focused on winning every weekend. But his rough day at Richmond shows he might need a different mindset. Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his take on the Dirty Mo Media podcast, saying Busch’s frustration may have gotten the best of him, commenting, “I think he just got mad. He didn’t lift when the 19 came down.” There is a high possibility that Kyle might have taken this step out of frustration, as Chase Elliott had taken a close cut just in front of Kyle’s car.

They speculate that while Busch could have lifted off the gas, he seemed determined to hold his line as they said, “So, I mean, maybe he just misjudged it, but see Kyle’s going for the same spot. And he had time to lift. Yeah, there’s a lot, a lot going on there.”

A tough streak at Richmond Raceway’s Cook Out 400 has put two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Kyle Busch in a tricky spot, with his playoff dreams slipping away. A penalty on pit road and a big multi-car crash really hurt his chances, leaving him with just one shot left to make it into the playoffs: win at Daytona.

It’s a tricky track, especially with the chaos of a superspeedway race, but if he can survive that, Elliott might have a shot. This upcoming race next Saturday is going to be a real test for him and everyone else trying to make it into the playoffs. While people continue to assume what might have been the case, Kyle Busch might just have tried to clear the air with Chase Elliott.

Kyle Busch Apologizes to Chase Elliott

Kyle Busch apologized to Chase Elliott after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Richmond race on August 16 likely ended Elliott’s chances of winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship.

On Lap 199 of the 400-lap race, as Elliott navigated a multi-car wreck, Busch’s car made contact with the right rear of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet. The contact caused Elliott to hit the wall on turn four, resulting in his first DNF (Did Not Finish) of the season. This outcome was particularly damaging for Elliott, as it effectively eliminated his opportunity to secure the 15 playoff points awarded to the regular-season champion.

“Kyle did reach out to me; he apologized to me for what happened,” Elliott said on Aug. 19 while in Nashville at the K1 Speed go-kart track. “I don’t have a differing opinion on it. I was never mad at him. I knew it was a mistake right when I saw it.”

After the Richmond race, Chase Elliott is positioned second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, trailing leader William Byron by 68 points heading into the final race of the regular season at Daytona on August 23.