Richard Childress Racing (RCR) faces a tough task preparing a backup vehicle for Kyle Busch following a severe crash during Saturday’s practice session at Iowa Speedway. Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, lost control entering Turn 1 on the 0.875-mile track, causing his No. 8 Chevrolet, sponsored by Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, to collide heavily with the SAFER Barrier. The extensive damage means Busch will rely on a backup car for the upcoming Iowa Corn 350 race on Sunday.
Busch had set the second-fastest lap time in the first practice group before the accident interrupted his preparations. The wreck has placed significant pressure on the RCR teams as they scramble overnight to ready an alternative car for race day.
Details of the Incident and Busch’s Reaction to the Crash
While exiting Turn 4, Busch felt confident with the setup and pushed the car aggressively into Turn 1. However, his Chevrolet lost grip, causing a spin and resulting in a hard impact with the wall. Busch described the moment as a loss of trust between different corners on the track.
“Felt really good about the changes that we made there, came out of Turn 4 really hot and heavy and hard on it, and went off into Turn 1 with too much trust, then overcorrected it and smacked the fence,”
Busch said.
The driver expressed frustration over the unpredictable handling, acknowledging the challenge of maintaining consistent grip.
“Just not real sure how to find more trust or when you feel something good in one corner, it’s not there in the next,”
he added.
Team Efforts to Prepare a Backup Car Overnight
The incident has made the weekend notably tougher for the Richard Childress Racing organization. The team will have to coordinate between the crews of their two full-time NASCAR Cup Series cars to ready the backup vehicle in time. Busch noted the collaboration expected from the No. 3 car’s crew to get the backup ready.
“Obviously, it’s tough for the guys, hate it for the guys. Everybody at RCR, especially the No. 8 crew. I’m sure we’ll rely on some of the No. 3 car guys to prepare the backup car overnight and get us into the race tomorrow,”
Busch explained.
Despite the crash, he remains hopeful about their speed and ability to improve throughout the event.
“Obviously, we had decent speed, just trying to work on up to it and try to get consistently better and better with laps, so that’ll be about the same thing we have to do tomorrow,”
he said.
Kyle Busch’s Challenge to Regain Confidence for Playoff Push
Following the wreck, Busch estimates his confidence in the car has dropped sharply.
“I was probably built up to about 70 to 80 percent trust, now I’m down to zero. So, I’ll have to try to build that up lap by lap,”
he remarked. The setback comes at a critical time as Busch seeks his first win since 2023 to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
The Las Vegas native faces an uphill battle starting the 350-lap race from a difficult position after the crash. The Iowa Corn 350 will broadcast live on USA Network at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 3.
