The NASCAR Cup Series has returned to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the fifth consecutive year, but 2025’s race is anything but routine. With a new, tighter layout in play, drivers are navigating a shortened 2.40-mile course featuring tricky corners and track limits. This adjustment has eliminated long straightaways, increasing lap count from 68 to 95 and significantly altering race dynamics.
However, the first person to fume over the changes was none other than Kyle Busch. The Richard Childress Racing driver started from eighth and saw himself in the top three soon. An early chaos between Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott allowed him to gain positions. Yet Rowdy wasn’t happy with his performance on the newly revamped track. He made it clear that one section is proving to be his Achilles’ heel.
He didn’t hold back his frustration, bluntly stating, “My worst corner is the left-hander in the stadium section. I s— there. 15.” His struggles became evident early on as he fought to stay with the leaders despite a strong start. Busch showcased impressive speed in Stage 1, staying close to Shane van Gisbergen and even putting pressure on him in the closing laps. On lap 27, he made a bold move to pass van Gisbergen to take the lead.
However, His frustration boiled over when he lost his lead to van Gisbergen precisely in one of those challenging left-handers—turn 6A and 6B. Notably, van Gisbergen methodically worked around him by Lap 35, taking advantage of Kyle Busch’s weakness in that section. As the race progressed, Busch fell almost a second behind the Kiwi driver and continued to struggle on left-handed corners. At the end of Stage 2, he made a strategic pit stop and fell to fourth position on the restart. With the final stage lined up ahead, all eyes will be on Busch to see if he end his 59-race-long winless streak.
Kyle Busch: “My worst corner is the left-hander in the stadium section. I suck there. 15.” He’s still within a second of SVG as the laps wind down in Stage 1.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 2, 2025
This is a developing story.
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