Kyle Busch entered the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas with optimism. After a rocky start to his 2025 season, he had strung together three consecutive top-10 finishes. He finished seventh at Atlanta, fifth at COTA, and eighth at Phoenix. The No. 8 Chevrolet was performing better than last season, and despite his 61-race winless streak, Busch was feeling confident. He praised his team’s efforts, saying, “So far so good. From last year to this year … the cars are driving much better.”
As the NASCAR caravan reached Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Busch was confident to make a comeback on his home track. He had a blistering qualifying session by locking a second-row start. But, NASCAR had other plans. In a race filled with chaos, Busch found himself at the center of controversy. A penalty for speeding on the pit road derailed his day. The decision left Rowdy furious and sparked massive outrage from Richard Childress Racing (RCR).
A forgettable day for Kyle Busch!
The chaos unfolded during a crucial green-flag pit cycle. Busch took his stop under caution and was poised to restart inside the top five. But NASCAR ruled that he had exceeded the pit road speed limit. The penalty sent him to the back of the field, limiting his chances of contending for the win. Busch was livid. The No.8 Chevy driver complained that he never got any indication about the speed limit.
Over the radio, he fumed, “That’s insane! I never saw a blue light down the pit road. I’m on page 3.” Notably, the blue light on the driver’s dashboard tracks pit road speed and alerts drivers. But in Busch’s case, he didn’t receive any alert. His frustration grew when his team informed him that the penalty was too late to argue it. On team radio, the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro crew chief, Randall Burnett, blasted NASCAR officials.
NASCAR insider Matt Weaver reported, “Randall Burnett and Derek Kneeland both say they’ve yelled at NASCAR officials. The RCR 8 team is mad that NASCAR called that penalty so late and never gave them a chance to pit or even address the penalty.” The No. 8 team believed they had been robbed of a chance to fight for the win. However, when Busch and co. looked to make a comeback, another disaster struck.
Randall Burnett and Derek Kneeland both say they’ve yelled at NASCAR officials
The RCR 8 team is mad that NASCAR called that penalty so late and never gave them a chance to pit or even address the penalty
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) March 16, 2025
As if the penalty wasn’t enough, Kyle Busch’s race completely unraveled in Stage 2. While battling through the field, he suffered a wreck that forced him into the garage. He lost his right rear wheel and limped down pit road, telling his team, “It’s broke, it’s done, the brake pedal is done.” The damage was severe, and Busch had to visit the garage. The RCR driver went almost 34 laps down at the end of stage 2.
Busch’s struggles at Las Vegas only added to his recent frustrations. His 61-race winless streak weighed heavily on him, and every missed opportunity felt magnified. Despite strong performances at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, victory continued to elude him. While the No. 8 Chevrolet had shown improvement, setbacks like these made the road to victory even steeper. In COTA he was running ahead but with just 10-laps to go his tire failed to hold on as he slipped down to fifth position.
Although Busch’s day ended in disappointment, another controversial pit road moment grabbed attention. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell found himself in hot water after a bizarre pit stop derailed his race.
Christopher Bell’s bizarre pit stop!
Kyle Busch wasn’t the only one caught in NASCAR’s web of penalties. Christopher Bell and his No. 20 team found themselves in a strange situation that might force NASCAR to revisit its rulebook. During a caution, Bell realized he had a loose left front wheel. In a quick-thinking move, he pulled into Chase Briscoe’s pit stall, and Briscoe’s crew tightened the wheel for him. The decision saved Bell from a potential two-lap penalty and a suspension for his jackman and wheel changer (what others have received for similar incidents).
However, there was a problem—the pit stop was done outside their designated pit box. NASCAR officials were quick to react, hitting Bell with a penalty. The move was surprising because Chase Briscoe’s team had just received a similar penalty earlier in the race. The penalty sent Bell to the back of the field, erasing his progress. Notably, this was a significant setback for Bell, who is chasing Bill Elliott’s record of winning four out of the first five races in the NASCAR Cup Series season.
His weekend had already been challenging. After qualifying 13th, his team made an unapproved adjustment, forcing him to start at the rear. He had fought his way into the top 10 before the pit stop debacle. Crew chief Adam Stevens, a two-time champion, had been confident in their strategy, but this mistake put Bell in a difficult position. Despite the setback, Bell found himself in the Top 10 as the final stage of the race kicked off. For the time being, four wins in a row seems like a far-fetched dream for Bell and the No. 20 team. But who knows a big one and multiple cautions might come to their rescue.
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