The 2025 Jack Link’s 500 was a unique race. While races at Talladega Superspeedway are known for it’s multi-car wrecks, the Cup Series fixture ended with a 62-lap green-flag run, the longest at a drafting track since July 2004 at Daytona. For those at the front, it was good news, as they could retain their track position in the closing stages of the race. However, the likes of Kyle Busch suffered because of the lack of late drama, forcing ‘Rowdy’ to finish 27th.
It’s almost like history repeated itself for the Nevada native, who finished just one spot higher at the Talladega spring race last year. Is Rowdy just running in circles year after year at Richard Childress Racing? It certainly seems like it.
Lady luck was not on Kyle Busch’s side
Expectations were high for Kyle Busch. After all, the 39-year-old had qualified in second place at Talladega Superspeedway, showing glimpses of the old ‘Rowdy’, with a lightning-fast lap time of 52.565. The 2025 Jack’s Link 500 couldn’t have begun on a better note for the racer either, as his No. 8 Chevy went on to take the lead by Lap 23, becoming the sixth different driver to pace the field. However, tragedy soon struck the Nevada native.
An on-track incident with Brad Keselowski proved to be a real blow, forcing Kyle Busch to hope for wrecks to gain back track positions. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side, and ‘Rowdy’ went on to say on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “You pull out a line, and like I tweeted last year. I’m like, ‘You try to go for a win and make a move and pull out a line, and then if only one guy goes with you, you’re both going to the back. So that guy doesn’t want to go with you. You’ve got to have a slew of eight of them to go with you to do anything.”
What Busch is referring to is that he couldn’t risk making a move to gain track positions as the maneuver could have backfired, or even worse, led to an early retirement. In such a circumstance, he went on to say, “I was needing a wreck. I was looking for five or six spots,” but unfortunately, it never came. The race ended with no drama, controversy, or ‘big ones’, a surprising outcome for a track like Talladega, where drivers rarely lift in the closing stages.
Last year, a frustrated Kyle Busch had tweeted, “Ride in line=finish where u r, TRY to race for win=finish last. I hate these cars!!!” However, even during the 2024 GEICO 500, there was a last-lap crash after race leader Michael McDowell wrecked after getting a push from Keselowski. Despite the incident, the Richard Childress Racing driver finished just outside the top 25. This time around, his race was even more challenging because of an on-track incident.
Busch suffered from steering woes at Talladega
Things just went from bad to worse for Kyle Busch at Talladega Superspeedway. A weekend that started with a lot of promise quickly turned into a nightmare when Rowdy got caught up in a tangle with Brad Keselowski in Turn 4 while attempting to enter the pit road, with Ryan Blaney also getting caught up in the crossfire. Even though the No. 8 Chevy didn’t suffer as much damage as the other two, the setback was irrecoverable.
After the first caution of the race was waved, Busch was heard saying, “I don’t know how to fix it, but I need help.” He also reported that his steering wheel was ‘90 degrees to the right’, a nightmare scenario for any track, let alone Talladega. His wife, Samantha Busch, also tweeted, “One lap down got out before the second lap down. Steering wheel is off so going to use this lap to see what’s up and then head back in.” It wasn’t looking good.
To make matters worse, Kyle Busch, along with several others, was also hit with a pit road penalty. All in all, the 2025 Jack Link’s 500 was a forgettable race for the two-time Cup Series driver, who will look to look to make amends at the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY. Luck hasn’t been on Rowdy’s side for quite some time now, but all he needs is a single win to change the narrative once and for all.
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