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Busch was leading the race in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with 20 laps remaining, before an aggressive bump draft from Suarez’s Trackhouse version sent him spinning into the outside retaining wall on the backstretch approaching Turn 3.
Amazingly, Busch’s car wasn’t hit again as he spun back across the pack, but enough frontal damage was inflicted to likely go to his backup No.8 car for the Daytona 500. He had led 28 laps until that point, and told reporters that he “didn’t see the sense in pushing – it really bothers me”.
Speaking after his trip to the infield care center for a medical checkup, Busch said everything had been going to plan before the big wreck.
“Just a lot of pushing and shoving for a few laps straight,” he said of what caused the accident. “Doing everything you can to try and hang on, and do the best you can to make sure that you keep it straight. Just finally overloaded the left-rear and hooked it to the right.
“Hate it for all my guys. They built a fast No.8 3CHI Chevy Camaro. It was really fun to drive. It drove great the whole time. Everything was super easy, super simple. But we have a long ways to go. I don’t understand, but it is what it is.
“The guys have a lot of work to do, unfortunately. I hate it for them, but we’ll be back on Sunday.”
When asked if he felt he needed to have a conversation with anyone, he replied: “No. I just don’t understand why, but it is what it is. There’s no changing it.”
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro, Daniel Suarez, TrackHouse Racing, Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
Suarez shouldered the blame for the wreck, but remarked that pushes he was receiving from Kyle Larson behind him in corners were even more aggressive than how he was pushing Busch on the straights.
He also thought Busch was dragging his brake, which increased the severity of bumpdrafting impacts.
“It was unfortunate,” said Suarez. “You never want that to happen. I felt like a few laps before that, they told me on the radio that we needed to start making time. The No. 5 [Kyle Larson] was being more aggressive to me, pushing me.
“I thought the No. 8 [Busch] was actually dragging his brakes because I could push him so easily. I guess he wasn’t, but I was getting so much energy from the No. 5 that I was just pushing too hard. I felt like the No. 5 was pushing pretty hard to me, and I was just pushing the No. 8 too hard.
“When they gave me the message to take it easy on the corners, I was going to do that. But I spun him out on the straightaway, so I was not expecting that.
“It’s unfortunate. It’s definitely not the way we had that planned.”