Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota ought to’ve been scrap steel. As a substitute, it crossed the end line second. The 2022 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway grew to become a survival check, with Busch threading a seven-car wreck in extra time like a dancer dodging shrapnel. His escape capped an evening the place 17 automobiles retired, tempers flared, and the Subsequent-Gen automotive’s limits have been laid naked.
The race’s first extra time restart set the stage for the mayhem. Austin Dillon’s daring four-wide lunge for the lead triggered a pileup that swallowed Kyle Larson and others. Busch, Denny Hamlin, and a handful of drivers emerged unscathed. For Busch, it was one other near-miss in a season.
Kyle Busch’s Cut up-Second Resolution Saves Second-Place End
The wreck unfolded like a slow-motion nightmare. Dillon, on contemporary tires, rocketed from fourth to problem Larson, coming into Flip 3. His divebomb transfer turned the entrance stretch right into a demolition derby, amassing Larson, Ross Chastain, and 4 others. Amid the spinning steel, Busch veered low whereas Hamlin shot excessive, their split-second selections preserving pristine automobiles.
“Unbelievable,” Busch stated on the radio after the shut name.
Loopy https://t.co/tQMiafEq8G pic.twitter.com/di0hwZu97Z
— Carson (@NASCARSON_) March 27, 2025
Hamlin, who received the race, later dissected the Subsequent Gen automotive’s function within the carnage.
“In our previous automotive, you possibly can form of hang around. The fitting facet was a billboard, it was flat, so it caught air. Any time you stick your hand out of the window, you possibly can really feel it. This one is all-rounded. The second it will get sideways, it simply spins out,” he stated. “You don’t have as a lot aerodynamics that retains the automotive planted to the observe.”
William Byron, caught in an earlier 12-car pileup, echoed the frustration: “You possibly can’t drive the automotive the slightest bit sideways otherwise you’re wrecked. So, if any individual will get somewhat bit sideways, then all of us wreck.”
Busch’s runner-up end masked a turbulent evening. He battled an ill-handling automotive, complaining of zero grip early on. But his late-race composure contrasted sharply with Larson’s distress. Larson, who spun twice and hit the wall, known as it “the worst race of my life” mid-event. His crew chief, Cliff Daniels, rallied him:
“I would like you to recollect is how good TV we made. All meaning is that within the second half, already we’re going to be beginning method higher than what we began the primary half.”
Dillon’s Gamble Backfires as NASCAR’s Subsequent-Gen Vehicles Divides Opinions
The 600-mile marathon uncovered the Subsequent Gen automotive’s razor-thin margin for error. Drivers spun solo, in packs, and even on straights—18 cautions totaling 92 laps. Chris Buescher’s five-barrel-roll crash and Ryan Blaney’s 12-car pileup highlighted the automotive’s unpredictable aerodynamics.
“It’s chaos on the market,” stated William Byron, caught within the Blaney melee. “It both takes out different individuals, or they spin to the infield. Simply chaos.”
Larson, who limped to ninth after calling it the worst race of his life, echoed the frustration. His crew chief, Cliff Daniels, consoled him, saying, “All people down right here is nodding their heads and giving a thumbs-up, so let’s go,” concerning their comebacks and calamities.
However not everybody hated the insanity. Chase Briscoe, who triggered the ultimate warning battling Larson, praised the motion. “That was probably the most enjoyable Charlotte race I’ve ever ran,” he stated. “The racetrack was superior. You may run the fence. You may run the center. You may run the underside. You may throw sliders.”
For Busch, the evening strengthened a lesson: Survival trumps pace. His second-place end, his better of 2022 on the time, saved playoff hopes alive regardless of a winless drought. In the meantime, Dillon’s gamble backfired, relegating him to twenty second and sparking a playoff bid collapse.
