Kurt Busch says drivers know Dover International Speedway is an unforgiving concrete mile, but he still made a mistake and took his car beyond its capacity.
“That’s why we’re not out there still racing,” Busch said after being involved in two accidents before the 100-lap mark in the AAA 400.
The first occurred on Lap 67. Lined up on the inside of the front row for a restart, Busch got loose underneath Kyle Larson. As he attempted to save his Ford Fusion, Busch slammed into the side of Brad Keselowski, who then bounced off the wall.
Green >>> Caution!
Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski crash in Turn 1 after a @MonsterMile restart.#NASCARonFS1 https://t.co/nUDSmo0IJX
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 4, 2017
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As Keselowski exited the race, Busch’s team did their best to repair the damage. Busch then tried to nurse the car as best he could but feared it wouldn’t last long. On Lap 95, that premonition came to life.
A blown left-rear tire was the culprit. Snapping around in Turn 1, Busch could only hang on as the car backed into the wall and finished off his day.
YELLOW FLAG: @KurtBusch hits the wall towards the end of Stage 1. #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/ugqlWnD6WU
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 4, 2017
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“It was a shame the driver wrecked the car today,” Busch said. “I just didn’t bring my A-game; I made two mistakes. One was on the restart where I got loose and ruined Brad’s day; I feel bad about that. It’s tough. You got to be on it, and I made two mistakes today, and we’re in the garage, and we’re done.”
Dover was the second consecutive DNF for Keselowski. Once again he was just the victim of the circumstances around him.
“Yeah, one of them racing deals,” Keselowski said. “These cars rely so much on aerodynamics; we saw that early with guys being able to stay out on two tires even with a lot of tire wear. I don’t know if it was Kurt’s fault, just one of them racing deals. We line up double file and somebody got loose and just took us out. What a bummer. Just one of them racing deals.”
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