The Quaker State 400 can’t come soon enough for Kyle Busch.
Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway will mark the return of Adam Stevens, Busch’s primary crew chief, who is serving a four-race suspension. Since NASCAR dropped the hammer on Stevens for a tire coming off Busch’s car at Dover International Speedway, the No. 18 team has seen two replacements atop the pit box.
Life without Stevens hasn’t been easy for Busch, something he made perfectly clear at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. The driver of the No. 18 was unaware an early caution flag took the place of a scheduled competition yellow, and he put the blame on the shoulders of Jacob Canter, who was serving as interim crew chief. Listen to Busch lash out at Canter, via in-car radio, in the video below:
Busch often gets a bad rap for being overly emotional, and often times the criticism is warranted. Still, it’s easy to see why he was so upset Sunday.
Canter only was serving as crew chief because Ben Beshore, who had been serving as interim crew chief, was suspended for a lug nut infraction at Sonoma Raceway on June 25. NASCAR faithful can argue about the roles drivers play in their crew chiefs’ errors, but such instability in the garage clearly has affected Busch on race day.
The No. 18 team better get its act together soon, or Busch could be on the outside looking in to NASCAR’s playoffs.
Thumbnail photo via Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports Images
