On February 16, 2025, Daytona 500 race, the opening event of the Nascar Cup Series season, witnessed a serious collision that caused Kyle Busch, one of the top racers, to end the race early. After this incident, Busch did not hesitate to criticize Joey Logano, whom he thought was the cause of the accident, along with Nascar because of the way to handle the situation afterwards. The incident occurred in the 186 round of 200 races, when Logano, was running in the fifth position, making a bold move into the middle lane. This movement was blocked by Ricky Stehouse Jr., leading to a chain collision series that affects many riders, including Busch, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.
Kyle Busch, who has never won the Daytona 500 after 20 times, proved extremely disappointed. He thought that Logano, who led 43 racing rounds and owned the fastest car that day, was too hasty to try to cross a space that did not exist. “It looks like the fastest car rushed into the accident,” Busch told Fox after the race. “There are 20 rounds left, yet he tries to cram in the middle and creates chaos. He clearly doesn’t know how much his car is to find a fitting space.” Busch’s criticism not only targets Logano but also towards Nascar, when he was rejected to return to the race even though his 8 Chevrolet vehicle seemed to be not too bad.
According to the new policy of Nascar’s damaged vehicle (DVP), racing teams are allowed to repair cars in Galat without time limit. However, Busch said that he was not allowed to continue playing. After his car was pulled back to Galat and repaired, he could not reach the minimum speed because the race was still in the yellow flag. Nascar requires the car to reach the minimum speed immediately after repair, otherwise it will be eliminated from the race. Busch pressing: “We were defeated by Nascar’s process again. They didn’t even understand their own laws.” He ended the race in 34th place, while Logano ranked 35th after the collision.
Joey Logano, the Champion of the 2022 Series Cup, spoke out to protect his actions. He explained that in order to have the opportunity to win, he needed to go to the second line in his group and saw the opportunity when moving down to the bottom of Stehouse. However, Stehouse’s late blocking has caused a problem. “I tried to lift the accelerator, but at that time the car behind pushed me in mess,” Logano said. However, this explanation does not ease the anger of Busch, who is still bitter because the opportunity to win Daytona 500 once again lost.
The incident not only heated the atmosphere between the two riders but also initiated the arguing in the Nascar community about racing tactics and how to apply the law. While William Byron took advantage of chaos to win the second consecutive at Daytona 500, Busch and Logano left the race with opposite emotions, promising a dramatic season ahead.
