Chase Elliott secured his second win of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, while Kyle Busch criticized John Hunter Nemechek for his driving. The race featured multiple noteworthy developments beyond the main victory.
Key points
Chase Elliott won his second race of the season.
Kyle Busch criticized John Hunter Nemechek's driving.
Busch maintained a position in the top 10 during the race.
The race featured multiple noteworthy developments.
NASCARChase ElliottKyle BuschJohn Hunter Nemechek
nascar cup series würth 400 presented by liqui moly
While the big story Sunday may have been Chase Elliott’s second win of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, there were plenty of other stories deeper in the field.
nascar cup series würth 400 presented by liqui moly
Kyle Busch ran inside the top 10 much of the day at Texas.Logan Riely - Getty Images
Kyle Busch Nearly Has Top-10 Until John Hunter Nemechek Got Involved
Kyle Busch, who appeared headed for his best run this season, had it foiled on the final lap when he got into a door banging incident with John Hunter Nemechek and sent Nemechek spinning.
Busch ended up 20th and Nemechek 21st.
After the race, Busch posted on X, “I did not start this. The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the RS of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him and I was judging my left side tires to the hash marks. Always know who your racing beside.”
Nemechek posted on X, “not freaking clear. great day going, and just got wrecked. What an ass.”
Busch, who had Andy Street replace Jim Pohlman as his crew chief just days before the event, qualified sixth and often ran in the top 10 in the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
“Unfortunately, we ended up with right-front damage after contact battling for position on the final lap,” Busch said. “It turned out top-10 day into a 20th-place result.”
Q&A
What did Kyle Busch say about John Hunter Nemechek after the Texas race?
Kyle Busch blamed John Hunter Nemechek for his performance during the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Who won the NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway?
Chase Elliott won the NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway, marking his second win of the season.
What position did Kyle Busch finish in during the Texas race?
Kyle Busch ran inside the top 10 for much of the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
What were some key stories from the Texas NASCAR race besides the winner?
In addition to Chase Elliott's win, there were several notable developments deeper in the field, including Kyle Busch's comments on Nemechek.
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nascar cup series würth 400 presented by liqui moly
Both Spire Motorsports drivers started on the front row Sunday in Texas.James Gilbert - Getty Images
Two Top 10s For Spire Motorsports
After starting on the front row, Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez put together top-10 finishes. Hocevar, the Wurth 400 pole winner, finished seventh, while Suarez took sixth.
“This weekend was a perfect example of having a fast race car. We just had a lot of things go against us, like the tire yesterday (Saturday) in practice,” Suarez said. “Today, the first run of the race, we just really struggled. The car had potential, we just struggled quite a bit.”
Hocevar’s seventh-place was his best ever at Texas Motor Speedway in NASCAR’s Cup Series. He also was third in most laps led, setting the pace on five occasions for 40 laps.
“We finished second in Stage 1 and put ourselves in a good spot to start Stage 2,” Hocevar said. “Then get that caution and that put us behind the eight ball. I had to restart in the 20s. We made an adjustment and we probably shouldn’t have.”
Hocevar, who earned his first career victory a week ago at Talladega, is now sixth in the driver standings.
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Alex Bowman finished third for the second consecutive week.James Gilbert - Getty Images
Another Top 5 For Bowman
After a tough start to the season due to issues with vertigo, Alex Bowman has put together back-to-back third-place finishes. Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway he finished third to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.
Bowman said his run in the 267-lap race felt good.
“We got way better from where we unloaded and definitely momentum headed in the right direction,” Bowman said.
Buescher Leads Ford Camp
Once again, an RFK Racing driver was the top performing Ford with Chris Buescher claiming fifth, a career best for him at his home track, Texas Motor Speedway.
“Our mile-and-a half (tracks) have been really strong,” Buescher said. “This is three now with top 10s.”
nascar cup series würth 400 presented by liqui moly
Chris Buescher was the highest finishing Ford.James Gilbert - Getty Images
Buescher placed sixth at Las Vegas and 10that Kansas.
“We’re scratching at the door,” Buescher continued. “A little bit of work to do yet, but it feels good. It’s been rough here (Texas) through the years.”
Buescher has now had back-to-back top fives and three straight top 10s.
All three RFK Racing drivers have point positions that would get them into the post-season. Buescher is fifth in the driver standings, Brad Keselowski is ninth and Ryan Preece is 12th. Preece and Tyler Reddick are the only two drivers to finish every race this season on the lead lap.
23XI Racing Enjoys a Stellar Day
Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace produced top-10 finishes in Texas Motor Speedway’s Wurth 400 Sunday, while Corey Heim and Riley Herbst led laps in another top showing by title contender 23XI Racing.
Reddick finished fourth for his eighth top 10 in the season’s first 11 races after his late-race bid for a victory fell short. When teammate Heim spun on lap 257 of the 267-lap race, Reddick pitted for two tires. Reddick restarted ninth with four laps remaining but ran out of time before he could challenge eventual winner Chase Elliott.
nascar cup series würth 400 presented by liqui moly
Reddick finished fourth for his eighth top 10 in the season’s first 11 races.Logan Riely - Getty Images
“Just had a couple passes that took a little longer than they needed to and that was the difference,” Reddick said. “I don’t know if we would’ve got back to the lead, but I think if we played it perfectly, we could’ve got second.”
“We were all very close with the 9 and the 11 (Denny Hamlin). I was hoping I was going to have a little bit of speed late in the run to close and it didn’t really happen for us.”
Wallace had to come from the rear of the field for his ninth-place finish, his sixth top 10 in 11 races this season. He crashed in practice and had to go to a backup car.
Herbst narrowly missed getting his second top 10 this year. He led one lap before settling for an 11th-place finish.
Even though Heim finished 31st due to a late-race spin, he led twice for 69 laps. That was the second most laps led in the event. Winner Chase Elliott was the race’s top lap leader, setting the pace on four occasions for 87 laps.
Pit Road Incidents Take Their Toll
Joey Logano, Cole Custer and Kyle Larson had their days foiled on pit road during a caution period that consumed laps 93-98.
Logano was eliminated from the race eventually won by Chase Elliott when he slammed into Custer in the rear after the Haas Factory Team driver slowed to allow Ty Gibbs to exit his pit. Larson sustained damage to his Chevrolet when he hit Chase Briscoe who was pulling out of his pit after receiving two tires.
“He (Custer) just stopped and I had nowhere I could go,” said Logano, who was credited with a 37th-place finish in the 38-car field.
Logano has now finished 30th or worse in five of the season’s first 11 races. His last top 10 was a seventh-place finish at Bristol in April. He is 17th in the driver standings, one position below the cutline for The Chase.
“It’s been a tough season,” Logano commented.
Custer finished 35th and Larson placed 34th. Gibbs spun in turn three on lap 101 after getting tagged by Ryan Preece. He finished 36th.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time For Bell
Just as Christopher Bell thought his season was taking an uphill swing, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
On lap 68 of the 267-lap race, Todd Gilliland’s Ford spun off turn four. When he came across the track, he clipped Bell who was leading the event. The incident eliminated Bell from the race and relegated him to a last-place finish in the 38-car field.
“It was another one of those 50-50 calls,” Bell said. “Me and Denny (Hamlin) were side-by-side, and I saw him (Gilliland) spinning. Denny lifted and I thought that I could shoot the gap on the bottom. I thought I did shoot the gap on the bottom, but I got clipped.”
Bell, who’s 13th in the driver standings, hasn’t recorded a top-15 finish in five of the last six races.
“It’s going to turn around at some point,” said Bell, who led 22 laps before exiting the race.
