A promising run for Kyle Busch in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race turned sour after contact with John Hunter Nemechek on the next-to-last lap at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch finished in 20th place in Sunday’s Würth 400 presented by Liqui Moly, losing seven positions in the final two laps after his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet tangled with Nemechek’s No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota.
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Busch and Nemechek made contact as the two squeezed off Turn 2 and into the backstretch wall in a contest for 12th place on Lap 266 of 267. The two came together again in Turn 3, with Nemechek getting the worst of it and taking significant right-side damage against the outside barrier.
“Why did he do that?” Nemechek asked over the No. 42 radio. He gingerly drove to pit road and the race finished under green-flag conditions.
Busch was in his first race since a crew chief change on his No. 8 RCR team, with Andy Street taking over from Jim Pohlman. Busch was scored as the final car on the lead lap. Nemechek finished 21st, the first driver one lap down.
Both took to social media post-race to share their sides of the incident.
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. ud83eudd2c https://t.co/7IxSUMePzm pic.twitter.com/AqSl5TlNsa
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) May 3, 2026
not freaking clear. great day going. and just got wrecked. what an ass https://t.co/D8HpSe8EAr
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) May 3, 2026
The two have connections that go back to different phases in their NASCAR careers. Nemechek scored seven Craftsman Truck Series wins over two seasons (2021-22) for Kyle Busch Motorsports.