Kyle Busch parked at Texas, out of Cup and Nationwide races

Kyle Busch parked at Texas, out of Cup and Nationwide races

 

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(November 5, 2011)

 

FORT WORTH, Texas—In the most aggressive penalty of the so-called “Boys, have at it” era, NASCAR parked Kyle Busch for the Saturday’s Nationwide and Sunday’s Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing team owner Joe Gibbs and team president J.D. Gibbs met with NASCAR officials before Saturday’s first practice session for the AAA Texas 500 Cup race. Busch left the NASCAR transporter and headed for the motor home lot.

 

Sources confirmed to Sporting News that Denny Hamlin would replace Busch in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Nationwide race. Michael McDowell practiced the No. 18 Cup car Saturday morning and is expected to replace Busch in the Cup car on Sunday.

 

NASCAR reacted decisively to an incident on Lap 14 of Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 350K Camping World Truck Series race at Texas that began with Busch and championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. racing side by side through Turns 1 and 2.

 

Hornaday moved up the track to avoid the slow car of Johnny Chapman, forcing Busch to the outside as both drivers stayed in the gas. Hornaday’s No. 33 Chevrolet slipped and brushed Busch’s No. 18 Toyota. Both trucks scraped the outside wall.

 

Busch chased Hornaday down the backstretch and into Turns 3 and 4, where Busch turned Hornaday hard into the wall. The accident ended Hornaday’s chances for a fifth series championship.