Kyle Busch was injured in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series and will not be able to race in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
With Nascar holding its preeminent event Sunday, the Daytona 500, it received bad news Saturday. One of the sport’s marquee names, Kyle Busch, will not be racing on Sunday.
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Racing his noted No. 54 car in Saturday’s leadup race to the Daytona 500, NASCAR Xfinity Series, Busch suffered a compound fracture in his right lower leg as well as a left mid-foot fracture.
Busch sustained the injury when he got into a crash on the 112th lap of the race.
Racing around a turn at nitro speed, Busch seemingly lost control and began to veer toward the middle of the infield. He hit the infield wall and hit the stationary concrete wall after an 11-car pileup.
His No. 54 Toyota was wrecked but Busch escaped the crash fully alert—by all accounts—leaving only with the injuries to his leg. He was immobilized and quickly attended to by on-site medics and quickly ushered to the local Halifax Medical Center.
Team spotter Tony Hirschman reported later that Busch was complaining of neck and back pain, but as of Saturday night, only the lower body injuries were reported as official injuries.
The 29-year-old Busch owns the NASCAR record for wins in a season with 24 across the three series, which he accomplished in 2010. He also has the most Nationwide wins of all-time with 70.
For his career, he has 141 total wins while capturing 75 poles, but has never won at Daytona.
He of course will not win this year, as he is officially out for Sunday’s race. He will be replaced in Sunday’s Daytona 500 by Matt Crafton who will drive the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Crafton has never won in the Sprint Cup Series or in the Xfinity Series but does have five wins on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Busch’s older brother, Kurt, an equally adept driver was poised to perform on Sunday’s race until he was suspended by NASCAR on Friday. His suspension is indefinite as a result of a Delaware court ruled that Busch likely committed an act of abuse against his former girlfriend in 2014.
Though the elder Busch’s attorney said the suspension will be appealed, it will not be done in time to allow for Kurt to race Sunday. As a result, the Daytona 500 will run for the first time in years without one of racing’s prominent families involved.
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