NASCAR Race: Kurt Busch Throws Major Shade at Denny Hamlin After Wreck

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for 500 miles of [...]

By John Newby

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for 500 miles of action. Kurt Busch's day came to an early end after Denny Hamlin sent him into the wall on the 113th lap. The veteran driver responded by throwing major shade at his peer during a post-crash interview.

The incident occurred as the green flag waved for the start of Stage 2. Kyle Busch was at the front of the outside lane, but he spun his tires. Chase Elliott tried to assist and push the No. 18 Toyota Camry, but the lane got stacked up. Despite the outside lane slowing down, Hamlin continued pushing and spun Busch nose-first into the wall. The collision destroyed the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro's front end and sent the car to the garage.

"It looks like he didn't do anything vicious or malicious there," Busch said. "It's just...dude, bro, it's a 500-miler. These are the days that hurt the worst. This absolutely hurts the worst because we had a top-five, Monster Energy-winning Chevy, and I'm sitting here talking with you guys. I'm pretty pissed off. It's a restart. Where are we going to go, man? Just chill."

According to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Hamlin said over the radio that he was pushing the line, but it suddenly stopped. He turned Busch and brought out the caution flag. Hamlin headed to the pits, where his No. 11 Toyota Camry suffered damage to the left rear fender. A tire from Busch's team rolled into the back of the car — although Pockrass said that this was an accident.

Heading into Sunday's race, both Hamlin and Busch sat above the playoff cut line. The Joe Gibbs Racing Driver (Hamlin) held the lead with 236 points, and he was the only driver with more than 200. On the other hand, Busch sat in 10th place with 144 points and one top-five finish to his name.

With the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the garage and done for the day, Busch will now prepare for the Cup Series schedule's next challenge. He will join the other drivers as they head to Bristol Motor Speedway for their first dirt race. The Food City Dirt Race will take place on March 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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