NASCAR star bloodied in post-race brawl
Kyle Busch left with gash on forehead after confronting Joey Logano on pit road after the pair was involved in crash on final lap of the Kobalt 400 in Las Vegas
Kyle Busch left Las Vegas Motor Speedway bloodied and angry after a last-lap incident with Joey Logano that also left Busch’s chances of a strong finish in the Kobalt 400 broken.
Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was sent spinning in a wild wreck after contact with the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano as they both raced toward the checkered flag in hopes of top-five finishes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was won by Martin Truex Jr.
It worked out fine for Logano, who finished fourth.
But Busch, who ended up being scored in 22nd, was furious after the race and confronted Logano on pit road as Logano climbed from his car. A brawl ensued — it appeared at least one Logano crew member also got involved — and by the time Busch was pulled away, he had a bloody gash on his forehead.
“There wasn’t too much talking, just a lot of swinging,” Logano told FOX Sports.
Asked to describe the on-track incident that set Busch off, Logano replied: “I don’t know. I was racing him right there at the end with our Pennzoil Ford. … Kyle and I usually race really well together and don’t have any issues. He tried to pin me down into the corner underneath Brad. We about crashed and I was still trying to gather it up in the center. I was going to spin out, so I’m trying to chase it up (the track) and he was there.
“It wasn’t intentional, but obviously he thinks that. So I don’t know.”
Then asked if any blows were landed, Logano added: “Not to me.”
Video below, courtesy of JeffGluck.com, appeared to contradict that. It appears to show that Busch threw the first punch unprovoked and then, in the end, took the worst of it in the brief but violent altercation.
Busch made it clear that their dispute has not been settled and is not over.
“I got dumped,” Busch said. “He flat out just drove straight in the corner and wrecked me. That’s how Joey races so he’s going to get it.”
Meanwhile, race-winning driver Martin Truex Jr. wanted to learn more of the fight details from the media when he arrived in the media center for his post-race interview.
“I heard a little bit of a fight broke out. … Who was fighting anyway?” Truex asked. “Kyle and Joey? Who won?”