Kyle Busch sidelined by Stage 2 crash at EchoPark Speedway

Kyle Busch found mid-race trouble in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader 400, crashing out at EchoPark Speedway after contact with Noah Gragson. Busch started 14th in the 38-car field, but his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet turned sideways after he veered in front of Gragson's No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the 125th of a scheduled 260 laps. Busch's car, which was running 13th at the time, skidded and made heavy nose-first contact with the inside retaining wall on the backstretch before sliding to a halt. RELATED: Race results | At-track photos Busch exited the car under his own power, and the 40-year-old driver was evaluated and released at the track's infield care center. He was credited with 34th place in the final rundown. Busch was critical of the 27-year-old Gragson in his post-wreck remarks for not allowing him an opportunity to right his No. 8  Chevy. Gragson drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports for two seasons (2017-18) in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. "I didn't get the best of exits off of Turn 2 there," Busch said. "Was a little crossed up, not bad when I got out there to the wall, and just perfect timing for the 4 (Gragson) to just ram me as hard as he could and send me spinning instead of just checking up for a second, making sure I was straight, hitting me softly. But it's just what they all do. They just all run through you. Doesn't matter if you're aimed the right way or not." Busch entered Sunday's race 14th in the Cup Series standings after a 15th-place finish from the pole in the season-opening Daytona 500. It was a split weekend for Busch, who won Saturday's Truck Series race. MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule Busch is 24th in the Cup Series standings, just two races into the 2026 campaign. The tour will visit the Circuit of The Americas next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the first road-course event of the year. Busch led the most laps in last year's race at COTA before finishing fifth behind winner Christopher Bell.