Author Archives: PressBox

Kurt Busch made his first public comments Friday on NBC’s Today about the death of his younger brother Kyle Busch, describing the final day he spent at Kyle’s hospital bedside as he hoped and prayed for a turnaround. Kurt said he stayed at the hospital the entire day after Kyle suffered a medical emergency in May, later spoke his final words to him, and told him, “I got you, man.” He called Kyle’s death unfair. Kyle died the next day from complications related to sepsis following pneumonia.

Kurt also said their father, Tom Busch, stayed away from the hospital room so he could remember Kyle as he wanted. He said Kyle’s legacy was “self-evident,” pointing to his record as the winningest driver in NASCAR history across the sport’s top three national series with 234 combined victories and two Cup championships in 2015 and 2019.

The family’s racing future also weighed on Kurt. He said he is mentoring Kyle’s 11-year-old son, Brexton, whom he called a motorsports prodigy and said races “like an 18-year-old.” Kurt said he plans to be more involved in Brexton’s career because of what Kyle’s death has meant to him and the family, and he said NASCAR drivers are conditioned to keep going through the sport’s 38-week, 36-race schedule. He also pointed to his own abrupt retirement after a concussion at Pocono Raceway in 2022 and said he wants to help Brexton as the family grieves.

Layne Riggs turned qualifying into a dominant weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, winning the pole for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race with a lap of 29.346 seconds at 129.789 mph in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. It was his fourth pole of the season and the eighth of his career. Kaden Honeycutt qualified second, 0.223 seconds back, followed by Giovanni Ruggiero, Connor Zilisch and Tristan McKee.

Riggs backed up the top starting spot by winning the race, overcoming a tight truck and two overtime restarts to beat teammate Chandler Smith by 0.293 seconds. Riggs led a race-high 106 laps for his sixth win of the season. Honeycutt finished third, Stewart Friesen was fourth and Zilisch, who won Stages 1 and 2, placed fifth. The result locked in the 10-driver championship field for the NASCAR Truck Series Chase for the Championship, with Riggs earning the No. 1 seed and Tyler Ankrum claiming the final berth despite finishing 16th. The Chase opener at Bristol Motor Speedway was set for Thursday, Sept. 17.

Ross Chastain said Trackhouse Racing had reached the point where he was “pulling the fire alarm” as the team worked through car-performance problems and a stretched three-car operation. He said the Trackhouse Chevrolet was inconsistent in corners and often slid at both the front and rear, and he pointed to broader Chevrolet setup issues tied to the updated Camaro ZL1 body. Chastain said the drivers, crew chiefs and engineers were not always seeing the same things from the cars, though he said the team was united in trying to move forward.

Trackhouse had gone winless through 23 races, with only one top-five finish and five top-10s from the No. 1 team. Chastain’s recent results included seventh at Iowa after leading 40 laps and 12th at Richmond, and he sat 18th in the standings with 504 points. Shane van Gisbergen held the final playoff spot with 567 points, leaving Chastain 63 points back with New Hampshire and Daytona left, and needing to close the gap under the return-to-Chase format, where a win alone no longer guaranteed a postseason berth.

Team owner Justin Marks said he responded by asking drivers what they needed and keeping the discussion solution-oriented. He said Trackhouse’s decline from its breakout 2022 Next Gen debut had been driven by NASCAR parity and bigger teams learning how to use the car better, and said the organization was reviewing its structure, investing in tools and staff, and building toward 2027. Chastain, now Trackhouse’s lead driver, said he once feared his Cup career was over when Marks bought Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, and his contract running through 2027 has kept his future with the team part of the discussion.

NASCAR moved Sunday’s Cup Series Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway up from 3 p.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET because of forecasted inclement weather, saying the earlier start, made with New Hampshire Motor Speedway and USA Network, gave fans the best chance to see the full 301-lap race before weather arrived. Track access times were also pushed earlier for parking lots, ticket booths, grandstand and infield gates, and the Cup Series garage. Ryan Blaney is the defending winner.

Reports on the broadcast schedule varied, with NASCAR announcing the earlier 2 p.m. ET start while USA Sports listings still showed pre-race coverage at 2:30 p.m. ET and a 3 p.m. ET race airing on USA Network. The race is part of USA Sports’ expanded package of 14 Cup Series events and will be the third Cup Series race the network has shown in 2026. Leigh Diffey will call the race, with Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte as analysts. Marty Snider will host pre-race coverage, while Kim Coon, Dave Burns and Trevor Bayne will report from pit road. Jeff Burton will also join Diffey and Letarte for the post-race show. USA Sports also plans to premiere the final episode of its three-part NASCAR AMERICANA documentary series after the race. Radio coverage is set for PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

On-track activity begins Saturday with a 50-minute practice session for all 36 drivers, followed immediately by qualifying. The new practice format starts this weekend and will remain in place for the rest of the season. Each driver will run one lap in qualifying, and starting positions will be set by speed.