NASCAR Breaks Silence on Kyle Busch’s Criticism After Daytona 500 Incident
NASCAR has responded to the controversy surrounding Kyle Busch’s public criticism following his elimination from the 2025 Daytona 500. The veteran driver, who was aiming for redemption after a disappointing 2024 season, voiced his frustrations after a misinterpretation of the newly implemented DVP (Damaged Vehicle Policy) rules led to his disqualification from the race.
Busch, who was involved in a wreck with Joey Logano with 20 laps to go, returned to the pits for repairs but failed to meet the minimum speed requirement under DVP, resulting in his race-ending DNF. He quickly took to the media center and social media to vent his anger, accusing NASCAR of mishandling the situation.
NASCAR Managing Director of Communications, Mike Forde, addressed the backlash during the Hauler Talk podcast, offering a clear explanation of the rule and the confusion that led to Busch’s outburst.
“The rule is new and it’s something that takes time to fully understand,” Forde explained. “It was a rule that was emphasized several times during Speed Week activities, and it’s clear that the message didn’t reach Kyle. There was significant time spent on educating everyone, but that didn’t seem to get through to him.”
Forde went on to explain that Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, had admitted to NASCAR’s Brad Moran that the team had misunderstood the rule. “After the incident, Kyle came out of the media center and criticized NASCAR, not fully understanding the rule. The crew chief, Randall Burnett, came to Brad Moran and admitted, ‘My bad, we got it wrong.’ That conversation did happen.”
Denny Hamlin, a former teammate of Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, also weighed in on the controversy. On his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin disagreed with Busch’s take, claiming that Busch should have known better. “I have to disagree with Kyle here,” Hamlin said. “I called Elton Sawyer to get educated on the rule, and Kyle was wrong in saying that you get three attempts to make speed. That’s not the case.”
While both Forde and Hamlin defended NASCAR’s actions, it’s clear that Busch’s frustration stems from his continued struggles at superspeedways, combined with a lack of clarity on the rules. As Busch faces the fallout from his outburst, it will be interesting to see how he responds to the clarifications and whether it affects his performance moving forward.