LINCOLN, Ala. – Down the backstretch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reported running out of fuel, holding up Kyle Busch as the two drifted high up the track. Busch scrapped the wall as the pack drove by the two Chevrolet drivers.
A third Camaro of Ross Chastain dove between the pack and the slow duo. He clipped Busch and spun into the outside wall.
Heavy damage to the right-front wheel and the steering assembly forced the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team behind the wall, recording their third DNF of the season.
“I just saw them slow and tagging the fence,” said Chastain after being released from the infield care center. “They were that much slower. I should have just stayed in (line) behind them. Four wide wasn’t the right call. I saw a hole and just tried to slide through there.”
Before the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Chastain was 12 points above the cutoff but earning no stage points may drown him further behind the rest of the Playoff drivers. There’s still much of the race left to finish before official points are tallied.
The NASCAR Cup Series has one more race remaining in the Round of 12, which will be held next weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.