23XI Racing No. 35 team suggests Kyle Busch ‘should retire’ after incident with Riley Herbst

Kyle Busch and Riley Herbst came together in Stage 3 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte ROVAL. Busch, eight laps down, sent Herbst for a spin as the two were racing in the back of the pack.

Herbst and his No. 35 team were not happy. They called for NASCAR to “park his ass” before suggesting that he “should retire.” Below was the full conversation, via Steven Taranto of CBS Sports:

“Eight f*cking laps down!”

“Tried to wreck us out of the bus stop, too. They should park his ass.”

“Yeah, no sh*t. Maybe he should retire.”

Kyle Busch in trouble early at Charlotte ROVAL

For Busch, it’s been another day to forget. Busch, who started 28th, went for a spin in Turn 1 on Lap 1 and crashed into the wall. The two-time Cup champion had significant damage to the right side of his car and immediately went to the garage for repairs. 

He returned to the racetrack, though obviously, well out of contention. He called out Carson Hocevar, whom he believes wrecked him.

“We’re junked,” Busch said on his radio, via Kelly Crandall of RACER/ESPN. “The 77 wrecked us.”

Now, he’s made an enemy out of Herbst. At this point, Busch has to be counting down the minutes and seconds until the 2025 season comes to a close. The 2024 season was a struggle; 2025 has arguably been even worse. Busch came into Sunday’s race 21st in the points standings, having led just 62 laps throughout the season.

Sunday’s race was supposed to be a fresh start for Busch and the No. 8 team. It’s the team debut of crew chief Andy Street, who is replacing Randall Burnett atop the pit box. Trackhouse Racing announced last week that Burnett would be leaving the No. 8 team to serve in the same position for Connor Zilisch next season.

Street didn’t even get the chance to make any decisions at the ROVAL. Busch didn’t get the chance to compete.