During the first green flag pit stops of the day, the No. 19 team of Chase Briscoe made a crucial mistake on pit road. A loose wheel on the Bass Pro Toyota Camry brought out the caution completely changing the pit strategy and running order in this race. NASCAR will issue a penalty.
Ryan Blaney looked like he was going to make the worst green flag stop. He went two laps down after driving up through the field from the back in a repaired car. Then Chase Briscoe’s team lost a wheel.
This caution changes a lot. We will see how these drivers in the front of the field who didn’t pit before take advantage of this.
Chase Briscoe's team lost a tire. pic.twitter.com/4bP9pa9FfH
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 16, 2025
This caution is a big deal. The green flag pit stops were interrupted and it allowed drivers who had not pit to do so and maintain their positions on the track. That opened the door for drivers like Kyle Busch, but then he sped on pit road.
A lot happened on this first pit cycle. Even under caution there were drivers like Busch and Denny Hamlin who made mistakes. This is a track that allows drivers to make up for mistakes, but it doesn’t mean it is easy to do so.
As the end of the stage creeps up, drivers are going to be more aggressive. Austin Cindric has led since the Chase Briscoe penalty. He will attempt to keep his lead despite the fact that his teammate Ryan Blaney is getting put in a bad position down a lap.
Not only did Kyle Busch make a mistake after the Chase Briscoe penalty, it was costly. He went from a top-five position on the restart to buried in the back of the field. Everything was about to get easier for Busch and now it is going to be much harder.
Of course, Busch was not happy. He didn’t believe he sped. Over the radio he talked about his lights and it was clear that he felt he did what he had to in order to abide by pit road speed. NASCAR felt differently.
“That’s insane,” Busch said on the radio, via Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. “I never saw a blue light down pit road. I’m on page 3.”
Richard Childress Racing’s No. 8 team wanted to dispute the penalty. However, they complained over the radio that there was no chance to do so, Toby Christie reports.
A big mistake early. Right when it looked like he was going to get a break, another obstacle put in front of Busch and his team.
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