It looked like Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas would be won by Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman or Stewart Friesen, as they held the top-three spots with two laps remaining in the event.
But going through the ultra-tight left at turn 11, Kyle Busch, who was running a higher lane in the lead, was slammed into by both Bowman and Friesen. The contact sent all three drivers skidding up the track, while Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith had an open path to the race lead.
Here is the moment where the race was won, or lost in the case of Busch, Bowman and Friesen:
? ? ? ? ? #NASCARonFS1 | https://t.co/U4a0xtukwL pic.twitter.com/W6NDgCNagv
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 26, 2022
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE ZANE SMITH ON HIS NASCAR TRUCK SERIES WIN AT COTA.
@zanesmith77 | @Team_FRM pic.twitter.com/eyJVrN9khh
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 26, 2022
Smith would lead the final two circuits of the race to score his second win of the 2022 NCWTS season. Meanwhile, Busch would finish third, Friesen would fade to ninth and Bowman, in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports truck, would finish a disappointing 25th.
After the race, Bowman would find Busch on the grid to explain what happened from his point of view.
Bowman came over to Kyle to explain his viewpoint. Don’t really think it helped much, as Kyle was still pretty miffed after. Bowman told us he and Kyle have always raced well together and hopes Kyle knows it wasn’t on purpose. Kyle thinks both Bowman and Friesen blew the corner. pic.twitter.com/Y7GpPLknyV
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 26, 2022