Kyle Busch goes backwards after blowing tire at Bristol

Kyle Busch on Sunday did what he does best. Well, he did what he does second best to winning races.

Busch blew his right rear tire late in Stage 1 of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. on Sunday. He ended up cruising around the track backwards in his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) as caution came out.

Kyle Busch showing his best Ricky Bobby impersonation after blowing out his rear tire at the end of Stage 1. #FoodCity500pic.twitter.com/j4CXphcwuP

— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) March 17, 2024

This display was nothing new for Busch, who has found himself pulling a Ricky Bobby and going backwards on numerous occasions.

Four times Kyle Busch has driven backwards, from memory alone.

Who has more? #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/F3sCKP6Iiu

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 17, 2024

The tire issue put Busch a lap behind the rest of the pack — which is ground he struggled to make up.

Busch finished 12th to open the Cup Series season at Daytona, and he followed that up with a 3rd-place finish at Atlanta. Then he finished 26th and 22nd in the ensuing races. His unfortunate tire blowout looked like it might result in another finish in the 20s.

This is Busch’s second season driving for RCR. He had three wins last year.