Kyle Busch’s recent struggles in NASCAR continued with a major setback during the 2025 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Busch, who has not won a Cup Series race since Illinois in 2023, faced immense pressure to end his 62-race winless streak at his home track. With four career victories at Las Vegas, fans and pundits hoped the weekend would see Busch return to form.
However, things quickly unraveled for the two-time Cup champion on lap 113 when his car began to wobble at over 180 mph, leading to a catastrophic right-rear wheel detachment. The sudden malfunction caused Busch to wreck his Chevrolet into the outside wall, forcing him out of the race early. What could have been a redeeming race for Busch became another disappointment in his winless stretch.
As if the race retirement wasn’t enough, Busch’s team has now suffered an additional blow ahead of the Homestead-Miami weekend. NASCAR officials handed down a two-race suspension for his tire changer Shiloh Windsor and jackman Joseph Moser due to their involvement in the wheel detachment that caused the wreck in Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch Faces a Significant Setback Before Homestead-Miami
Busch’s team will have to contend without two key crew members as they prepare for Homestead-Miami, a critical race as the #8 driver seeks to end his losing streak. Additionally, Chase Briscoe’s team also lost their jackman and tire changer for an incident on lap 33 at Las Vegas, where a similar wheel-related issue occurred.
NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass confirmed the suspensions on X, also noting that Brad Keselowski’s team faced its own turmoil as rear changer Jo Wright was suspended for violating the substance abuse policy. Keselowski has since replaced Wright with Coleman Dollarhide, who started last week.
NASCAR confirms the two-race suspensions for the Briscoe and Busch teams — tire changer and jackman suspended for wheel coming off. Also, Keselowski had his rear changer Jo Wright suspended for substance abuse policy violation. Coleman Dollarhide replaced him starting last week. https://t.co/o3IntBY23X
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 19, 2025
While Busch and Briscoe’s teams face the consequences of their respective incidents, Christopher Bell narrowly avoided the same fate in Las Vegas. Bell’s crew chief reacted quickly after noticing a detached wheel and instructed Bell to pull into Briscoe’s pit stall for immediate repairs. Thanks to the fast thinking, Bell avoided a team suspension, though he still incurred a penalty.
The road ahead looks daunting for Busch as he enters Homestead-Miami with a depleted crew and mounting pressure to return to Victory Lane. The suspension of his key crew members could further complicate his quest to snap the winless streak.