Kyle Busch hospitalized after wreck
— -- DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kyle Busch was placed on a stretcher and taken to Halifax Medical Center following a hard crash into the inside, concrete wall Saturday in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
Busch, in obvious pain, had his right leg placed in an air cast before being transported. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is supposed to start fourth Sunday in the Daytona 500.
The accident occurred when Busch was racing directly behind JGR teammate Erik Jones. Jones got turned and Busch got clipped. Busch's car sped across an area of the track used as an entrance to the road course portion of the speedway and then slammed hard into a concrete wall. Busch climbed out of the car before laying down on the grass near his car.
The wall did not have a steel-and-foam energy-reduction barrier (SAFER), which NASCAR has had installed in the turns and other areas at tracks but has consistently been criticized for not having everywhere on the inside and outside walls on ovals.
Jimmie Johnson was one of several drivers who took to Twitter following the crash:
Busch has 29 career Sprint Cup wins in 365 career starts. His best finish in the standings was fourth in 2013.
If Busch cannot start Sunday's Daytona 500, he would not be awarded any points. NASCAR, which requires drivers to compete each week to be eligible for its season-long championship, would have to grant Busch an exemption to not start a race he qualified for as well as to miss any future events and still be eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
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