NASCAR star admits danger of MISSING race as playoff disaster looms

Kyle Busch has admitted that he was in danger of missing a race thanks to a late wreck last time out at the Brickyard 400, but was saved by a scheduling quirk.

The two-time Cup Series champion was battling Denny Hamlin in the late stages of the Indianapolis race when he wrecked out, blaming the 'next gen' cars for his sprained wrist, saying they 'snap the wheel and snap your wrists'.

READ MORE: NASCAR Race Today at Richmond: Cook Out 400 start times and how to watch

The Paris Olympics came at the perfect time for Busch though, giving drivers and teams two weeks off and allowing him time to rest up in a brace on a family vacation to Europe.

Busch most likely needs to win one of the four remaining regular season races if he's to qualify for the playoffs, which he hasn't missed for over a decade. He currently sits 18th on points, with just two top 5 finishes and no wins this year.

READ MORE: How the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture looks heading into the Olympic break

Will Kyle Busch race in Richmond?

Busch insisted after qualifying for Sunday's race that he feels mostly better, saying: “Without two weeks off, I would not have been able to race. I’m pretty good now. Grip it and rip it.”

Despite only qualifying 10th for the Cook Out 400, Busch expressed optimism for the race at a track where he's claimed six Cup wins in the past.

"Yeah, I mean, we unloaded good here," he said. "We felt good balance and you know decent speed. So definitely a balance difference between the two sets of tires. That was probably our biggest thing that was our biggest struggle.

"So just if we can close that gap up, I felt pretty good on the controls and Austin laid down a really good lap to make the top ten there, so I thought I could have run at least what Denny ran if I were to hit my line and everything perfect. But I messed up just a little bit, so I didn't quite get that."

READ MORE: NASCAR Qualifying Results: Richmond Cook Out 400 start order as title contender takes pole

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