Busch calls out "disrespect from everybody" in "disaster" NASCAR Clash

For the second consecutive season, the race took place on a made-from-scratch quarter-mile asphalt oval inside of the LA venue.

When it came to Sunday night’s main event, a number of drivers made daring moves that resulted in numerous accidents.

The 150-lap main event ended up with 16 cautions with all but one involving at least two cars. This was in stark contrast to the 2022 event, which saw just five cautions throughout the 150-lap main race.

Richard Childress Racing's new signing Busch, who finished third behind previous Joe Gibbs Racing team-mate Martin Truex Jr and RCR stablemate Austin Dillon, said Sunday's Clash was "a disaster" from a driving standards point of view.

"Last year’s show I felt like was relatively clean and good racing, some bumping, some banging, but we could run long stretches of green-flag action," he said.

"Whereas today [Sunday] was I would call it a disaster with the disrespect from everybody of just driving through each other and not just letting everything kind of work its way out.

"But it’s a quarter-mile. It’s tight-quarters racing. Actually, this is probably how it should have gone last year, so we got spoiled with a good show the first year. Maybe this was just normal."

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, BetMGM Chevrolet

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

In an interview later on Sunday night, Busch took specific issue with the actions of last year's winner Joey Logano who sent him around and brought out a caution on Lap 86.

"It's really unfortunate to get raced by guys that are so two-faced," Busch said of Logano.

"We were in the TV booth earlier in the night together and when we were all done with that he was like, 'Hey man, good luck tonight' and I said, 'Great, thanks, yeah. Whatever.' And then low and behold, there you go, he wrecks me. 

"Don't even talk to me if you're going to be that kind of a [driver] on the race track."

Dillon said there was a noticeable difference in the quality of the cars that teams brought to the race this year. Last season, the Clash was the first race in which the Cup Series’ Next Gen car competed in race conditions.

"Everybody has gotten a little better since last year, so the parity was close," Dillon said.

"There were a lot of fast guys. The little bit, if you are faster than someone, you kind of have to bump them, because they can kind of check up on the exit of the corner and stop you.

"If you get that run and you’re there, you kind of have to use it or be used."