Kyle Busch Team Member Threatens Retirement During Frustrating Talladega Cup Race

Kyle Busch started fourth at Talladega and had a solid day going, including finishing third in the second stage. The two-time champion appeared destined for at least a top-10 result after he managed to avoid the biggest crash in the superspeedway's history that involved 28 cars with five laps to go.

However, on the overtime restart, the Richard Childress Racing driver opted to pull out of the outside lane and try to start a third lane to make a possible move to the front for the race win. No one followed and the No. 8 car dropped back in the field and finished 19th.

The driver was understandably disappointed with the result. But he wasn't alone in his frustrations.

Spotter Derek Kneeland wasn't happy at the conclusion of the first stage about the style of racing produced at Talladega since the introduction of the Gen 7 car in 2022, which is a fuel savings game where drivers are racing hard or holding back depending on their fuel strategy.

"I'm just frustrated," Kneeland said over the team radio . "Because it's like I might as well just retire from Cup spotting at restrictor plate races and just stick to the Trucks and Xfinity stuff because I don't know when we can race. I don't know when we need to ride. I don't. It just f****** sucks.

"I don't care if it's six people talking to me, just somebody keep letting me know when we can actually race and when we're not racing."

"I'm with you pal," crew chief Randall Burnett assured him. "I'm just as aggravated as you are."

"Oh, I know," the spotter replied. "I'm not mad at any of you guys. Like I said, it's just between NASCAR and the OEM screwing this whole deal up. We just don't race. It's terrible."

Busch's spotter can take comfort in knowing there are no more superspeedway races on the schedule in 2024. The No. 8 team returns to action on Sunday at the Charlotte Roval for the final playoff race in the Round of 12.

The race starts at 2 p.m. ET and airs on NBC.

Related: Dejected Kyle Busch Offers Painful Response After His Late Wreck Ruins Chance at Victory