COTA Delivered More Than Just a Race

^{Mar 3, 2025 | Edition #145}

👋 Dear Motorheads,

Hope you enjoyed the COTA chaos! It did feel a bit unusual to have two Superspeedway races back-to-back before jumping onto a road course, but COTA more than delivered. The new layout brought the drama, and surprisingly, none of the usual road course specialists cracked the top five.

Well, except for Chase Elliott. It was great to see him back in his element. But the real headline remains JGR’s red-hot start to the season. Hamlin nearly took the Daytona 500, Bell dominated Atlanta, and now he’s added COTA to the list. It’d be interesting to see if they put an end to Penske’s championship reign.

🗣️ Talk of the NASCAR Town

Busch’s Last-Lap Heartbreak Against the Youngins

🏆 Christopher Bell secures his second win of the season—and the 12th of his career—grabbing his first-ever victory at COTA!

🤏 William Byron couldn’t recreate his 2024 magic, finishing 0.433 seconds behind Bell with just one lap led.

😞 Tyler Reddick started from the pole but led only 8 laps, though he still pulled off a solid P3 finish. That makes it four straight top-five finishes at COTA for him!

And man, Bell is on a roll! From P32 to victory lane in Atlanta, now P19 to the checkered flag at COTA. Feels a lot like last season—only this time, it was Byron chasing Bell instead of the other way around. And speaking of keeping up… that’s exactly where Kyle Busch fell short at COTA.

Let’s be honest—we didn’t have him as a frontrunner. SVG, Elliott, Reddick (from the pole), or maybe even Ross Chastain seemed like the ones to beat. But Rowdy proved us wrong, leading 42 of the 95 laps. And this wasn’t just about holding the lead—he was flying, nearly a full second faster than the car in P2. With every lap, his agonizing 59-race drought was slipping further into the rearview mirror. Victory was within reach… until it wasn’t.

Denny Hamlin lost it on the Turn 6, taking Austin Dillon with him. The #3 car was buried in the gravel, needing a tow—meaning no green-flag finish. It was a pure lock-up for the Richard Childress car. Look at how Denny locked up Dillon’s tires.

As a result, a restart was inevitable, and just like that, Busch’s massive lead was gone. With the gap erased, and fresher tires, Christopher Bell made his bold move, and Busch could not do anything to stop it. And not just Bell, Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott, everyone passed him. Busch dropped to the 5th-place finish in the last 5-6 laps.

This felt straight out of Cars 3—the veteran trying to hold his ground as the younger generation takes over. It was exactly like this funny scene from the movie.

Bell, just like that, was at his peak, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. And when Busch finally slipped—twice—it was game over. Even Rowdy himself admitted it, "He (Bell) was much faster than me and able to do a good job of biding his time and waiting for me to make a couple of mistakes in a row. Once I made two mistakes in a row, then it was over."

And here’s the weird part—no frustration, no blaming the car, no anger at the pit stop strategy. Just acceptance. That’s not the Kyle Busch we know. It felt like we were watching the final chapter of his prime unfold. But if you’re part of Rowdy Nation, we feel for you. That last win at Gateway in June 2023 does feel like a lifetime ago.

Meanwhile, other notable stats from the weekend: 

1. This was Tyler Reddick’s 10th pole of his Cup career. 

2. Shane Van Gisbergen (sixth) was the highest-finishing and highest-qualifying rookie.

3. William Byron leads the point standings by 2 points over Ryan Blaney.

4. Connor Zilisch became the second-youngest multi-time winner in the Xfinity series history (Chase Elliott, 18 years, 4 months, 14 days; Zilisch, 18 years, 7 months, 7 days).

5. Austin Hill leads the point standings by 13 points over Jesse Love in Xfinity 

Continue Reading: NASCAR’s Strong Warning Stops Joe Gibbs & Co. From ‘Cheating’ COTA Investigation With HMS Tactics

🏁 Lucky Dog’s Quick Poll 🏁

🔎 The In-Depth View

Hamlin’s Legacy, Overshadowed by Hate

We all know Denny Hamlin had nothing to do with Kyle Busch’s loss. But we know—the hate train for the #11 is already rolling. Busch fans and Hamlin haters alike are ready to pile on, blaming Denny for yet another race outcome. That’s just the reputation he’s built in NASCAR. And the thing is, it wasn’t always like this.

Once upon a time, a Florida kid with no family ties to NASCAR was making waves—pure talent, no shortcuts. And fans ate it up. He gambled everything on chasing the dream, even went broke trying. Then came J.D. Gibbs, a believer in raw potential. One chance, the next thing we know is, Denny had 5 Truck Series races and a single Xfinity start in 2005.

It didn’t take long for him to prove he belonged. Remember Pocono in 2006? That was his first Cup win at just 25 years old. The grandstands erupted—it felt like the dawn of a new era. But in NASCAR, the climb to glory is never a straight path. One moment, you're the next big thing. The next, you're the villain.

The shift was subtle at first—a few hard-nosed battles, a couple of run-ins with the sport’s biggest stars. Then came the real turning point. 2017. Martinsville. Denny wrecked Chase Elliott out of championship contention. This aggressive move made Hamlin NASCAR’s villain. 

The boos that night, they never really stopped. After all, it was a driver with the Elliott name. And, it didn’t stop there. Calling Alex Bowman a “hack.” Sending Kyle Larson into the wall at Pocono in 2023. It kept getting worse. It even came down to a point that Hamlin accepted some things fans would never let go of.

“I think the two most popular drivers in our series – Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott – I’ve had run-ins with them. I think fans in general won’t let go of those grudges, right?”

Maybe. But NASCAR fans have short memories when they want to. Just look at Kyle Busch. When he was at JGR, he was public enemy No. 1. But the moment he moved to a Chevy team, the boos softened.

So maybe even Hamlin’s reputation isn’t about his rivalries. It could be a part of the JGR-Toyota factor. It’s no secret NASCAR fans favor Chevy. And while picturing Hamlin in a bowtie-branded car feels impossible, his JGR contract is up after this season.

Continue Reading: William Byron Confesses Ditching Dirty Tactics Against Christopher Bell in COTA in 6 Words

🫨 Shocking Moment From the Race

Who thought a wheel would decide to do its own thing at COTA? As Larson exited turn 6B, the No. 5 lost a key piece of equipment. And, the next we know, the tire dancing on the grass….

🗝️ From the Vault

Smuggled and Arrested: NASCAR’s Bizarre Scandal

Some of you might already know this wild story. But if you don’t, this one’s a ride! Let’s rewind to 1988. NASCAR had set its sights on Australia for the third race of the season, and a small, scrappy team led by St. James Davis was determined to be there, no matter what.

Now, we know, the logistics of running a race overseas aren’t easy. And for an underfunded team like Davis’s, that too in 1988, it was nearly impossible. But they had a cost-cutting plan; Ship the car to Australia… and send the engine builder with(inside) it.

Yep. Mitch Klon, the team’s engine builder, made the three-week journey across the Pacific inside a shipping container, trapped in the dark alongside the race car.

And all of this—just to race in the Goodyear NASCAR 500. That day, it was Neil Bonnett who took the win that day, while Davis’s car, the #22 Buick, became part of one of the most insane stories in NASCAR history. Klon later recalled the brutal voyage: "There was a bag of groceries, which was two cans of Spam, a can of tuna, two boxes of dry cereal, three bags of candy, two boxes of Twinkies, a box of cookies, and that was about it." You can take a look at the car...and hear Mitch’s version of the story.

And when Klon finally emerged from the darkness, the first face he saw wasn’t his team—it was an Australian police officer. Yeah, you guessed it. He was immediately arrested. And as if things weren’t wild enough, he had to work off his return fare by doing odd jobs for the authorities.

So, was Davis’s plan a success? Well… kind of. He got Klon to Australia but never actually got him to work on the car. Davis managed to take the green flag—only to be black-flagged just two laps in. Decades later, this remains one of NASCAR’s most insane tales of passion, determination, and sheer madness.

🫡 The Lucky Dog Salutes

Kurt Busch Mourns the Loss of a Dear Friend

2025 was supposed to be a happy year for Kurt Busch. After everything he’s been through, he was finally set to return to the track—racing at the Race of Champions in Australia. But just as things were looking up, heartbreak struck.

Snowboarding legend Luke Trembath, better known as The Dingo, has passed away. He was just 38. The cause remains unknown, but his sudden loss has sent shockwaves through both the snowboarding and racing communities. And for Busch, this loss cuts deep.

The two didn’t meet often, but they were tight. If you’ve followed Kurt’s career, you might remember his long-time sponsor—Monster Energy. That’s how their paths crossed. Luke was a Monster athlete, too. And, their friendship started on Monster’s UNLEASHED podcast. Here’s a video of Luke and Kurt as we remember the good old days.

Maybe Busch had plans to catch up with him during the ROC trip. Maybe they had one of those “See you soon, brother” conversations, not knowing that soon would never come.

Life is unpredictable. And today, the motorsports world stands with the snowboarding community, mourning the loss of a man who brought energy, passion, and an unbreakable spirit to everything he touched.

And, losing a friend for Kurt Busch is definitely not easy. But he has found a way to honor him in the best way possible. In an emotional tribute, he shared on X, "I will race in Australia with your Aussie Dingo spirit sitting shotgun." So, this one’s going to be for Luke.

For Busch, there’s more than just a trophy on the line. He was part of Team USA in the 2017 Race of Champions, falling just short of victory. This time, he’s teaming up with the legendary Travis Pastrana—one of the best in the business. And with his friend’s spirit riding along, maybe this will be the year he takes it all.

Somewhere up there, Dingo will be watching—cheering his friend on, just like always.

Continue Reading: NASCAR Insider Uncovers Kurt Busch’s “Real A——” Storyline Behind Fall From Grace

📰 Lucky Dog’s Recommended Reads

1. Brad Keselowski’s Worrying Health Emergency in COTA Leaves NASCAR Community Panicking - Full Story

2. Kyle Busch Takes Strong Dig at Clueless NASCAR - Full Story

3. Christopher Bell Confesses Scary Flashbacks as He Ends ‘Kyle Busch Nightmare’ After COTA Seige - Full Story

4. After Ugly Exit, Hailie Deegan Finally Drops Bombshell Verdict on NASCAR - Full Story

5. Chase Elliott Issues Strong 4-Word Response to Ross Chastain’s Race Antics - Full Story

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