“Kyle Busch should retire”: Insider reveals stern response from Riley Herbst’s team radio after #8 spun him over during Charlotte elimination race

A team radio message from Riley Herbst’s No. 35 crew has gone viral after they blasted Kyle Busch during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte ROVAL. Reporter Jordan Bianchi shared the message on X.

The video shows Herbst’s crew reacting moments after Busch, who was eight laps down, made contact with the No. 35 Ford Mustang and sent it spinning. The team called for NASCAR to take action and said Busch “should retire”. Bianchi, a respected NASCAR journalist, posted the statement:

“Maybe (Kyle Busch) should retire”

Jordan Bianchi

@Jordan_Bianchi

"Maybe (Kyle Busch) should retire." No. 35 team radio after contact between Busch and Riley Herbst caused Herbst to spin.

The clash happened in Stage 3 of the race. Kyle Busch, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet, was already having a rough day. On the very first lap, he spun in Turn 1 and hit the wall, damaging the right side of his car. After repairs, he returned to the track but was eight laps behind when he made contact with Herbst. The spin ended Herbst’s chance of finishing well.

Busch’s day had gone bad from the start. He began the race in 28th place and quickly ran into trouble. Over his radio, Busch blamed Carson Hocevar for his early crash, saying:

“We’re junked. The 77 wrecked us,” as reported by Kelly Crandall of RACER/ESPN.

The No. 35 team saw Busch’s move as careless and unnecessary. They believed that since Busch was already multiple laps down, he had no reason to race that aggressively.

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“Expect more chaos and contact”: Kyle Busch predicted what would happen before the race

Before the 2025 Bank of America Roval 400, Kyle Busch warned that the race could get messy. Speaking to the media before Sunday’s event, he said the Charlotte ROVAL would bring heavy contact and desperate moves as playoff drivers fought to stay alive. Busch, who missed the playoffs again this year, knew what to expect from the field.

“I think you expect more contact, more chaos, and more desperation moves at times,” Busch said (via Speedway Media). “I also think there are some payback opportunities where guys will dump guys if they know they’re in a make it or break it situation and they’re on the bubble. That is always kind of on the table as well at the ROVAL. It would be nice to just stay out of that.”

Busch’s comments turned out to be true. He became part of the same chaos he warned about. He also explained how to handle the ROVAL’s challenges.

“The key to running well at the ROVAL is just staying out of trouble and trying to keep your momentum rolling all the way around the racetrack,” Busch added. “There are some big braking zones where you can really attack and get a lot of slowing down done in a quick period of time but the infield section has such little grip and is so bumpy that you’re just trying to control the slip and not go too fast and crash. It’s about tiptoeing as much as you can with carrying the right amount of roll speed.”

Kyle Busch, 40, went into the race hoping to use his experience to grab a solid finish. He has three top-fives in his last five races at the Charlotte ROVAL.