NASCAR insider holds Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace accountable for Kyle Busch’s playoff exit: "Took out a decent amount of storylines"

On the latest episode of the Teardown podcast on YouTube, NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck held Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace accountable for Kyle Busch missing out on the 2025 playoffs. Larson triggered a massive wreck during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 23, 2025, involving twelve drivers, including the Richard Childress Racing driver.

While fighting for a fourth-place finish, on lap 28 of the 250-mile race, Wallace was running three wide with Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. However, a few moments later, a bump from the #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 sent Wallace down, hitting Logano, and this started a chain reaction, sending all three cars spinning while collecting nine other drivers.

Although Kyle Busch got back on the track after the crash, his #8 Chevy Camaro ZL1 took a toll from the accident and was seen during the rest of the race. Reflecting on the same, Gluck held Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace responsible for ending Busch's chance of securing a spot in the playoffs. Gluck stated (via YouTube) [10:07 onwards]:

"A decent amount of storylines right there. I mean, Kyle Busch immediately misses the playoffs... I really think NASCAR needs Kyle Busch in the playoffs."

Jeff Gluck's co-host Jordan Bianchi supported his statement and said:

"Kyle Busch is better. The sport is better when Kyle Busch is better. Especially driving for RCR. Yeah. Like if Kyle Busch was winning races and and contending, he makes RCR more relevant. People love RCR. They've kind of got this rough-and-tumble image. It's just it it's good for the sport all around. And unfortunately, it's just not the reality. Now he's, for the first time in Ky Bush's career, by the way, has gone two straight years of failing to make the playoffs, which is just absolutely mind-blowing."

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson wrapped up the 250-mile race among the top ten drivers in P6. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch finished in P33, while Bubba Wallace's day resulted in a DNF.

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Kyle Larson claims he has "a lot more" to prove before clinching the "greatest driver in the world" title

Earlier in June 2025, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was featured in a pre-race interview with Jeff Bezos's streaming company, Amazon Prime. During the interaction, the #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver revealed he needed to achieve greater height in his racing career before securing the "greatest driver in the world" title.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver has secured 32 wins, 130 top-five finishes, 198 top-ten finishes, 289 top-20 finishes, and 22 pole positions in 392 starts in his 13-year Cup Series career. Additionally, he has won 17 Xfinity Series races and secured 62 top-five finishes in 120 starts.

Despite having a successful career, Kyle Larson believes he has a long way to go to prove himself. Reflecting on the same, the #5 Chevy driver stated:

“Well, I, although the public thinks that I think that, I don’t necessarily think that I’m the greatest in the world. But, no, I’ve heard the accolades and the comments and all that for a long, long time, and being compared to Jeff [Gordon] or Tony [Stewart] or even sometimes Mario [Andretti] and A.J. Foyt, guys like that, and it makes me feel really good."

Kyle Larson currently leads the Cup Series points table with 2032 points to his credit. He has secured three wins, 16 top-ten finishes, 11 top-five finishes, and one pole position in 26 starts this season. Additionally, he has a buffer of 26 points above the playoff cutoff line.