The 2025 NASCAR Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was supposed to be a fun exhibition race, but it turned into a battle between two Chevrolets. Kyle Busch and Justin Haley, both Chevrolets but on different teams, tangled in the heat races and exposed the internal strife within the manufacturer’s walls. What started as hard racing turned into a heated exchange that even NASCAR had to step in to control.
Tensions flared just 6 laps into Heat 1 when Busch’s #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet hit the #7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Haley. The result? Chaos.
Haley, after an earlier incident, hit the back of Busch’s car and spun him out 2 laps into the restart.
For Chevrolet, this was a nightmare. Two of their drivers — who should be working together in the bigger fight against Ford and Toyota — were beating each other up on the track. The lack of unity within the Chevrolet camp was apparent and it only got worse when Busch returned the favor.
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NASCAR Steps In With a Final Warning for Kyle Busch
Busch is never shy of controversy and true to form, he wasn’t going to let this one slide. Over the radio his frustration boiled over: “Never gave me one f***ing corner.” His spotter, Derek Kneeland, agreed but tried to cool him down: “Oh, I’m aware… I got plenty to say but I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.”
Instead of backing off, Busch continued to bash Haley’s bumper during the caution, sending the message that payback was coming. That’s when NASCAR officials had seen enough.
“Alright, we’re getting a warning here,” Kneeland, his spotter, relayed to Busch. “And they said this is the last warning. Come off the bumper.”
Busch’s response? ”It’s okay to do it under green, though. Got it.”
Chevrolet’s Internal Struggles in the Spotlight
While manufacturer alliances aren’t always ironclad, the Busch/Haley incident showed a bigger problem at Chevrolet. Unlike Toyota’s tribe or Ford’s team effort, Chevrolet’s teams often work independently and sometimes against each other. Busch was already frustrated after a winless 2024 season and his blow-up at a fellow Chevrolet driver only added to the problem.
In the end, Busch finished 4th in the heat race and Haley fell back to 8th. But in the main event, Kyle Busch finished 15th and Justin Haley didn’t qualify for the main race — more proof that the infighting within the manufacturer is costing them positions.
With the regular season approaching Chevrolet needs to get its drivers in line. The last thing they need is an internal conflict when they should be focused on beating Ford and Toyota. Can Chevrolet get its drivers in line or will team rivalries cost them on race day?
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