Chase Elliott might be back. Kyle Busch might be toast. John Hunter Nemechek was finally relevant for an actual NASCAR race and got mauled over by a demon. And Ryan Preece went on the rant of the century over Ty Gibbs.
How'd you spend YOUR Sunday afternoon?!
Goodness gracious. Everyone left Texas mad. Just ... angry. Pure, raw, unedited anger. Sure, I could make the joke about everything being hotter in Texas right here, but I won't. We don't need any low-hanging fruit today. We've got plenty to fill our plate as it is.
Let's get to filling.
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Chase Elliott celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 3, 2026. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
We'll get to Chase, because NASCAR's Most Popular Driver may just be regaining his 2020-22 form. If that's the case, look out. Good for ratings, though!
We'll obviously get to Kyle Busch and JHN. Those two couldn't stop bumping into each other yesterday, and then it got analytical after the race. You'll see.
Along the way, we're gonna go on an F-bomb rampage with Ryan Preece, check out the Colorado Nationals because that event seems ELECTRIC, and then end the day with Kennedy Mosley defending her man.
Sound good? Good!
Four tires, enough fuel to get us to Watkins Glen even though it's May and NASCAR shouldn't be racing there in May, and maybe a beer or 10 for JHN and Kyle Busch ... Monday Morning Pit-Stop — the 'Everyone Hates Everyone!' edition — is live!
Boy howdy, what a DAY at Texas. As I said, Chase Elliott might be back. We'll get to Chase here in a bit, but this wasn't a gas mileage win or a superspeedway win. This was different. This felt different. And, frankly, it should be a wake-up call for the rest of the garage.
But first, we're obviously gonna start the week with Kyle Busch and John Hunter Nemechek. Front Row Joe's son! Boy oh boy, was he put through the wringer on Sunday. Anyone who has to go up against Kyle Busch this season better be prepared for war, because Rowdy seems awfully close to that breaking point.
As an aside, Kyle did turn 41 over the weekend, so there's that. Happy birthday, Kyle!
Now, let's get to the video ...
Strap in:
Thoughts? Impressions?
I'm gonna be honest here ... I think I'm with John Hunter. And I'm usually pro-Kyle Busch. I'm always pro-Sam Busch. But I just don't know how you can watch that video and think this was an accident. It wasn't. Come on.
I know Kyle can't just come out and say it because that could make NASCAR's ears perk up just a bit, but he should just come out and say it.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
The video is damning. Listen to Kevin and Clint in the booth. They've both been there before. Lord knows they've both wrecked someone out of anger. I think Clint and Jeff Gordon are still beating the piss out of each other at Phoenix!
But they know. Maybe John Hunter pinched Kyle down the backstretch. Maybe. That part of that lap isn't as clear to me. Nobody was clear. Kyle went up too far. JHN went down just a tad. Not really sure why they did either. Just stay straight and work it out when you get to Turn 3.
John H. Nemechek, driver of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 2, 2026. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
So we can debate who pinched who to start the whole thing off. That's fair game. But after that? To me, it's obvious that Kyle Busch doored the hell out of him ... and then some.
And by the way, even if we decide the 42 came down on Kyle down the backstretch ... is that really a reason to wreck someone ... on the final lap!? You've made it that far, fellas. WHY ruin it now? It just didn't seem like that big of a deal.
Both cars were good yesterday. Let me say that again ... both KYLE BUSCH and JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK had good cars yesterday. Those cars usually stink.
Somehow, they both actually brought good automobiles to a race track, and they were both junked by the end of it.
In hindsight, perhaps we should've seen this one coming from Rowdy ...
Carson Hocevar was nearly his first victim earlier in the day:
Yeah, clearly, Kyle Busch was just on one yesterday. Don't know why, but he had zero patience from start to finish. Again, I don't really see why he's angry at Carson Hocevar. There are usually plenty of reasons to be pissed at Carson. He can sometimes race like a pissed-off teenager. I get it.
This ... didn't seem like one of those times. Does Kyle Busch not realize you're supposed to race each other in these events? That's sort of the whole point ... to race.
Why did he act so shocked yesterday when other drivers actually raced him and didn't just pull to the side and let him on though? I don't get it.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, waves to fans during driver introductions before the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., on Feb. 25, 2024. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Anyway, the "we haven't been in the top-10 in three years" line was great. I'm not positive, but I think we also got a "put some ice on your crotch" line at the end, which was also delightful. What a day.
OK, let's all ice our crotches down and rapid-fire this first-Monday-of-May session into a big month. First up? Kyle Busch wasn't the only one in a pissy mood at Texas:
"End of rant."
"Yep, copy that."
"10-4, we're gonna come down and getcha four tires here and start over."
Perfection. No notes. We can go ahead and put Ryan Preece firmly on the "no" side when it comes to Ty Gibbs fans in the garage. Are there any on the "yes" side at this point?
Next? Plenty of Chase Elliott fans ... at least in the stands!
I agree. It's been a down few years for Chase. He's won, sure, but he hasn't been a real threat in quite some time. Hendrick has been sort of quiet all season besides Chase. Remember when William Byron was all the rage last season? We haven't really heard a peep from him this year.
Chase has now won twice over the past few weeks, and this one was pretty dominant. If that teams finds their mojo again ... look out. Frankly, I think they already have.
OK, two more on the way out.
I hate to go back to last week, but I'd like to quickly check in with Christopher Bell on the way out to get his thoughts on the current state of NASCAR's superspeedway package:
Okeeeeeeeeeedokeee! Christopher Bell — NOT a fan of the Next Gen car at 'Dega and Daytona. Gotcha!
I'm sure NASCAR loves him calling it a "suicide mission" too. Great look for the fellas in marketing!
Speaking of wrecks ...
Amazing. Didn't know this was a thing, but I couldn't be more all in. Give me MORE Spectator racing. Please. Inject it into my veins. This is what separates this country from everyone else.
Imagine a European watching that today. They'd be DISGUSTED. Not us. God, I love America.
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OK, that's it for today. Good work to all. Watch out for Kyle Busch on the roads!
Let's go ahead and let JHN's girlfriend, Miss Kentucky's Ken Mosley, take us into the first week of May. It's the right way to end this particular class.
Zach Dean is a writer for OutKick.
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