Kurt Busch’s long day of racing came to a sudden end when he suffered engine failure late in a NASCAR 600-mile race hours after completing the Indianapolis 500.
Busch became the fourth driver, and the first in a decade, to compete in both the IndyCar Indianapolis 500 and the 600-mile Sprint Cup Series stock car race at Charlotte on the same day.
Driving an entry for Andretti Autosport, Busch finished sixth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, completing all 200 laps, 500 miles in a race won by teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Busch bolted from Indianapolis and arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway just in time, starting from the rear of the field because he missed the pre-race drivers’ meeting.
Busch fell one lap behind early but got back on the lead lap during a caution before the halfway point of a race eventually won by Jimmie Johnson.
Busch had completed 271 laps (406.5 miles) before his motor expired and a plume of smoke came from the back of his car, forcing a caution.
“The motor blew. It acted like it swallowed three cylinders all at once,” Busch said. “It’s kind of a shame.”
In all, Busch completed 906.5 of 1,100 miles in the Indy/Charlotte double.
Tony Stewart, who is Busch’s teammate and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, is the only driver who completed all 1,100 miles on the same day, doing so in 2001.
“To feel the stock car right after driving an IndyCar was a day I will never forget,” Busch said. “I can’t let the mood here with the car dampen what happened up at Indy. That was very special … All in all, I’m very satisfied.”