Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher have shared how they cleared up any misunderstandings following their involvement in a chaotic sequence of incidents during last weekend's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
The two drivers were part of a chain-reaction crash that ended up being one of the main talking points from the race weekend.
However, both drivers say a conversation after the race quickly resolved any concerns about what unfolded on track.
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
The trouble began on Lap 145 when Dillon was turned in a stack-up entering pit road. A chain reaction followed, with Dillon spinning after contact involving Buescher during the chaotic sequence.
While emotions naturally ran high during the race, Buescher said he reached out to Dillon shortly after the checkered flag to explain his side of the incident.
Speaking during a press conference at FireKeepers Casino 400 weekend, Buescher explained that he contacted Dillon while travelling home from Nashville.
"I reached out to Austin when I got to the airport. I just wanted him to know that I didn't know what happened ahead of us at the time, and I didn't know what happened between him and Brad later, either, at the moment. I just told him, 'Look, that was not intentional.'"
Buescher explained that he was reacting to the chain of events unfolding in front of him and was simply trying to regain position in the draft when contact occurred.
"I was just literally trying to get back in line to get back in the draft. We're good. I'm just going to let my position be known and let him know that there was nothing intentional or anything in that moment, that we were just racing and sorry I got caught up in it."
The RFK Racing driver said he wanted to make his position clear and ensure Dillon understood there was no deliberate intent behind the incident.
Dillon confirmed that Buescher was one of the first people to contact him after the race, with the Richard Childress Racing driver saying the conversation helped clear up any lingering confusion.
Speaking during a press conference at FireKeepers Casino 400 weekend, Dillon described how the conversation played out.
"Yeah, Buescher texted me right after the race and then I texted Brad and we both chatted. I mean, I think he understood after I explained things to him that it wasn't intentional."
Dillon also pointed to the unique challenges of racing on Nashville's apron, suggesting the circumstances developed too quickly for anyone to intentionally create the outcome that followed.
"Things just happened and it was quick and fast, and the apron at Nashville's not fun, and everybody that touched the rear bumper last weekend got turned. So just unfortunate events."
The conversations appear to have brought a swift resolution to an incident that generated significant discussion following the Cracker Barrel 400.
While the race featured several chaotic moments, both Dillon and Buescher ultimately agreed the contact stemmed from circumstances unfolding at high speed rather than any intentional action.
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