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Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs fail to advance to Turkey Night Grand Prix feature race

JHby: Jonathan Howard12/01/24Jondean25
Kyle Busch
Telegram photo by Mike Dickie / USA TODAY NETWORK

A couple of NASCAR Cup Series drivers got their first taste of Midget racing this week. Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs had a time at Ventura Raceway. The two stock car drivers were in unfamiliar territory this weekend.

Both Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs failed to qualify for the feature race at Ventura Raceway. The Turkey Night Grand Prix is a historic and tough race to make. With more than 50 entries, only 26 drivers made the finale.

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During their qualifying efforts, Busch and Gibbs didn’t do enough to make the big show. The two Turkey Night rookies would then go on to race in the Last Chance Qualifier heats. Neither advanced.

Busch ended his race with his second mechanical failure of the week in the midget car. Has anyone had a tougher 2024 than Rowdy?

Meanwhile, Gibbs finished 11th in his qualifier race. Not the worst debut weekend ever.

American motorsports is in a good, healthy place right now. The grassroots and the top levels of racing are working well together. Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs are not going to be able to outduel these lifetime dirt racers.

Just like when Corey Day, the Turkey Night winner this year, goes to NASCAR and ARCA. He doesn’t get in a stock car and start whooping up on those asphalt drivers. So, it isn’t shocking to see Busch and Gibbs have trouble.

Of course, fellow Cup Series driver Kyle Larson made it to the feature race just fine. His race didn’t go so smoothly, though.

Kyle Busch falls short, Kyle Larson gets spun

While his Cup Series competitors were watching from the stands, Kyle Larson moved up through the field on Saturday night. Through the first half of the race, Larson moved up confidently along with teenage superstar Corey Day.

Larson is a former Turkey Night winner twice before. As he was in fifth place, Day was racing hard behind him. Day overdrove Turn 1 and spun Larson out with 52 laps to go. Larson was put in the rear of the field, Day kept his position.

With how Day went on to win the race, it would have been great to see Larson fight for the lead in the end. Still, the race gave fans something to watch on Saturday night.

Kyle Busch found himself sitting in the stands at the end of the night. Kyle Larson found himself fighting to get back through the field in a damaged car. Cup Series drivers just did not have a great day in Ventura.