Parker Kligerman makes feelings clear in a straightforward verdict about Kyle Busch after the COTA race

Parker Kligerman shared his thoughts on Kyle Busch’s performance at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in a tweet during the race. He praised Busch’s driving and later reinforced his opinion in a follow-up post.

Kyle Busch was in a strong position to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA, leading 42 of the 95 laps. However, he lost pace in the final laps and finished fifth.

Busch was leading during the final restart with 13 laps to go. Christopher Bell, driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, passed Kyle Busch in the final turn of Lap 90. Busch struggled with tire wear and dropped three more positions before the checkered flag, finishing 5.943 seconds behind Bell.

Kligerman, a NASCAR analyst and driver, first posted his reaction on X (formerly Twitter) while the race was ongoing. His initial tweet read,

“No matter how this ends. This is one of the most impressive @KyleBusch drives of the next gen era.”

Later, he retweeted his own post. This time, he lauded Kyle Busch’s performance in the race and how he was in contention for the win until the very end. He wrote, adding,

“Standby this and may say this was one of his best of his career. He held off so many attempts from so many different cars. Would have loved to hear an interview with him there.”

Kyle Busch's last NASCAR Cup Series win was on June 4, 2023, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Despite his strong performance at COTA, he remains in the longest winless streak of his career, with a tally of 60 races.

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Kyle Busch on COTA performance: “That was it on pushing the car”

After the race, Busch expressed frustration over the outcome, particularly regarding tire disparity. Speaking to the media, he explained,

“That was it on pushing the car.” (via Newsweek)

I just wish we had equal tires to the 20. Once we had that yellow, you’re just in defense mode. Hated the contact in two and three bent the toe link.” he added

The caution with 13 laps to go erased Kyle Busch’s lead and allowed Bell to catch up. The decisive moment came with six laps remaining when Bell and Busch made contact, which damaged Busch’s right-rear wheel. He explained that this contact affected his car’s handling, making it difficult to fight for the win. Christopher Bell, who secured his second win of the season, also commented on his battle with Busch,

“That was almost a déjà vu of last year. Whenever Kyle was leading, I was trying to be cautious. I was trying to pass him clean. He was doing such a good job of running his race. He bobbled and allowed me to get out front. Those were about the sloppiest five or six laps I’ve ever run.” (via Newsweek)

William Byron, who finished second, also spoke about the battle at the front. In his own words,

“It was really close. I felt like the battle between him and Kyle was sitting there waiting for one of them to bobble or slide their tires. Bell got by him and I felt like once he got clear, his car was super loose. It gave me a couple shots at him, I just couldn’t get beside him. (via Newsweek)

Bell’s win at COTA makes him the first driver of the 2025 season to win two races. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch continues to push for his first win in nearly two years.