Kyle Busch radios team, requests meeting with doctor after Watkins Glen NASCAR race

Kyle Busch, running inside the top five at Watkins Glen, made a request for a doctor over the radio to his team during the NASCAR Cup Series race in the final stage. He will apparently “need a shot” after the race.

More details weren’t immediately clear in the request, but Busch gave a quick explanation to his team. He wants the doctor to meet him at the team bus, not the car, after the race.

Journalist Dustin Long reported: “In an even & measured voice Kyle Busch asked his team to find Dr. William Heisel and that he will need him after the race. Dr. Heisel has extensive work with teams, drivers and pit crew members. Busch did not elaborate on the radio for why he is making the request.”

Moments later, Long and other journalists clarified that Busch wanted to meet Heisel at the team bus. “I’m going to need a shot,” he said.

The FS1 broadcast chimed in a few minutes after the initial reporting and provided some clarity. Busch has apparently been dealing with a sinus cold throughout the week heading into the race.

Kyle Busch, who’s been having a tough season, was putting together his best race of the year. And, notably, he didn’t have to get out of the car right away. So whatever he’s requesting after the fact will be a topic of discussion at a later date. For now, Busch will try to pull off the improbable and secure a much-needed win.

Kevin Harvick suggests Kyle Busch’s 2027 ride in jeopardy

Kyle Busch complicated matters for himself and his team when he was physical with John Hunter Nemechek on the white flag lap at Texas last week, costing himself and Nemechek several spots at the end of the race. It was exactly the kind of move that analyst and former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick said Busch can ill afford in a contract year.

In fact, Harvick suggested Busch’s ride next year could be in jeopardy. He offered that relatively unsolicited while speaking about the on-track incident on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton.

“It’s a contract year for Kyle Busch,” Harvick said. “I believe that this is probably realistically maybe the only spot that he has to still have a seat in the sport. And I think he needs to do everything that he can do to try to protect that and I think that this was definitely not the way that it needed to end at the end of this race.”

Buxton quickly raised his eyebrows as the implication from Harvick set in. Could one of the winningest drivers in the sport’s history be on the way out?

“I would say that the 8 car is the potential only spot for Kyle Busch as you look forward,” Harvick explained. “Now there may be something that I’m overlooking. There’s a lot of things that could shake up down the road. But I believe that the 8 car, if not the only spot, is probably the best spot for Kyle Busch.”