RICHMOND, Va. -- The two-week Olympic break came at the perfect time for Kyle Busch, who revealed Saturday that he had sprained his wrist in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Without two weeks off, I wouldn't have been able to race," Busch told media members after taking part in qualifying.
The two-time Cup Series champion clarified that he didn't break anything. He did not provide further details about the extent of the injury other than saying that it was a sprained wrist.
Busch was involved in a multi-car crash during the final stage of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21. He spun on the inside of Denny Hamlin as the former teammates made contact.
Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet then slid up the track and hit the outside wall. He finished 25th and one lap behind the leaders.
"These great Next Gen race cars snap the wheel and then snap your wrist," Busch added before telling reporters that the conversation was "moving on."
Despite dealing with a wrist sprain, Busch was in contention for a top-10 starting position Saturday afternoon at Richmond Raceway. He was 20th-fastest in an extended practice session featuring a mix of option and regular tires.
Busch was then on the cutline and in a position to reach the second round of qualifying in Group A. However, Hamlin posted a lap that was .010 seconds faster to take the fifth and final spot. Busch still qualified 12th overall.
If NASCAR hadn't immediately gone into a two-week Olympic break after Indianapolis, it's possible that Busch would have been unable to compete the following week. He would have missed a race and fallen even further below the playoff cutline. Richard Childress Racing would have also had to request a waiver to keep Busch playoff-eligible.
The break was at the perfect time, so the two-time Cup champion was able to partially recover from the wrist injury. He will still have it wrapped as he competes Sunday evening at Richmond Raceway, but this will be better than watching a regular-season race from home.