NASCAR confirm Kyle Busch one of two Cup Series drivers demoted at Iowa

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was one of two drivers hit with a tail-end penalty for Sunday's Iowa Corn 350.

Busch was involved in a damaging wreck in practice on Saturday ahead of qualifying, with the 40-year-old losing control of his No. 8 Chevrolet as he tried to make a correction heading into turn one.

NASCAR RACE TODAY: Iowa start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream

Replays of the incident showed the No. 8 take a sharp turn up the track, smashing into the barriers head-on as a result and causing huge damage to the car, which also caught flames under the bonnet.

Despite the heavy hit, Busch was able to leave the car under his own power, and he was later seen and released from the infield care center.

However, having taken heavy damage, Busch was forced to start Sunday's race in a backup car, and was sent to the rear of the field with a tail-end penalty as a result, as confirmed by NASCAR.

Having not taken part in qualifying, it was not a major drop for Busch at all, but with Noah Gragson having also been sent to the rear of the field ahead of the race in the No. 4, it did cost him a spot.

Gragson's tail-end penalty came as a result of 'unapproved adjustments' after his team made changes to his brake rotor.

READ MORE: NASCAR announce penalty for Joe Gibbs Racing at Iowa

Kyle Busch on Iowa wreck

Speaking after the wreck that saw him sustain enough damage that the backup car was needed this weekend, Busch suggested it could be a struggle to find confidence in the car again this weekend.

"Yeah, I mean just continuing to make changes and try to make improvements to the rear grip and getting the rear of the car more secure everywhere around the corner," Busch explained.

"Literally anywhere that I would push harder, I would feel rear chatter, and felt really good about the changes that we made there, came out of turn four really hot and heavy and hard on it, and then went off into turn one with too much trust."

Busch concluded: "Not real sure how to find more trust when you feel something good in one corner and it's not there in the next."

It remains to be seen how much progress Busch can make when the green flag drops for Sunday's race.

However, he will be buoyed by the fact he was second on the timesheets in practice at the time of his incident.

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