There goes the no-claims bonus…

Nine cars were caught up in the aftermath of a duel between rookie Michael McDowell and David Gilliland at Watkins Glen. With eight laps to go, McDowell and Gilliland bumped door panels and slid across the track as they came around Turn 11. Seven other drivers were involved in the scary pile-up that followed.

Bobby Labonte came off worst - his car struck Gilliland’s, side-on - and he had to go to hospital for precautionary checks. He has since been released, with no serious injuries to report.

The race, which was red-flagged for 43 minutes because of this incident, was won by championship leader Kyle Busch.

The win was the 12th of Busch’s career. It answered criticism by his former Hendrick team-mates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who said they had seen weakness in Busch’s driving in the past two races.

“I’m sorry, what slump?” Busch said, tongue firmly in cheek, on his car radio after crossing the finish line. “They can keep trying to play these mind games. We’ll just keep winning.”