These should be the pinnacle years for Kyle Busch, and Richmond Raceway would typically be the ideal venue to celebrate the achievements of NASCAR’s most controversial figure. Whether admired or disliked, Busch is the most polarizing star of his era, and Richmond’s 0.75-mile track has been the setting for many significant moments where he’s played a central role in NASCAR’s top-tier races.
In May 2008, Busch stirred controversy by bumping Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the lead in the closing laps, angering millions of fans. A year later, on May 2, 2009, he marked his 24th birthday with the first of four consecutive spring wins at Richmond.
During the 2012 regular-season finale at Richmond, Busch narrowly missed the playoffs in a tense showdown with Jeff Gordon. He was also controversially bumped out of the lead by teammate Carl Edwards in April 2016.
As the season returns to Richmond after a two-week break, where Busch has amassed 28 top 10s and six victories (only trailing his eight wins at Bristol), this track would typically present a prime chance for him to extend his streak of consecutive winning seasons to 20. However, Busch is currently enduring a career-worst 43-race winless streak with only four races left in the regular season, putting his playoff chances in jeopardy for the first time in 12 years. This tough situation is compounded by the harsh reality that a disappointing 2024 season may not be an anomaly but rather the latest chapter in a surprising decline for a once-dominant driver who now seems increasingly irrelevant on the track.
Busch, known for his obsessive study of his place in racing history, once delved deeply into Richard Petty’s record 200 Cup victories when approaching his own 200th national series win six years ago. He’s undoubtedly aware that his current slump is an outlier for a champion of his caliber in the prime of his career. Busch turned 39 three months ago, an age that often marks the peak performance years for many NASCAR stars like Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski. Hamlin, for instance, rebounded from a winless 2018 season to achieve 23 of his 54 career victories after turning 38, maintaining his status as a top contender. In contrast, Busch, his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, appears to be on the opposite trajectory.
Instead of entering a prime period in his 20th season in NASCAR’s premier series, Busch seems farther from winning than ever, with little hope of regaining the dominance he showed from 2015-19 when he won two championships and made a record five consecutive Championship 4 appearances. His last championship in 2019 came during a season where he struggled with a lower horsepower package he disliked, despite ultimately winning the title. This struggle foreshadowed a difficult period that followed. Over the next five seasons, despite changes in engines, setups, and cars, Busch’s challenges persisted. In 2020, he parted ways with crew chief Adam Stevens after a one-win season. Although there was a slight recovery the following year, 2022 was marked by sleepless nights and an agonizingly prolonged split from Joe Gibbs Racing, which took months to finalize.
A move to Richard Childress Racing last year brought three wins in just over four months, but it was followed by a late-season slump that saw him finish 14th in the points standings. Now, 2023 looks like a false dawn, leading into an even tougher period. Busch still makes headlines, but these moments often happen in mid-pack situations, such as his feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or the incident with Corey LaJoie at Pocono. Even his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” highlighted Busch’s lasting appeal but also reminded fans of his frustrating season.
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch’s media availability was brief, and he later spun out during the race, triggering a yellow flag that led to a double-overtime finish. Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet has struggled to be competitive, with crashes or mechanical failures causing him to finish only three of the past eight races. He hasn’t had a top-five finish in three months and is on track for career lows in almost every major statistical category. Busch has been blunt about his struggles, often candidly acknowledging his mediocrity.
When asked in mid-June about the possibility of returning to Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports, Busch replied that while he would consider it, his focus is currently on working with his team at RCR to improve the program. RCR has been making significant changes, promising more to come, but for now, Busch can only wait and hope for better results.
“It’s been so dismal and so heartbreaking,” Busch said in Chicago last month. “I have a hard time dealing with enough stuff in my life that every Sunday to keep adding to it is getting harder and harder to deal with. Just got to keep going on to the next week and keep fighting on.”
Is a turnaround imminent? Or are we witnessing the early decline of a Hall of Fame career? Richmond, a track where Busch has traditionally excelled, might provide some answers about whether his golden years can truly live up to their promise.
