Kevin Harvick recently addressed Kyle Busch’s ongoing struggles, noting that if things go wrong, it could spell even bigger problems for the entire #8 Richard Childress Racing team. Harvick compared Busch’s recent performance with Christopher Bell, noting that despite his mid-season wins and difficulties, Bell’s car still had competitive speed, something the high-end car starting number 8 seems to lack.
Kyle Busch is currently 45 points away from the playoff wall. His recent performance in the USA Today 301 in New Hampshire was particularly disappointing. The 39-year-old was in last place for much of the race and was involved in two accidents, including one during a caution period, resulting in a disappointing season total of just two points.
Aside from the Amber Health 400 in Atlanta and the Worth 400 in Dover, Kyle Busch has not recorded a top-five finish in any other race this season. Additionally, he has only achieved three top-10 finishes.
The 2024 season will mark the fifth time in his career that he has failed to win in the first 18 races. The last time was in 2020. At this time last year, Busch had already won three races. Kevin Harvick addressed the difficulties and shared his concerns [NASCAR on Fox]:
“This is one of those scenarios where things continue to get worse. […] At least they were fast, so I think it’s easy to end up in a Christopher Bell situation at some point. He had a tough six or eight weeks with miserable results. But they all knew their cars were fast.
The problem with Kyle Busch’s current situation is that, for the most part, their cars weren’t fast. “They had some places where they were OK, but they just don’t have the 20-something guys’ speed that they need to keep morale up where they need to be to bounce back from all these instances where things went wrong. And if it doesn’t work out now, it doesn’t work out for Kyle Busch either, because unfortunately for everybody on this No. 18 team, it’s a disastrous mess.”
Clint Bowyer remains optimistic about Kyle Busch’s talents despite Busch’s challenging Cup season
Kyle Busch’s Cup Series season hasn’t been entirely successful, but he did manage to pull off two Truck Series wins in Atlanta and Texas driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. Clint Bowyer, who was behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet in the Rackley Roofing 200 in Nashville, spoke of high expectations before the race, citing Kyle Busch’s past success at the same track.
Speaking to media before the event, Bowyer was clear about his goals for the race: “The expectation is to win. The truck wins. “If Kyle Busch is there, he’s won. And if I’m there, it’s even better.
That route suits me. I’ve already won once in the Truck Series. I won once with Brian Patty,” Bowyer said, via Speedway Media. Despite starting well in 11th place and finishing the first stage 9th, Bowyer finished the second stage 24th after an accident on lap 61. He ultimately secured 17th place in the race.
