It’s fair to say that Kyle Busch is no longer the driver he was four years ago. Especially in the era of the next generation, drivers are a shadow of their former selves.
To make matters worse, his time with Richard Childress Racing was marred by nothing less than a crash. This led to Rowdy coming out in public and adding fuel to the fire of his future with the team. “I would say at any time, anything is possible. “If I’m welcomed, of course I’ll come back. If Hendrick welcomes me, I’ll come back,” Busch told Bob Pockrass when asked about a possible return to his former team. However, such comments could also disrupt the atmosphere in the RCR camp.
It is unclear whether this is a message to the RCR hierarchy or just frustration at not being able to fight for wins. However, Kyle Busch’s comments could anger some in the team and ruin the entire season.
However, former RCR driver Jeff Burton believes this was just an emotional outburst from Rowdy, who demanded more from his team in the No. 8 car. Moreover, Burton even predicted good results for his driver despite his mediocre performance this season.
Kyle Busch will have to ‘light a fire’ for desired results, per Jeff Burton
Busch has spoken frankly about the issues with the next-generation race car and the lack of training sessions. In doing so, he has put himself in the firing line. With just two top-five finishes in 17 races, it’s not what you’d expect from a two-time Cup Series champion.
Kyle Busch has been open about the issues with the race car, but Burton believes he needs to step up and demand more from his team. “I think we need to take a bigger look at what he’s saying.” And recognize that you are also included in the package of the need to improve.
So if a driver says, “I had issues, but the team needs to improve too,” I agree with that and have no problem with that. Did it upset some people perhaps? “Sometimes you have to upset people, and sometimes you have to be upset.” Burton’s statement is based on his personal experience at RCR, when he was in a similar situation with Rowdy.
Busch’s comments didn’t go down well with his RCR buddies, but Burton says there’s still light at the end of the tunnel. “Can Kyle Busch make the playoffs? I think it’s him. I mean, if he’s in RCR, he might not be as good as Dale Earnhardt, but he’s still pretty good… Don’t focus on how hurt your feelings are. That’s hard.
But that’s what I think,” he added. Additionally, the former RCR driver sent a message to the RCR camp to work together to improve the team’s performance if they want to achieve different results than they have in the past.
Jeff Burton isn’t interested in joining the long line of Kyle Busch critics
The 39-year-old RCR star hasn’t always been a fan favorite throughout his racing career, but that hasn’t stopped him from making history. He still holds the record for most wins in the Craftsman Truck Series (66), and has a host of other accomplishments to his name, including being a two-time Cup Series champion.
But things haven’t been going well for him in recent years. However, Burton praised Busch for admitting his failings in the media in recent years. And he called on the RCR team to back their star driver.
“I applaud the comments he made to the media, explaining to the fans that he needs to do better, that he struggled, so I don’t want to criticize him for saying that someone on the team might get injured, get over it, because he’s always said he needs to get better,” Burton added.
All hope is not lost for Kyle Busch and RCR, who with eight races remaining in the regular season will need a good result to get their season back on track.
