Richard Childress Racing appears to be running out of steam. Kyle Busch has retired for the third time in the past four races. This NASCAR season has been a nightmare for the No. 8 team. Kyle Busch’s misfortune was perhaps most evident when he had an accident in New Hampshire.
After having to wait two hours to get back on the track, Busch lost grip on his rain tires during the caution and crashed before the race resumed. Up and into the wall. And that was it. Busch had been in an accident earlier in the day that proved fatal. The No. 8 car was taken out of commission.
In an interview with NBC Sports’ Dustin Long, Busch reflected on his day in New Hampshire. “I’m so proud of everyone at RCR and the entire FICO team for how hard they worked this weekend, with all the adjustments and repairs we made. We didn’t make it past qualifying on Saturday and only had five minutes of practice.
The FICO Camaro had some challenges in the race, but Randall Burnett kept making changes. “I got back on the lead lap and thought I could make up a few more positions, but unfortunately we were delayed by rain and just before we went back to green we hit the wall on our rain tires under a caution and didn’t finish the race.
We’re taking the FICO Chevrolet back to the shop to evaluate what happened and see how we can improve the New Hampshire package.” Kyle Busch did not speak to reporters after leaving a care center in New Hampshire. Over the past six races, Busch has averaged a finishing score of 26.5 points. Is this his lowest point?
Kyle Busch, RCR as a whole struggling
Kyle Busch’s problems are obvious. His car is slow, he has to make frequent adjustments on race day, and he seems to be losing his edge. You can’t blame him, but it would be devastating for him to be in the position he’s in as a two-time champion.
But it’s not Busch’s fault. Richard Childress Racing is in big trouble. As a major partner of Chevrolet, this should not happen. The Xfinity Series program is going well. So what about the Cup Series? Austin Dillon was plagued by mistakes last season and averaged 25th.
At this point in the season, he had already won six. He’s already had two this season. His average finish in 2023 after 18 races was 22nd. There’s been a decline across the board.
Richard Childress Racing has problems. Kyle Busch has problems. Can these problems be resolved without laying off personnel? It is difficult to imagine the ship righting itself at this point.
