Is Kyle Busch going to make it into the playoffs? Going by the current trends of his on-track performance, it is hard to predict that he will find himself among the 16 drivers that advance to the next round. In dire need of points and a win, Busch should aim for consistent top finishes, because his #8 RCR car is far from a winning team.

After two sub-par results from races at Darlington, the Gateway Park event was touted to stage a comeback run for Rowdy. But instead, he found himself tussling for late-stage points against Kyle Larson, which eventually ended his run with a DNF. Perhaps, a sensible choice would have been to get the maximum number of points and avoid any unnecessary scuffle.

But, according to Brad Keselowski’s spotter, TJ Majors, a roughed-up Kyle Busch is more likely to dish out a winning result. Majors even backed his argument, stating that he sees the RCR star back in the victory lane as early as in the next three Cup races.

What happened between Busch and Larson at WWT Raceway?

For most of the stage 1 and 2 runs, Rowdy was running inside the top 10 positions. He did try to contest for a lead but was unable to fend off the likes of Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and Tyler Reddick. He was running seventh and hoping to end the second stage on a high, and this is where Larson made a late-aggressive push to make a pass on the #8 car.

Credit to Busch; he did all he could in trying to defend his position. But, the HMS star was persistent with his efforts and even made contact with the No. 8 RCR Chevy coming onto Turn 1. In a desperate attempt to dump the side draft on his rival, Larson lost control of his ride and rammed both race cars into the safer barriers. While Larson survived the crash and finished 10th, Kyle Busch bore the brunt of the crash, registering his first DNF finish of the season.

Not only did Busch miss out on a good finish, but he also dropped out of the playoff standings. So what does this result mean for him in future races? Well, TJ Major thinks it will lead to a winning outcome for RCR and the driver. He said, “I think Kyle Busch uses this stuff, this is usually when he comes out at some of his best. He comes out of these things, and he uses this as fuel. and he comes out, and he’ll end up winning a race. I could very easily see him winning, you know in the next three weeks.” Majors said this via the Door Bumper Clear podcast show.

What’s next for Kyle Busch and the #8 RCR team? Does he find his lost speed and confidence and bounce back like Major’s predicted, or does this winless streak stretch further into the season?

The Sonoma road course race could be a turning point for RCR’s star driver

Trending

NASCAR RUMOR: Spire Motorsports Poaches Brad Keselowski’s Investment With Potential Championship Winning Partnership

NASCAR Rumor: Spire Motorsports’ Reject Hoping to Rely on France Family’s Mercy for His FRM Return

“America Has Won”—Fans Refuse to Let Go of Richard Childress’ Star’s Hate Train Amidst Watkins Glen Disaster

Michael Jordan & Co’s Rebellion Left Hanging as ‘Silent’ NASCAR Worsens Bubba Wallace’s Career Fears

NASCAR Rumor: Brad Keselowski Saving SHR Star’s Future Amid Potential Corey LaJoie Redemption Leaves Fans Puzzled

Road course races are a whole different ball game than competing at Ovals. Therefore, the next Cup race at Sonoma Raceway could prove to be the perfect platform for Busch to stage his comeback run. He even came close to snagging his third win at the racetrack last year but had to settle for a runner-up finish behind Martin Truex Jr.

The only difference then was that he could afford second-place finishes, as he had already secured a playoff spot with three wins to his name in the regular season. But there’s another trend he could look to repeat from his 2023 run. Apart from his consecutive top-10 finishes at Dover and Kansas, the driver has been unable to string a run of consecutive results or top-placing finishes.

Interestingly, he managed to churn out consecutive top-10 finishes last year, starting with his runner-up finish at Sonoma. While a win could easily help him get out of this sticky situation, the current trends do not suggest he is on the race-winning team. It might be a bitter pill to swallow for RCR and Busch to both focus on collecting points. But if they are to stay alive in the run for the playoffs, they will have to rethink their current plans and strategy.