Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals NASCAR’s Limitation That Plagues Kyle Busch’s RCR Performance

After Chase Elliott’s big win at Talladega, NASCAR fans are itching for Kyle Busch to get a victory, too. Last year, Kyle pointed the finger at the Next Gen car for the drop in his performance, saying, “that’s kind of been a bit of my demise. I don’t feel like I can do as much as I want to be able to do.” But Dale Earnhardt Jr seems to think differently.

Per the NASCAR legend, it’s the practice sessions. Well, the lack of longer ones. Sure, some might argue that Cup drivers should be top-notch and ready to roll with minimal practice, but Junior thinks that’s exactly what’s been affecting Kyle’s performance.

Several driver’s performances have been impacted due to lesser practice time

Chase Elliott made an appearance on a recent episode of Dale Jr Download and said, “I think we have enough practice. When I look at the whole argument, I look at short tracks across the country. There are dirt track races every Friday and Saturday night, and they get literally five laps of hot laps, and then they run the race.” That seemed to slightly convince Dale Earnhardt Jr, who nodded along with Elliott’s view. Yet, when Kyle Busch’s performances became the center of discussion, Junior couldn’t help but agree that the dip could be because of shorter practices.

The discussion about Busch started with the 25th running of the Brickyard 400 in 2018 when NASCAR visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was the first time in the sport’s modern era that every session before the race was canceled due to rain. And while Busch started on pole, he could only finish 8th, calling the day “one of the ugliest ones we’ve had here at The Brickyard in a long, long time.” So when one of the co-hosts opined that the shortened practice sessions haven’t benefitted the #8 driver, Dale Jr shared his thoughts.

He said, “I’m sure Kyle, considering how they’ve had some struggles, he would love more laps, right? By himself on a Wednesday or another hour on a Saturday with the rest of the field. He’d take whatever he could get just to be able to go freaking learn something, for the organization to try to go learn something.” After Busch’s victory at World Wide Technology Raceway last season, things have been tough for Richard Childress Racing. While the team hoped to turn things around in 2024, that hasn’t happened yet. And the limited practices aren’t helping their case.

Practice sessions aren’t just to help drivers understand how their car behaves on a particular track. They help teams understand the car as a package. And with the 20-minute sessions this season, Busch & Co. haven’t found a way out yet. The debate over NASCAR’s reduced practice schedules heated up when Brad Keselowski pointed out that the supposed cost-saving measures haven’t really panned out in the Cup Series. Jimmie Johnson chimed in, too, noting that the brief practices aren’t enough to make significant tweaks to the cars.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Michael McDowell had earlier mentioned that shorter practices might level the playing field for smaller teams, but the owner of Legacy Motor Club sees it differently. He argued that while big teams with deep pockets can handle limited track time, the smaller outfits and rookie drivers suffer, missing out on crucial learning opportunities.

That’s what Dale Jr believes, too. He added, “I feel like in the Trucks and the Xfinity, they should be practicing, just because of the kids that need the laps. Chase’s point? I can apply to the Cup Series. But when we get to the Truck and Xfinity level, there’s no testing, nothing. How are some of these younger drivers truly going to learn racecraft without nothing but racing?”

As for Kyle Busch, while he hasn’t said much about practice times, he’s definitely voiced his concerns about the Next Gen car’s challenges.

Kyle Busch’s performance has declined due to the Next Gen car

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Kyle Busch used to dominate the track, snatching up wins and charging through the playoffs. Lately, he’s hit a rough patch and is pointing his finger at the Next Gen car. Last year wasn’t great for him; despite snagging three wins, he also clocked in six DNFs—a rarity in his stellar career. Busch says it’s all because of the new car and how it clashes with his aggressive driving style.

He reminisced about the good old days back in 2017 and 2018, when he easily blitzed from the back to the front, making magic happen on the track. But now, with the Next Gen car, it’s a whole different ball game. Everything and everyone is so evenly matched, thanks to shared SMT data and tightly packed talent, making it harder than ever to overtake.

Busch admitted that trying too hard might be messing up his game, “With this car, equipment, talent and everything being so equal, the SMT data – everybody seeing it and being so equal – it’s tougher than ever to pass the guy in front of you. Me overtrying has sort of hurt my race craft, if you will and (why) I haven’t been finishing, frankly.”

Well, it would be great to hear from Kyle Busch himself on whether he thinks more practice could turn things around or if the car’s the bigger hurdle.