“Alright, Kyle. We’re in a good spot… Big picture. We need to finish here.” This is what the No. 8 team told Kyle Busch in hopes of overturning their dismal run so far in the 2024 season, just moments before he wrecked at the Brickyard 400. Kyle Busch will be hoping to bounce back in Richmond in three weeks, but SHR’s rookie, who has been a threat at short tracks, could rain on his parade.

Remember, during the Bristol race, Hendersonville native Josh Berry almost pulled off a solid result? He led 25 laps on the concrete surface, where most of the field struggled to save their tires. However, during the final stage, he had three flat tires that saw him spin across the track. Despite that, he managed a P12 finish. This form continued at Richmond Raceway as well, where he barely missed out on a top-10 finish.

In his last two starts at the 0.750-mile racetrack, Berry has managed an average finish of 6.5. And this is the best average when compared to active Cup Series drivers. Kyle Busch, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to show any consistent results. His finishes are all over the place when it comes to short tracks, with a P16 best result at Martinsville.

Post the Martinsville outing (April 7), NASCAR wouldn’t return to a short track for the next 10 weeks. It was a good thing considering it would have given NASCAR time to better its poor short-track package for NextGen cars. Elton Sawyer, the VP of Competition, too acknowledged the same,

“We, as NASCAR, want our short track package to be better. We want that racing to be at the level of superspeedways… I promise we are working as hard as we can with Goodyear and we need to work harder. That’s the bottom line.” However, Busch didn’t think the slight changes NASCAR introduced did help his case at all. He criticized, “It doesn’t matter if I’m in the bottom lane, the middle lane, the top lane. If there is a car in front of me, I’m terrible. Really bad.”

On June 16, NASCAR made its stop in Iowa. Things were on the sunny side for Busch there as he had pretty good speed. Running the No. 8 in the top 10 in the final stage, he entered the pit road and said the inevitable, “Something broke.” He ultimately settled for a P35 finish.

Interesting fact: ‘Rowdy’ has managed to clinch at least a win in one of the three NASCAR series consecutively since 2004. And with his winless streak in 2024, that record is under serious threat, so this has become a personal mission for the driver to get back in the victory lane.

A win for either Berry or Busch would guarantee a spot in the playoffs. With only four regular-season races and just four spots left, it’s practically do-or-die for them at Richmond. The No. 8 driver is 112 points behind the cutline, and Josh Berry is 164 points adrift. Taking into consideration his past 10 results at the circuit, Busch’s best finish has been a P2, which came in 2018 when he was with JGR. As for his time with RCR, he managed a P3 last year. In Brickyard, running in P6, he made contact with Denny Hamlin just three laps before the checkered flag, dropping him to 25th by the end of the race. If he’d held on, this would’ve been the RCR driver’s best result since his P6 in Charlotte.

Considering how huge these margins are – especially compared to the drivers they’re fighting – a win is their best chance to reach the postseason. And in Richmond, Josh Berry looks more likely to achieve that. However, it’s not just Berry who can pose a threat to Busch. Remember the Cup Series’ visit to Richmond earlier this year? Denny Hamlin, who’s been on a roll at short tracks this season, will look to make it two wins at the circuit in 2024. And no one can really count out the likes of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.

Thus, a victory for ‘Rowdy’ at Richmond seems like a distant dream for now. But if not at Richmond, how will Kyle Busch salvage his season, which, at the moment, is on a downward trajectory? With racing resuming on the weekend of August 11, what would be his next step if he can’t turn a corner for good with RCR until the end of 2024?

Only a victory would see Kyle Busch consider his run with RCR in 2025

Silly season drama has delivered some major changes so far in 2024. And going by the recent rumors, it seems like Rowdy could contemplate taking an exit door from Richard Childress Racing. Spire Motorsports has a vacant seat with Corey LaJoie not continuing in the No. 7 car. This presents an opportunity for Busch to revive his career, which has hit a major slump ever since he joined his current team.

Jeff Dickerson used to spot for the two-time Cup champion, and the two are close friends. Not to mention, Dickerson took over Kyle Busch Motorsports, ‘Rowdy’s Truck Series team last year, and a move to Spire in Cup would seem like returning home. It has to be noted that Busch has a contract with RCR until the end of 2025. Therefore, any team looking to poach him will need to shell out some serious cash. However, going by Spire’s spending spree in the last two years, this seems right up their alley.

From here on, the onus is on RCR to provide Busch with a competitive race package and get him back into victory lane. Or he might be tempted to search for better opportunities elsewhere.