Richard Childress Racing did something right during the Olympics break. Barely a week has passed since their #3 car made all the headlines in Richmond, though not for the best reason. Now, it looks like Kyle Busch and his #8 team are the ones primed for better fortunes at Michigan. After finishing inside the top-5 on Sunday before the red flag fell for incessant weather, Rowdy won his first stage in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season under caution.

Busch beat Ross Chastain to the finish, as Kyle Larson came loose heading into Turn 4, collecting “Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, and more,” as reported by Toby Christie of TobyChristie.com. Coincidentally, this was the 4th caution of the race. This certainly signals an upsurge in form for Kyle Busch who finished 6th yesterday at the end of the first stage cycle.

According to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, finishing behind Busch and Chastain in stage 2 was “3. Gibbs (stayed out, which pays off) 4. Byron 5. Dillon 6. Keselowski 7. Truex 8. Jones 9. Blaney 10. Cody Ware (Cody Ware stage point!)”

With Truex Jr, Gibbs, Chastain, and Kyle Busch coming out with a Stage point at the end of the second stage cycle, there are bound to be some big moves around and about the playoff bubble. However, speaking of big moves, Cody Ware of Rick Ware Racing earned the final stage point after qualifying dead last on Saturday. The Greensboro, NC, native is making his 5th start in the #15 Ford at Michigan. His steady rise to the top 10 has been a welcome surprise. But after the 2024 Firekeepers Casino 400 concluded in a double overtime finish with six extra laps, Cody Ware ultimately ended his day with a P21 finish.

For a moment, all eyes were on Rick Ware’s elder son. Yet, a lot happened in the race, thanks to six extra laps and separate cautions for first Martin Truex Jr on Lap 194 & then Ross Chastain in overtime. Tyler Reddick edged out William Byron by 0.168 seconds and stole the show, as the two battled with heart until the very end. Regardless, many surprise contenders turned up with some stellar performances on Monday. And one of them was indeed Kyle Busch.

Kyle Busch opens up on building momentum

Behind Reddick and Byron in P1 & P2 respectively, Ty Gibbs (P3), Kyle Busch (P4), Brad Keselowski (P5), Chris Buescher (P6), Zane Smith (P7), Daniel Suárez (P8), Denny Hamlin (P9), and Carson Hocevar (P10) rounded off the top-10. Some notable names like Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson ended their race early. If that’s not all, only three-quarters of the race was run on Sunday, and the lead switched 26 times between 16 drivers.

Kyle Busch just so happens to be one of those 16 drivers. He led 24 laps when the dust settled at Michigan. But he maintained his position inside the top 5 to finish P4 at Michigan. The #8 team can attribute much of it to a two-tire pit call strategy with around 40 laps to go. Finishing behind him to round off the top-5 was RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski.

In his post-race interview with Marty Snider on pit lane, Busch explained that he “Just needed a little bit more out of the Lucas Oil Chevrolet.” But he wasn’t disappointed to claim this P4 finish, as his last outing inside the top-5 came over two months ago at Dover. He then attempted to dissect his Michigan outing, saying, “Overall, just a net positive on the weekend and being better speed, up front and having a shot, anyways. We ran top 10 all day. Really good call by Randall [Burnett, crew chief] and the guys to get us that two tires, get us more track position and just try to hold them off as best as we could.“

“This is how we would expect to run,” he said, although he also admitted that “Nothing can translate from today into Daytona or Darlington — setup wise, vehicle dynamics, that sort of stuff.” But with some steady momentum now on his side, exiting Michigan, could he pull off a Rowdy miracle with just two races to make the playoffs?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.