The grass didn’t turn out to be greener on the other side at Richard Childress Racing for Kyle Busch after his exit from JGR. Perhaps the 2024 season further highlighted the slump in his racing exploits. He went from competing for wins and championships to running mid-pack driving the No. 8 Chevy.

However, on the flip side, he is now accepted by the NASCAR community for who he is. Although Denny Hamlin boasts about wearing the villain hat, it was Rowdy who held the tag for most of his racing career. This criticism towards Rowdy wasn’t because of his racing style but rather his outspoken and brash personality.

In fact, he races his opponents in a way they race them. And going by Austin Cindric’s remarks, Busch is one of the most respectful drivers on the racetrack.

Austin Cindric feels that young drivers could learn a lot from Busch

The Penske driver was featured in a special feature show by NASCAR, The Trackside Chronicles. Mamba Smith was the host and was partnered by Gold Influencer Paige Spiranac as a special guest. This show was a precursor to the Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona, which saw Mamba and Spiranac indulge in fun activities.

Austin Cindric also joined them later in the show, and Paige Spiranac challenged both Mamba and Smith in a game of putt-putt golf. Now, you may have seen Smith as a regular feature on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. Therefore, he made the most of this informal setting to ask a few questions to Cindric related to racing.

Who do you race with is the most respectful? Smith asked. Adding to this, Spiranac chimed in, stating, Like, who makes you better when you’re racing? In response, Cindric said, “I mean, if I can keep up, you know Kyle Busch is like the guy. If you’re a younger driver and you’re racing in Trucks or Xfinity Series. You usually get to race against Kyle like four or five times a year, and he’s like the guy.” The Penske star said this via NASCAR’s YouTube channel. Surprisingly, the duo of Mamba Smith and Austin Cindric were able to defeat Spiranac.

It has to be noted that Kyle Busch does compete in the Xfinity and the Truck Series. Although he is yet to clinch his first Cup win of the season, he’s already won two Truck races driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports machine. Thus bringing his win race tally to 66, which is the most by any driver in the series. So Cindric’s suggestion to the young drivers was indeed justified, as Rowdy often has five Truck Series races on his schedule.

However, Busch missing out on playoffs isn’t just a loss for RCR but for NASCAR as well. Former NASCAR driver turned broadcaster Kevin Harvick in particular was bummed about Rowdy’s absence in the knockout stages.

Harvick doesn’t expect much from the surprise winners

One win and you’re in. This has been the secret sauce for any team or driver to ensure that they would compete for the championship. Even if they are 30th or worse in points and have been mediocre throughout the first 26 races of the regular season. This year in particular has seen a lot of wins by drivers who aren’t necessarily genuine contenders for the championship.

Daniel Suarez, Harrison Burton, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe are those drivers who have pulled off big upsets. But Harvick was banking on Kyle Busch to win the penultimate race at Darlington, and he nearly got what he wished for. The RCR driver finished second behind Briscoe despite going all-in in the dying moment of the race.

“I think it’s unfortunate that we don’t get to see Kyle make his way through the playoffs because I really do feel like he could make some noise, and there are a couple of guys that aren’t going to make much noise and get eliminated,” Harvick said this on the Happy Hour.

Perhaps the only way that Busch can take some sort of solace will be by keeping his 20-year win streak alive.