Who would’ve thought that 2-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch would struggle to advance to the playoffs in 2024? After parting ways with Joe Gibbs Racing, Rowdy had a somewhat decent 2023 season, but this year was nothing short of a nightmare. Apart from being winless, Busch wasn’t able to continue his streak of winning at least one race every season. He was successful in doing this for the last nineteen years, but he couldn’t extend the streak to the twentieth year in a row.

The good thing about NASCAR racing is that you always have a second opportunity. For the time being, Kyle Busch is keeping himself occupied with midget racing, but the Clash at Bowman Gray will be on his radar. Given the disappointment of this year, all the loyal Rowdy Busch supporters would want their favorite driver to start the season with a bang. But, if we are to look at Busch’s record on the short ovals, his chances of a win at Bowman Gray look slim.

Kyle Busch will have to overcome the Denny Hamlin challenge at Bowman Gray

Ever since the practice sessions were cut short and NASCAR rolled out the new Next Gen car, Busch has struggled to find a race-winning pace. Adding to his misery is the new short-track racing package, which time and again has failed to deliver the output both fans and drivers hope for. Taking a jibe at NASCAR about the short-track package, Rowdy said, “I didn’t think we could make it worse, but by golly, we did.”

Although Rowdy is hoping for a strong comeback, he is expected to have an uphill climb when he gets rolling at Bowman Gray. And the reason behind the prediction is his woes on the short tracks. In the last 22 short track races since 2021, the RCR star hasn’t been able to win a single race. Not only that, his average finishing position stands at 17.5, which includes just two top 5 finishes.

With this track record, it is indeed hard to see Busch kick-start his redemption run at the Clash. Well, even if he somehow managed to overcome his shortcomings on the short ovals, he will have to fight tooth and nail against Denny Hamlin. The JGR driver is touted to be the short-track maestro, and statistics do back these claims. Just like Rowdy, in the last 22 races, Hamlin has four wins and fifteen top 5 finishes. It was Hamlin who won the 2024 Clash event at LA Coliseum and then emerged victorious at tracks like Bristol and Richmond in the spring.

The odds are just stacked against Kyle Busch in the first-ever NASCAR event of the year 2025. It’s fair to say that Busch hasn’t been in one of the best setups to compete for race wins and championships in 2024. This is why Richard Childress has made a ton of changes within the team with the hopes of being competitive next season.

Big changes at Richard Childress Racing for the 2025 season

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It is clear that the likes of Trackhouse Racing and Spire Motorsports have made significant gains ever since they entered the Cup Series. These are two new Chevy teams but have made more progress than RCR in the past few years. Keith Rodden has been promoted to the role of vice president of the competition; he took charge of this role on an interim basis, with Andy Petree deciding to step down mid-season. Moreover, John Klausmeier from Stewart-Haas Racing will be joining the team as technical director, and Richard Boswell will take command of the No. 3 team as the crew chief in 2025.

Boswell served as the crew chief for the No. 14 team with Chase Briscoe. Had it not been for Briscoe at Darlington, Kyle Busch could’ve raced his way to victory in the playoffs. The good thing is Boswell is with the RCR camp and can leverage his expertise to overturn their misfortunes on the racetrack.

“John Klausmeier and Richard Boswell have both been great winners in the garage, and I know their experience and skills will contribute to RCR’s overall success. I feel confident that all of our crew chiefs will do a great job leading their respective teams, and we will give our partners, employees, and fans plenty to be excited about in 2025,” team owner Richard Childress said about the new changes.

RCR certainly has tried its best to reinforce the team with new additions and changes at the competition level. It will be interesting to see how these changes affect the team’s on-track performance in 2025.