Who takes the slack when a team underperforms its potential? Is it the drivers or should be all of the group effort? Well, this is something that remains debatable when speaking of Kyle Busch’s recent run at Talladega. Finishing 27th, the No. 8 team might not be eyeing brighter days as they used to. Amid much chatter, Kevin Harvick has his stance clear on who is to be blamed. While Rowdy is no stranger to hate, he is not the punching bag this time. But then who is?

A far cry from the championship aspirations that once surrounded Kyle Busch, Talladega was no exception to his recent streak. For the first thirteen laps in, his No. 8 was running in the top 10. However, a series of missteps caused a late-race speeding penalty and a pit-stop blunder. What we finally saw was a 27th position, despite having a car that ranked 11th fastest on green-flag speed charts. “Excuses are excused, I sped, and yeah, threw our race away,” Rowdy said, owning up to his mistakes.

It just wasn’t Busch’s day. Despite qualifying well, Busch tangled with an old rival, Brad Keselowski, and the damage was just starting.

However, Kevin Harvick believes otherwise. The former cup champion did not hold back when he sat with an analysis paper on the Happy Hour podcast with Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith. “When you look at Kyle Busch and that whole team, they’re 17th in the points right now, but I feel like they’ve had their moments where they’ve run a lot better than that,” Harvick began. “And you know, Kyle, in general, we’ve seen him spin out in qualifying. We’ve seen mistakes on pit road. He’s had four speeding penalties on pit road. They’ve had one loose wheel. Their pit crew is the 20th-ranked in just overall speed.”

Now, if we see what Harvick is talking about, the problem is clear. It’s not just about RCR giving him a competitive car or posting a good time during qualifying. Much of it comes down to the pit stops. We saw it when Denny Hamlin came out of nowhere and won a race earlier this season. For Busch, the story has been the opposite, and it’s not the first time.

If we go back a year, Busch had serious problems going into the race at Phoenix. His pit crew was being changed for the third time, and it had consequences for his races. Busch admitted it himself. “The easiest place to pass somebody else is when they’re sitting still, on pit road. So we have to be better on the pit road.”

At the time, Andy Petree, executive vice president at Richard Childress Racing, said, “We just need a consistent crew that is not going to be making mistakes. One of the problems with these young guys and development guys is you put them on Kyle’s car and he’s running second, they’re trying to win. I’m not sure they’re mentally ready for it.”

In an era where NASCAR overtakes and lead changes are not defined by just the car, the pit stops become a crucial talking point. Just a few weeks ago, Harvick talked about this extensively after observing Denny Hamlin’s win in Darlington. “In today’s day and age, being able to do something a couple tenths better is lights out and a huge advantage because the advantages are smaller than they used to be.” 

Are Kyle’s suggestions going unheard?

While Busch has owned up to his current mistakes, he is not ready to take it all onto himself. Being a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Rowdy knows his game. Rightfully so, he has voiced his frustration over NASCAR’s dismissive attitude toward driver feedback, specifically concerning the flaws in the NextGen cars.

In an interview before the race, he mentioned, “It’s really hard to get runs or create any sort of separation, especially with the fuel savings and all that sort of stuff. A shorter time on pit road is how you pass guys, and that’s no fun. So there’s definitely an issue there. I’ve made my suggestions, and (it just goes) in one ear, out the other.”

Both his Cup wins were from his time at Joe Gibbs Racing. But since joining Richard Childress Racing, Busch has managed only three wins, far from his dominant JGR tenure. As frustrations mount, both internally and externally, it’s clear that without support from the entirety of the team, RCR’s No. 8 will struggle to reclaim their prowess. What are your thoughts on Rowdy’s current positioning? Share them with us in the comment box below.