There was a time when the #4 team was among the frontrunners to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship. The partnership of Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers led the charge of the #4 Stewart Haas Racing team and elevated them to new heights. But the same cannot be said for the team’s performance in 2024, as they are one of the worst-performing teams of the season. And if we compare last year’s owner’s point of the #4 team to 2024, they surely dropped the ball.

It wasn’t just Josh Berry and the team who took a significant hit from last year’s performance standards. Another notable mention in this list is Kyle Busch and the #8 team from Richard Childress Racing. The 2024 season was arguably the worst ever for Rowdy Busch in his NASCAR racing career. And his team finishing second worst in the owner’s point further highlights his misery.

2024 was a season to forget for Kyle Busch, whereas the #4 team hit new lows

Since Kyle Busch switched to RCR from Joe Gibbs Racing, he’s had difficulty repeating his winning antics on the racetrack. 2023 was seen as a settling period for Rowdy trying to adapt to the new environment with the #8 team. Although it was a learning period, he clinched three race wins and made the playoffs. It was seen as a positive sign before he could truly mark his comeback run in 2024, but he looked like a shadow of his former self this year.

Since he started racing in NASCAR, he had a single win every year until the 2024 season. Although not making the playoffs was a bitter blow, being unable to maintain the winning streak that lasted 19 years straight was like a dagger to Rowdy’s heart. Fans know all about his 2024 struggles, but this statistic further highlights how badly the #8 team performed. It’s been a mix of issues for Busch and RCR. Although the team got off to a strong start in 2023, with a win in California and a few top 5 finishes, Busch and RCR couldn’t replicate the form. Part of the problem was the team’s difficulties with the Next-Gen car, as Richard Childress went on to admit. The result of these poor performances remains clear with the owner points stat.

In 2023, Kyle Busch and the #8 team scored 950 owner points throughout the season. In comparison, they could only muster up a tally of 766 points in 2024; this saw them take a hit of 174 points when compared to their previous run. It’s not that Rowdy and his team never turned a corner for good. They did have a streak of top 5 finishes just ahead of the regular season final at Darlington. Call it bad luck or just fate, Busch had back-to-back runner-up finishes at both Daytona and Darlington.

On the other hand, rookie Josh Berry and the #4 team had a sharp decline after replacing Kevin Harvick. Although SHR in general was struggling to compete for race wins with Harvick, he certainly kept them afloat in terms of solid finishes. However, once he retired and Josh Berry took over, the cracks within the team became visible, which ultimately led to the closure of the entire race team.

The #4 team with Berry only managed to score 579 owner points this year. This tally stood at 966 points when Harvick competed in his last season with the team. With a difference of 387 points, this was the worst downfall among all the teams in the Cup garage, with Kyle Busch’s #8 team trailing behind them.

A reset is what Kyle Busch needed to overturn his misfortunes, and off-season is indeed the best way to do it. But this offseason is going to look a little different for Rowdy thanks to his non-NASCAR racing plans.

Rowdy will compete at the Chili Bowl Nationals

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Perhaps the best way to get a reset is to compete in a different discipline, and Busch certainly has made plans to do that. Joining the likes of Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Tony Stewart, he will be making his Chili Bowl Nationals debut this January. He will be partnering with Flo Racing to pilot a Lucas Oil midget car for the 39th edition of the iconic midget car race event.

However, before Busch makes his big debut against some of the best dirt races in the world, he will be competing in similar races. On November 26th, he will make an appearance competing at the USAC Nationals Midget event at Bakersfield. This will be followed by another race at Ventura Raceway on November 30th. That’s not it; he will be joining his son Brexton in competing at the Tulsa Shootout to conclude this year’s racing.

It is indeed strange to see Busch trying his hands at dirt racing. So what exactly is the reason behind Rowdy opting to try his hand at something new? This is what he had to say: “I feel the biggest reason right now I have changed my mind is having more experience and being on the dirt. Knowing what to expect being on the dirt. So for years I’ve really never raced open-wheel cars, never ran sprint cars, midgets, micros or stuff like that. So to have my feet wet a little bit more with some non-winged micros, I feel that gives you a better sense of what these vehicles will do.”

Let us hope Busch can make the most of this off-season and regain his confidence for next year’s Cup Series races. NASCAR without Rowdy firing on all cylinders can at times get boring.