Things aren’t going great for Richard Childress‘s ace, Kyle Busch. Despite finishing the Kansas race in a respectable P7, Busch doesn’t seem content. In a pre-race presser, Busch said, “I feel like if we can do what we’re capable of every week, we would be fine. We wouldn’t even be worried.” And recent performances indeed haven’t aligned with his expectations.

While Busch remains above the playoff cutline, he’s far from feeling secure in his position. The season’s narrative takes a heartbreaking turn when considering Busch‘s promising start. In contrast, Team Penske‘s Joey Logano had a strong finish in Kansas, highlighting the divergent fortunes between the two drivers.

Logano’s turbocharged restart surge

During the race, Logano was found trailing with the midfielders in P16. However, his exceptional restart skills allowed him to quickly advance among the race leaders. In a pre-Kansas race press conference, Logano had noted, “I think on the restarts, everyone is going to be really aggressive with each other,” and his actions on the Kansas restarts certainly proved that he meant business.

The defending champion also made a crucial strategic decision, opting for a 2-tire strategy, which proved advantageous. Interestingly, another two-time champion, Kyle Busch, chose the same 2-tire strategy but couldn’t mirror Logano’s success, finding himself trailing behind the No. 22 Ford.

In a recent NASCAR video, NBC’s Steve Letarte and MRN’s Todd Gordon delved into the strategic moves in play during the Hollywood Casino 400 and lauded Joey Logano’s performance at the Kansas Speedway. Letarte highlighted Logano’s impactful actions, saying, “Somebody who could have done something and did something was the 22 of Logano.” Gordon agreed, emphasizing the aggressive call made by Logano’s team, which saw them take two tires and restart on row two, ultimately propelling Logano to the front of the grid.

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Letarte further commended Logano’s racecraft, noting, “Joey Logano is running 16th. Two tires restarted on the second row. In the end of the race, ran fifth. I mean that’s a huge cycle for a guy where every point is going to matter.“ Gordon chimed in with agreement, “Joey is the guy. You give him the ball with two seconds left. He wants to. He wants the ball.”

Kyle Busch mirrors Joe Gibbs’ strategy in a bid to reverse recent misfortunes

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With a disappointing recent track record, RCR has orchestrated a last-minute pit crew shuffle, potentially for the upcoming playoff races starting from Bristol. RCR has reassigned the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro’s tire changers, the carrier, and the jack but the fueler, however, will remain constant. The assigned crew is no stranger to the RCR garage as they have been a part of Austin Dillon‘s crew.

Kyle Busch, who started the season with a blaze of glory, clinching three remarkable wins, has been plagued by a gradual decline in performance as the season unfolded. As the final playoffs round of 16 race looms, and with Busch being RCR’s sole playoff contender, the team made the change in a move to bolster his prospects of moving ahead in the playoffs.

This pit crew shake-up notably echoes a strategy recently at play by Busch’s ex-team owner, Joe Gibbs. Just two races ago, Gibbs transferred grandson Ty Gibbs’ pit crew to Christopher Bell’s team in a bid to provide Bell with a competitive edge in the Cup playoffs. However, the move backfired right at the playoff opener, when a crucial pit stop turned disastrous, with the newly assigned crew fumbling the jack, causing Bell to give up valuable positions.

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Will this bold pit crew swap be the game-changer Kyle Busch needs to reverse his fortunes in the challenging 2023 season?