One driver stood out in Tony Stewart‘s crumbling garage. Chase Briscoe is Stewart-Haas Racing’s shining star, holding two top-fives and six top-tens. However, Monday’s continued Michigan event saw him suffer a points blow as he finished 31st. Instead, another dismally affected rival saw a sliver of hope—Kyle Busch ran impressively after what seemed like ages.

Rowdy got a head start due to the rain delay and the drafting monster that Michigan is. The No. 8 Richard Childress team also excelled, unlike its fate most of the season. At the end of it all, you could find Busch smiling gleefully to get that slight advantage over his competitors.

Kyle Busch trumps Stewart’s mentee

Until the FireKeepers Casino 400, Kyle Busch wallowed in misery at 18th in points. His impressive top-five run did not do much to change things—but something is better than nothing, right? He jumped one rank to 17th, leaving Chase Briscoe behind. Tony Stewart’s driver started 21st on Sunday and lingered around that position initially on Monday as well. However, Kyle Larson spun off in a massive crash on lap 116, collecting several drivers, including Briscoe. That pushed Briscoe’s finish to 31st and hurt his points as well.

That was in stark contrast to Kyle Busch’s scenario, and he could not be happier. Busch drove to clinch the Stage 2 win, his first since Sonoma in June last year, while Briscoe was caught up in the crash. Rowdy acknowledged the superb speed that his car showcased in a post-race interview: “Yeah, good improvements on the car today. You know when those guys were running O’s and teens we were only running 30’s. So we had a little bit more to go.” Yet some shortcomings prevailed as well: “But the balance was a little bit off – just being too tight-centered…on both ends of the track would hinder that speed that we needed to wrap the corners a little faster to keep that momentum rolling.” 

Kyle Busch also revealed how Michigan International Speedway catered well to his drafting techniques. “These are our stronger-suited racetracks though, right? But I did feel like we were a drag monster down the straightaway.” The two-mile oval is known to produce aerodynamic challenges to drivers, as Denny Hamlin faced in a mysterious spin on Sunday. Busch swerved through that difficulty easily and finished fifth. But the upcoming tracks are not similar.

“The two coming up race tracks are entirely different from this one, so not much on vehicle dynamics and setups and things like that. Just good momentum heading in the right direction,” Kyle Busch proclaimed with renewed confidence. His bubbling enthusiasm is also a result of some remarkable teamwork.

The No. 8 team is finally stepping up

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The Richard Childress Racing team has been plagued with problems since the season’s start. Multiple crew shuffles ensued as the No. 8 team weaved its way through countless DNFs, mid-race mishaps, and wrecks. However, the Michigan race provided a glimpse into improving conditions. Despite starting 13th, Busch wheeled to sixth place before the red flag. On Monday, he maintained his speed—he led for 24 laps and went on to claim the Stage 2 victory. It was then that his crew chief brainstormed a strategy.

After Corey LaJoie’s flip on lap 135, Randall Burnett gambled on tires—he offered Busch just two tires instead of four. That pushed Busch to the race lead again, although tightness prevented him from maintaining it. Burnett recalled the run: “That was our only way to jump back in front of them, which we ended up doing, coming out and taking the lead there, whatever through the cycle, just a little bit too tight on those two tires. Didn’t make a good enough adjustment to to get it freed up enough on those two tires. I kind of hoped to be able to hold those guys off. So overall, was a good day for our Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro, top five. Wanted to win, obviously. Tried to do everything we could strategy-wise…So good day for ourselves.”

Apparently, Rowdy seems to be back in his game, with his team unity shining through. We are crossing our fingers for a solid finish in the coming weeks!