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USA Today via Reuters
Feb 19, 2023; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) during driver introductions before the start of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
Feb 19, 2023; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) during driver introductions before the start of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
It has been a rough start to the new season for Kyle Busch and it has been a while since he has last won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Richmond is one of his best tracks with six wins to date and it’s no secret that he would have liked to make it seven. However, running on the wet weather tires proved to be tough for the veteran, and then finding the balance with the dry ones was also not easy. Rowdy has always had issues with the Next-Gen car and brought out the caution in Stage 2. While he admitted that his crew chief made some big adjustments before the race which did not work out, the veteran race car driver refused to speak about his team in a negative light despite his dismal P20 finish.
Kyle Busch attributes poor Richmond showing to imbalanced car
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At the end of the proceedings, Rowdy was at the back of the pack and, naturally, quite disappointed. The balance of the #8 Richard Childress Racing Ford Dark Horse Mustang was reportedly off throughout the race. Normally, it is the job of a driver’s crew to make sure that their car is in the best shape possible, but that was not the case on this occasion. Prior instances have shown that many a time drivers end up pinning the blame on their crew members if things go south, but Kyle Busch seemed to have only one objective: Brushing it aside and coming back stronger than ever.
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“It was a battle all night in our No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway. We started the race on wet weather tires and had zero grip on the initial fire-off. It felt like it took forever for the tires to come in. Crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys on the team worked hard all night making adjustments, but we were just too tight in the center and too loose on entry and exit. They took some pretty big swings at it but unfortunately couldn’t get the balance where it needed to be. We’ll regroup and bounce back next week at Martinsville Speedway,” the driver of the #8 car said as per NBC.
An issue for @KyleBusch brings out the yellow midway through Stage 2. pic.twitter.com/CrmhsEgAgL
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 1, 2024
But there’s not a very good feeling surrounding the #8 team, which was evident in Rowdy’s pre-race media interaction. Speaking to Bob Pockrass, Rowdy said that they have let go of far too many chances this season already, and it’s only the seventh race so far.
Read More – “He Used Me Up” – Martin Truex Jr Left Fuming After Denny Hamlin Ruins His Dominant Performance at Richmond
It has been a trend of mess-ups for the #8 team of late
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This trend continues from last season, and Richard Childress Racing just cannot seem to deal with it. Kyle Busch spoke about all the times he felt they threw away good opportunities to win or at least finish high up the pack in the 2024 season. Notably, that has been the case in three out of the seven races that have taken place so far. Many would agree that that’s too many for a driver of his stature and experience.
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“A lot of missed potential. I feel like we definitely have had cars that have been capable of running in the top ten, maybe even the top five. I felt like we were the only guy that was close to [Kyle] Larson at Vegas and we threw it away on pit road multiple times. Then there’s been other various things of that as well. Bristol, we were fast but I drove the tires off it one too many times, and maybe that’s why we were fast. In general, we have had some good speed. Phoenix, I would say is the outlier of that, that we did not have any speed,” he had said before the race.
Kyle Busch details what he thinks will be different with Richmond having its first night Cup race since 2019. Plus his thoughts on his start of the season. pic.twitter.com/x7nQrApaPy
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 31, 2024
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The next test will be at Martinsville and at this point, Kyle Busch must be praying for a good weekend without any muck-ups from anyone. Will the former Cup Series champion be able to redeem himself? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Read More – Kyle Larson Unfazed by Martin Truex Jr’s Uncharacteristic Display After His Frustrating Loss at Richmond