Kyle Busch Relishes Not Being In A “Top Tier Team” In NASCAR After RCR Switch

Kyle Busch has quite the resume when it comes to his NASCAR Cup Series teams. His career in the competition started with Hendrick Motorsports, which was followed by a switch to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he has spent the majority of his career so far. At the moment, Rowdy is a Richard Childress Racing driver, and looking back, he is a relieved man because he decided to switch teams before the 2023 season.

Since the 2000s, JGR has been a powerhouse in the Cup Series. They have multiple championship wins under their belt and some of the greatest drivers of all time have worked under Joe Gibbs. Busch is one of them, along with racers like Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. Safe to say, when Rowdy finally decides to hang up his boots, he will go down as a JGR legend.

Kyle Busch opens up about the massive pressure at Joe Gibbs Racing

Despite being one of the best drivers in the team’s history, there was huge pressure of being a driver in a team like JGR. Their need to be at the top season after season is commendable, but it takes a huge toll on the drivers, irrespective of how good they may be. For Kyle Busch, that toll just became too much to deal with, and the sponsorship issues towards the end of his last season were the final nail in the coffin.

Rowdy opened up about his time at his former team and his switch to RCR in a recent interview with his former rival, Kevin Harvick. Post-retirement, the former Cup Series champion has fully transitioned into a role in the media and Kyle Busch is the first racer he has interviewed. As he spoke about his decision to change teams, the 2-time Cup Series champion referred to JGR as a “top tier team” but did not say the same about his current team.

“Yes, it does feel different [being in RCR] for sure. I would say that there was probably more pressure put on myself from the fact of okay I’m at JGR, one of the top tier teams of our sport, arguably the best. So there’s that pressure to go out and win and do well and execute and do everything that you need to do and so when you don’t do those things or you do finish second, it’s like you’re giving away missed opportunities of scoring wins because you should win.”

“That changed a little bit going to RCR because being with the racer’s racer at RCR all those guys that are there, everybody that works there from top to bottom, they love racing, they want to go race. They want to win and I do too but I feel like we’re not really expected to be the dominant force in the series and so on those days where I run sixth or I run second, it’s a little bit more acceptable maybe because I’m not putting as much pressure on myself that ‘I have to win’,” he said.

But that’s not a bad thing, especially when a driver is at a stage in their career that Kyle Busch is in. Rowdy has won everything there is to win in NASCAR (except the Daytona 500) so having a team where there is that constant pressure of winning races every single time is perhaps not the best place to work.

For Busch, winning races has been more enjoyable at Richard Childress Racing

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It’s not possible for a driver to win or run well in every single race and Kyle Busch described that as the environment at Joe Gibbs Racing. But things are different at Richard Childress Racing. They are a legendary Cup Series team as well, but the pressure of expectations is a lot less, which makes winning races even more enjoyable.

“Taking those wins when they come is more special. Fontana for instance, I was like damn man we just beat all of these guys in my second race out, we’re gonna win 10 times this year. But it put me right back in that frame of mind of like anywhere you go, you can get the job done. It’s just the nature of everybody around you and pulling the weight the same way,” Rowdy added.

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His comments may not go down well with some people at Joe Gibbs Racing, but, again, Kyle Busch is now known for biting his tongue. But what do you think someone from RCR would think listening to Busch’s comments?