Kyle Busch is having a terrible season so far. And keeping up with his streak, he reached an all-time low at the New Hampshire Super Speedway, where he crashed not once but multiple times. As executive VC Andy Petree at Richard Childress Racing announced his retirement, Busch’s downfall is leading to discussions and speculations across the NASCAR world.

From veterans, experts, and fans, everyone seems to be talking about Rowdy. Some sects blame the car and its speed, some blame the team, and some blame Busch and his age. Now that Petree is set to leave, the team announced Keith Rodden as his replacement, and the team’s CEO himself shared his concern while bidding farewell to Petree, saying that Keith “has big shoes to fill as interim competition director.”

And it looks like NASCAR fans aren’t just blaming Busch for Petree’s exit; there is another theory. One that’s darker and might involve some “black magic,” or rather, “curse.”

In folklore, a curse is a powerful invocation meant to bring misfortunes to one’s life. While this might seem outlandish, NASCAR fans have started associating the concept with the two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch. And if he is the victim of the curse, there must be a catalyst—and that, according to fans, is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Well, it might sound far-fetched, but the timelines of the ultimate downfall of Kyle Busch this season line up with his altercation with Stenhouse Jr.

Even at the Iowa race, nobody crashed into Rowdy or spun him out, but his car betrayed him, suffering a mechanical issue, and finishing P35th! If you thought that what occurred in Iowa was the worst that could have happened, you’re wrong. Last weekend at NHMS, he once again fell to a new low, having crashed multiple times and smashing into the walls repeatedly.

While his career in RCR was still not going great, the number of crashes and let-downs issued after the Stenhouse Jr case is crazy. Moreover, it might be the universe working in balance because Kyle Busch, unlike Stenhouse Jr, didn’t pay for what went down. Stenhouse Jr. had to pay a hefty fine of $75000–the largest ever handed down by NASCAR for a fight.

Fans flooded the internet with speculations, equations, and ideas as to why it really might be the curse!

NASCAR fans blame Stenhouse Jr for passing Kyle Busch his slow curse

Most people often say, “Be careful with your words” or “Words create reality,” because words have power—and that itself is a curse. Kyle Busch might just have been on the receiving end of Stenhouse Jr.’s energies. Because while Busch does have a slow car, he is still a great driver, and yet he still can’t win a single race.

Under the Reddit post titled “Since Getting Punched by Stenhouse, Kyle Busch Has an Average Finish of 26.4″, one fan pointed out Martin Truex Jr and his performance to bring in contrast with Busch, as he wrote, “This is true. Hell, Truex managed a top 10 with a pretty torn-up car just because he kept it going forward while all the end-race chaos unfurled. Kyle could’ve definitely managed a top 15 just by attrition alone.”

In some folklore, it’s said that slapping or punching someone on one side of the body can lead to misfortune. And according to fans’ equations, this is where it all went wrong. A fan pointed out and said, “He should have Stenhouse punch him on the other side.” Well, he might have been busy with Stenhouse Sr at that moment!

Back in the day, Stenhouse Jr and Danica Patrick’s relationship was no secret, and they split up after dating for five long years. Danica is not really the most loved character by fans due to her polarizing presence and some controversial incidents on and off the track. Hence, one fan related that to Stenhouse Jr’s actions and said, “First Danica and now Kyle, whoever Ricky touches, he turns them awful.”

Kyle Busch, however, is having a hard time with his car, and the speed seems to be the issue. Because he seems to push the car much beyond its capacity to take it, and then he crashes. A user pointed out that Stenhouse Jr who himself doesn’t have a great performance this year, must have rubbed off his speed on Busch, “Looks like Stenhouse passed the slow curse to Kyle by touch.” And given that Stenhouse Jr is relatively performing better from the last few races, and much better than Busch, it adds more fuel to the fire!

However, another user just gave a reality check, saying that it’s actually no one else’s fault but the team’s. He said, “I think RCR is the real touch of death. Tyler Reddick probably wakes up every day and kisses a poster of Michael Jordan to not be in the 8.” Indeed, Rowdy has been having issues with his car, he has pit crew issues and more such problems going on. So while his age and performance might be lacking, even the team and their car are not without fault.

As Kyle Busch’s performance continues to decline, fans and veterans alike have plenty to say. What are your thoughts on the “Stenhouse Jr Curse” and Busch’s struggles? Share your opinions in the comments below.