Kyle Busch in the last 20 years of his Cup Series career has never missed to bag a win. However, the 2024 season has been a tough one for the two-time Cup Series champion to crack. This is also the first time Busch missed out on qualifying in the playoffs since 2012. He came close several times this season but failed to take the chequered.
After back-to-back P2 finishes in the final races of the regular season at Daytona and Darlington, the #8 was left disappointed. However, another opportunity presented itself in the Kansas race, but yet again, the race gods were not in his favor. Post the race, Busch opened up about what occurred on what he felt, he was quite literally speechless.
Kyle Busch again misses out on a win
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After qualifying in P3, Busch was determined to have a good run, and he did. He stayed at the top for most of the race, in lap 64 he passed race leader Ross Chastain and held the lead for quite some time. However, the #8 was trying to pass Chase Briscoe, who desperately tried to block him to stay in the lead lap.
In this tussle, Tony Stewart’s #14 driver squeezed Kyle Busch, sandwiching him with the outside wall. The #8 made contact with the wall and spun, losing the lead and finishing in the 19th position. Post the race Busch was asked how he felt about missing out on yet another win. To this, the veteran paused and said, “Well, I didn’t start to. It just did. Nothing, I’m numb, I don’t know what to do.”
You have got to feel it for the RCR driver, so many times this season, he was so close, yet so far from the victory lane. Yet, Rowdy took the high road and did not lash out at the SHR driver. Describing how things turned out on the track, Kyle Busch further said, “Ran intense all the time to make up, make up speed. Covered the 1 car made sure I can stay ahead of him. The 14 turned down the hill in order to get clean air from the guy in front of him so I went to his outside, plugged a hole, and then, just felt nothing off the corner hadn’t really had that like that the whole time, there’s a term for that I wanna say right now but I can’t so.”
It must be truly disappointing for the #8 team as they eyed their 64th Cup Series win. “Busting my butt, hate it for my guys and everybody at RCR, they deserved to get the win today, we hung underneath the one car there for 15 laps trying to pass him, finally pass him. Could get away from him a little bit catch a lap car, back up a little bit, and the gap just kind of kept doing that, I think I just got into bigger hurry,” he added.
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Meanwhile, it was obvious for the #14 to defend as being lapped down would have been detrimental to his playoff campaign.
Chase Briscoe’s version of the incident
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Briscoe entered the race with a -7 points deficit below the cutoff line, but with his P24 finish, he finds himself with -25 points in the elimination zone. However, the#14 did all he could and as a result, Busch was denied the victory.
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In the post-race interview, Briscoe said, “When he got to me, I was making sure it was tight. I wasn’t just gonna pull over and give it to him, right? We are still racing for staying on the lead lap. I felt like I left him a car width and a couple inches and these cars are so sensitive, especially this track If you are off to someone’s right rear, you just get so loose, looked like that’s what happened. He throttled up like to pin me, I couldn’t get up and as he like got there, just right off my right rear and obviously you are already on the wall and you counter steer.”
But like all NASCAR fans, the SHR driver too felt it for the veteran. After all, who isn’t a Rowdy fan? “It’s one of those racing things, in this car you get so loose outside guys. I hate it for them, I’m a Kyle Busch fan, I wanna see him win and keep the streak alive, obviously a really good opportunity. It’s unfortunate, hate that we are part of the conversation, and hate that our day wasn’t any better,” He added.
Hopefully, in the last 6 races, the RCR driver can bag a win and continue his streak. And the Charlotte ROVAL happens to be one of his favorite tracks. All his last three races have been a top-4 finish, with the latest one being a P3, last year. Since 2021, the #8’s average finish on the track has been 3.3, which is commendable. Maybe he can play a spoiler at the eliminator of round 2.
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Is Kyle Busch's winless streak a sign of decline, or just a temporary setback?