Should Kyle Busch just throw in the towel and set his eyes on next season? Well, given how competitive Rowdy is, it’s unlikely that he’s given up on his hopes of making it to the playoffs. Although his chances are slim compared to other contenders, anything could happen in the final four races of the regular season.

Opening up the account after the Olympics break, Kyle Busch will look to establish an early positive intent at Richmond Raceway. A win would be a huge result for the No. 8 team, but this bubble of optimism is fragile, as Rowdy would have to overcome the challenge of Denny Hamlin. The JGR star has been on an absolute roll this season on the short-track ovals. His track record at the Action Track is another concern for Rowdy before he can kickstart his revival process.

Kyle Busch’s chances of winning against Hamlin at Richmond are very slim

The two drivers are on opposite sides of the pole regarding their objectives after this two-week break. Hamlin would want to fire off at his favorite venue and look to topple Kyle Larson from the top of the point standings. After all, he is eyeing those precious 15 playoff points. Meanwhile, Rowdy is barely hanging on this season and nothing but a win could see him advance to the next stage of the Cup Series competition.

But when we take a look at the statistical battle between the two at Richmond, it’s hard to see Busch going toe-to-toe with his former teammate. In seven starts at Richmond since 2021, the JGR star has the best average finish of 4.6, which includes two wins and six top 5 finishes. He won the spring event, albeit in a controversial manner, by jumping the restart.

Meanwhile, the RCR star only has a streak of five top-10 results, in comparison to Hamlin’s outright dominance. Busch only has an average finish of 10.3, which might look good on paper, but given the predicament he is in, this is not an encouraging stat. The only positive for him is that in last year’s fall event at Richmond, he managed a P3 finish. Stakes are high this time around; last year he already had a playoff spot in the bag with three wins, but he doesn’t have that cushion currently.

If not the 0.75-mile-short track, where does Kyle Busch look to capitalize and get back to victory lane?

The Superspeedway race at Daytona could be huge for Rowdy

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Usually, the fall race at Daytona serves as the regular season finale race. Last year, Chris Buescher won the race, and it had a big impact on the drivers battling for playoffs. Bubba Wallace made the cut, while Chase Elliott, for the first time in his career, missed the knockout stages.

Although this season Darlington Raceway would host the regular season finale, the superspeedway race at Daytona is still seen as a vital race for drivers battling for the final four playoff berths. Busch won at Talladega in a superspeedway configuration race last season with RCR. In 2024, he finished 12th at Daytona and 3rd at Atlanta, again both superspeedway events. So it’s no secret that he will have to go all guns blazing in the Daytona race or pull a rabbit out of his hat in the remaining races to salvage his 2024 season.

It is difficult to find optimism given how the 2024 season has panned out for Busch. Although he might fail to make the playoffs, the #8 team will have to push his 19-year winning streak alive and make it 20th by the end of this year.