“I hate these (expletive emoji) cars!!!” is precisely how Kyle Busch chose to voice his frustration toward the Next-Gen post his Talladega finish of P27. But is it entirely the car’s fault, or is Rowdy and his team, Richard Childress Racing, perhaps falling behind?

Well, just ask Kevin Harvick and he’ll direct your attention to the latter!

Kevin Harvick thinks Kyle Busch is still capable enough

When Kyle Busch finished second just behind Denny Hamlin at the season-opening Busch Light clash, no one had anticipated things were poised to go downhill from there. Now, as the regular season draws to an end, the racer sits at P17, close to breaking his 19-year win streak. But how did the two-time Cup Series champion even reach here?

Retired veteran Kevin Harvick, on a recent episode of Happy Hour addressed the issue. And to him one thing was clear: Kyle Busch is completely capable of coming back if not for a lack of effort. Citing Busch’s pole position at the Dover race, he said, “They qualify on the pole, right? And so it’s there. It’s not like that Kyle Busch can’t do it it’s not like RCR can’t do it. It’s there. But how do you find that consistency to find, to keep that speed in the cars week after week?”

“And, you know, it’s just a, it’s a little bit puzzling to be honest. They’re confused and I know that with this car it’s harder than it used to be, to be consistent, right? Like it’s harder to maintain that top five and maintain that ability to be able to put those cars on the racetrack, to have that speed every week, but man, I just, I feel like they should be doing it more than they are,” he further added. 

But maybe, the 2014 Cup champion’s predictions aren’t too ill-founded as the #8 has also been struggling with pit-road issues. It started at the Daytona 500 when crucial pit road missteps forced the driver to restart from the back twice, ultimately relegating him to a P12 finish. The first instance was due to a safety violation owing to too many crew members over the wall, whereas during the second incident, the front tire changer had failed to get the lug nut tight on the left front in time.

Similarly, during the Las-Vegas race, Busch went from second place with about 100 laps left to finishing 26th, owing to a pit-road penalty (for pitting outside of the assigned box). Additionally, he was also penalized for speeding on pit-road at Atlanta.

But maybe, the 2008 Southern 500 champion’s woes can also be due to a significant rule change that has troubled many more drivers.

Practice is key, and the key is missing

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The COVID-19 era saw a lot of massive changes in the Cup racing format, with a major one being regarding practice sessions. From reducing 50-minute sessions to two per weekend in 2020, the organization further removed practice to only go with qualifying in 2020 and 2021. Then, in 2022, it settled with a 20-minute practice format followed by qualifying sessions, which also means limited adjustments on the race weekend. 

Hence, Kevin Harvick could not help observing this crucial factor in driving Rowdy’s winless streak. “Kyle Busch is one of the drivers who’s admitted he really benefited from a lot of practice time, right? Is that affecting him? You think the fact that we have a lot less of that now…He’s good with analyzing the car. I mean there’s not many people that are better than Kyle Busch.”

Noting how such a scenario is detrimental, the veteran continued, “Not having a lot of time in the race car to keep analyzing things and assessing things makes it difficult to be able to understand exactly where you need to go with the car…This week we qualified at 8:30 in the morning…there was a 13-minute session. That’s not a lot of time, and then you’re kind of guessing what the pace is gonna be because the race is gonna be in the sun,. not like in practice.”

The reduction of practice timings was mainly taken up by NASCAR owing to logistical issues, such as allowing race authorities more time to inspect cars before practice. The reduction also helps teams save money as lack of longer practice means reduction in changes needed prior to racing, which ultimately translates to fewer mechanics needed. Still, it’s not like the changes have been met with great enthusiasm.

RFK Racing team owner, Brad Keselowski said last year, according to FOX, “There is a value to having some practice. I don’t think that the costs savings are that significant. I think initially there were some thoughts that we could save a little money and maybe increase the competitiveness of the field. I think yes and no — some of that has happened, some of that hasn’t. But I think having a little bit of practice is a good thing.”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs had also shared his take during the 2023 NASCAR awards: “I would love to have more practice if we could. It only helps me out. I spent a lot of time on the simulator. Simulating stuff and then going to the track and actually doing it, the cross from that is really hard. The sim is not fake. You have to make it close to be real. It’s pretty difficult going from that to the track, so I would definitely like longer practice.”

No matter what the issue, Kyle Busch doesn’t have a lot of time left in his hands to make it to the playoffs. Do you think he’ll be able to do it?