Classic Rowdy. Despite securing his first top-five finish since Dover back in April, Kyle Busch found something to complain about after the race at Michigan International Speedway. He may not have broken his 45-race winless streak, and a spot in the playoffs is looking increasingly unlikely, but there were plenty of positives for the Richard Childress Racing driver at the FireKeepers Casino 400. Not only did he lead 24 laps, but his No. 8 Chevy showed the type of pace that had been lacking so often.

However, that didn’t stop Kyle Busch from taking to social media and calling out RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, who made a dangerous move while entering Turn 1 during the overtime restart.

Kyle Busch has never been one to mince his words, so it should come as no surprise that the 39-year-old expressed his frustration towards Brad Keselowski on social media. The incident occurred on the overtime restart when the RFK Racing co-owner mysteriously slowed down while approaching Turn 1. At that time, Keselowski was driving on the outside line behind William Byron, and his move resulted in the No. 6 Ford Mustang backing into the front end of Busch’s No. 8 Chevy. This caused a ripple effect through the field, and as expected, Rowdy didn’t take Keselowski’s move kindly.

Responding to a video showcasing the incident which was uploaded by NASCAR, Kyle Busch tweeted, “What the fu*k was the 6 doing?!” While the question may have been rhetorical, it’s easy to understand the two-time Cup Series winner’s frustrations. Not only was the move reckless, but it also affected a string of drivers behind the #8, such as Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, and Harrison Burton, who were pushed back. It clearly looked like in the worst-case scenario, a multi-car wreck could’ve ensued.

After the race, Brad Keselowski may have indicated the reason behind his ‘move’ while entering Turn 1. Speaking to Dustin Long of NBC Sports, the Rochester Hills native said, “We just had a couple of issues today with the engine shutting off. It was frustrating, but it was just part of our day. We were probably that fourth or fifth-place car, and the way the race played out, [Reddick] got by us, and he was really fast. He deserved to win the race.”

Notably, this is not the first time Ford cars have been the cause of misery. With just five wins this season, sitting at the bottom of the Manufacturers’ standings, Ford has yet to crack the Next-Gen game, it seems. However, with Ryan Blaney taking the Cup Series Championship home with a Ford last year, the task isn’t impossible either.

Last year, ahead of the Charlotte race, Joey Logano had said, “We’re lacking downforce.” The manufacturer debuted a new Mustang for this year that is reportedly “most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever”. However, with sudden on-track issues like the one Keselowski encountered, is more work needed?

The #6’s engine shutting off is as good a reason as any to justify the sudden change of pace during the overtime restart. However, Kyle Busch’s frustrations may stem from reasons deeper than just that particular incident. Despite his team getting its pit stop strategy on point and his car securing its best results in months, the result doesn’t affect his playoff hopes. With just two races remaining before the regular season ends, nothing but a victory could alter Busch’s Cup Series season.

The result in Michigan is a step in the right direction for Richard Childress Racing, but will they run out of races before Rowdy is in Victory Lane once again?

Busch pleased with the overachieving performance

Austin Dillon may have won the race at Richmond under the most controversial of circumstances, but nobody expected a similar outcome from Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway. Why would they? The team has shown very little all season to justify that level of expectation, and with eight DNFs between the two drivers, it would have been more likely for something to go wrong. However, Kyle Busch’s No. 8 team couldn’t have done a better job under the circumstances, and the P4 finish was as good as they could have hoped for, given their season so far.

It might not have been a victory, but Kyle Busch had some positive words to share on his team radio after the race. “Well, it’s not a win. We got two more shots at it. But definitely the best day we’ve had in a while. Nice job. Good strategy all day. That worked out nice. Just need a little bit more smoke and there will be some fire.”

He shared a similar emotion in a post-race conversation with Bob Pockrass. “That was definitely maybe a little overachieving. Felt like a couple guys behind us were a little faster. We were probably about a sixth, seventh-place car there at the end, but we had the track position on them, so we held them off and was able to get a spot there on that final restart. Good day for the Lucas Oil Chevrolet and everybody on this RCR team,” the driver stated.  And who can forget his ecstasy after leading laps during the race?

Taking a lead for 24 laps—of 159 total laps left this season—the driver couldn’t be happier. “Holy f***, we led a lap” he radioed to his team mid-race.

Busch’s top-five finish had a lot to do with his crew chief Randall Burnett making the right strategy call during the final pit stop late in Stage 3. As a result, Rowdy led the race briefly, holding off eventual race winner Tyler Reddick, before the 23XI Racing driver overtook him. However, it gave Busch plenty of encouraging signs that when things do work out, results are not hard to come by, as he went on to record his best finish in months.

What are your thoughts about Kyle Busch’s performance at Michigan International Speedway? Let us know in the comments!