$80M-worth Kyle Busch gets real about ‘crapshoot’ outcome in wake of NASCAR’s unprecedented decision

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch thinks the revamp at Atlanta Motor Speedway isn’t the best thing to happen. In an official release by Speedway Media, Busch, valued at $80 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) claimed the revamp made the race at the 1.5-mile quad-oval “crapshoot”.

There have been two reconfigurations at Atlanta Motor Speedway, one in 1997 and the most recent in 2021. Speedway Motorsports took over in 2021, increasing its banking to 28 degrees. They also narrowed down the track from 55 ft. to 40 ft., inducing pack racing. This has made racing at Atlanta tighter and much more similar to superspeedways.

“Atlanta is kind of a crapshoot race in general with it now being a superspeedway race,” the two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch said. “It takes a lot of speed, but also a car that handles well to be successful there.”

“You have to pick the right line at the right time to get yourself where you can log some laps, especially in the middle stage of the race, and not get caught up in a crash when cars start to handle differently, and mistakes are made,” he added.

Busch is in his third season with Richard Childress Racing and on a winless streak. Winning at Atlanta will make him a three-time winner at the racetrack. In his tenure with RCR, the $80-million-worth athlete has three top-seven runs to his credit at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last week at Daytona, Busch and Joey Logano were involved in a verbal tussle but ultimately had to settle for his first DNF of the season. Logano got a DNF as well. The upcoming race is scheduled for Sunday, February 23, and will be televised on FOX, at 3 PM ET.

What happened between Kyle Busch and reigning Cup champion Joey Logano?

Joey Logano initially had a run-in with Ricky Stenhouse’s No. 47, but Kyle Busch got caught in the mess. He wasn’t allowed to resume racing, and thus his day ended early.

Calling the No. 22 Mustang the “fastest car”, Busch said that its driver, Logano could have done anything with it.

“Looks like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck,” Kyle Busch said during a post-race interview.

Twenty laps more and he could have avoided the DNF. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, however, addressed the situation and said:

“I think it's just the nature of these cars don't push and receive pushes very easily. It looks like it's in control, but the car has a lot of drag. So when you come off the corner, it's easy to get to somebody's bumper.”

Busch and Logano were awarded 34th and 35th place finishes, respectively. Byron won the race and defended his winning streak at the crown jewel Daytona 500.