“He just has a natural talent”: When JGR leadership felt validated of their decision to sign Kyle Busch after HMS fallout

There was a time when Kyle Busch used to be one of the top prospects for Joe Gibbs Racing. The first time the team witnessed Busch's raw talent behind the wheel of a stock car was during a test at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October 2008.

That was the first time Busch worked with Joe Gibbs Racing and crew chief Steve Addington. The then-JGR driver, Tony Stewart, was soon to leave the camp, and a 23-year-old Busch, who had already won two point-paying races that season, was their next big find. Recalling the test session at Atlanta Motor Speedway, team president J. D. Gibbs (son of owner, Joe Gibbs) said:

"The first time we got a glimpse of it was that test at Atlanta in the fall, we realized we had something very special. You could see it in Steve's (Addington) eyes. I just think there's a lot of things that really fit in the package, and first and foremost, you need to have that guy behind the wheel. And he just has a natural talent."

"We're blessed to be a part of it, to see it. And the exciting thing is you forget how young he is. So how many years do we have left to grow together is really encouraging," Gibbs added.

Busch was earlier released from Hendrick Motorsports, where he served from 2003 to 2007. Driving the #87 Chevrolet, Busch made his first start with the team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, as per ESPN, the team parted ways with the speedster because they "couldn't tolerate his often irrational temperament."

After spending 15 years with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch left the Toyota team in 2023. The two-time Cup Series champion currently drives the No. 8 machine for Richard Childress Racing.

"Great race car drivers can adapt"- Denny Hamlin ousts blames on NextGen car amid Kyle Busch's 2024 misery

Kyle Busch is winless this season. He is on the verge of snapping his NASCAR record of winning at least one race in the last 19 years. He has finished 19th or worse in his last three Cup Series starts.

While some think that the NextGen car is the reason behind Busch's performances, Denny Hamlin, his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, has varied opinions. In a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the three-time Daytona 500 winner said:

"I don’t know, I don’t buy that. Simply because, great race car drivers can adapt to whatever they’re driving. I just feel as though, you know, he’s going running dirt now, like, surely he’s gotten much better at that, but like, you’re just going from Gen Six to Gen Seven, and while Next Gen, yes, is quite a bit different, I mean, we’ve been doing this now for three years. Surely you’ve been able to adapt by now."

"For the first couple years, I mean, he was at Joe Gibbs Racing, he didn’t win very much in those Next Gen times, but I don’t know. I just think, yes, there’s a learning curve for all of us there, you know, figuring out how much we can hang the car out. What does it need to go fast, but he’s got enough races under his belt now, where I just wouldn’t pin it on, ‘Well, it’s just, it’s his style, and it doesn’t fit.’ Everyone changes their style," Hamlin further explained.

Kyle Busch did not qualify for the playoffs this year. However, he does have six more races to keep his streak alive. Busch's upcoming race is on October 6th at Talladega Superspeedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver has two wins, six top-5s, and one top-10 in 38 starts at the 2.66-mile racetrack.