How was Kyle Busch's debut season with JGR? Looking back to 2008 as driver set to drive for RCR next year

Kyle Busch is poised to make his debut at the 2023 Daytona 500 in the #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, entering the next journey of his racing career after riding the previous 15 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Las Vegas-based driver had a remarkable debut season at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 with back-to-back top-five finishes, while also winning his first race with the team in his fourth start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The former JGR driver won eight races in the 2008 season, more than any other driver, and led the points table throughout the regular season.

However, expecting Busch to replicate the same success in his debut season with Richard Childress Racing will be tough for him.

The 37-year-old has clinched 60 NASCAR Cup Series wins and two Championship titles, but the 2008 season was the only year he has ever been able to score eight victories in a single season and he has not won more in a season.

So based on his 18-year history at NASCAR Cup Series, it is unlikely that Kyle Busch will match or surpass his personal record in his initial years at Richard Childress Racing.

His transition to RCR has proven to be completely seamless, given Busch’s recent form in the Cup Series, where he has won only four races in the past three seasons. This makes it doubtful whether he can even come close to matching his win total from his debut season at Joe Gibbs Racing.

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"I still have that opportunity to do that with RCR" - Kyle Busch

According to Kyle Busch, the Next Gen cars make his move easier as compared to the previous generation cars. He also said that he has begun familiarizing himself with the RCR team system and setup.

Kyle Busch said:

“I’d like to think I still have that opportunity to do that with RCR. I look at the opportunity with the new Next Gen race car as an easier move to make now with that versus years past with previous generation cars, so I think, honestly, (it) could be a lateral move."

He further said:

"I’ve been over there a few times already. Things are progressing. I’m getting into the system a little bit, kind of seeing what’s there, what they have, who the people are and all that sort of stuff. It’s been good."

Kyle Busch and #8 Richard Childress Racing team will next be seen in action in the Cup Series in the preseason Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum on February 5, 2023.