"If it was the old car, I would not have made it" - Kyle Busch on yet another comeback drive as he makes fifth consecutive top-10 finish in Chicago

The way Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch changed fans' opinions about him is somewhat unprecedented in the NASCAR Cup Series. Once disliked for his behavior on and off the racetrack, the #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver seems to have discovered newfound love in the fans' eyes ever since his switch to RCR.

Clinching his fifth consecutive top-10 finish in the 2023 season does not tell the full story behind Busch's drives. Finding the tire barrier at NASCAR's inaugural Chicago City Street Race on Lap 3, Kyle Busch produced another one of his rebound drives to finish in P5 on Sunday.

Speaking on clobbering the tire barriers in the new Next Gen cup car, Busch gave his thoughts about the seventh generation car. Looking at a positive of the car's now infamous strength, the 38-year-old said:

“I was just hopeful that the radiator wasn’t busted. I guess this is an instance where I’m thankful these cars are built so tough because if it was the old car, I would not have made it.”

Gambling on a strategy that had him pit just before NASCAR announced the 25-lap deduction in race distance, Kyle Busch was one of the few drivers who benefitted from the shortening of the race.

With a P5 to his name, Kyle Busch is the only driver to finish in the top-5 at every road course event this season.

Kyle Busch elaborates on his crash during the Grant Park 220

After a hectic weekend of racing in changeable conditions on a brand new race track, Kyle Busch elaborated on what caused him to slide into one of the tire barriers on Lap 3 of the Grant Park 220.

The Richard Childress Racing driver talked about how a balance between aggression and finesse was required while racing on the partially wet streets of Windy City. In a post-race interview, he said:

"Just treacherous, trying to make everything there on the wet conditions and tried a little too hard. It's all about braking as late as you can and as hard as you can on the pedal but there's a point when you go too far, you just lock up."

NASCAR heads to a more traditional Atlanta Motor Speedway next Sunday for the Quaker State 400.