Is 2024 Kyle Busch’s worst season in NASCAR? Everything you need to know

AUTO: JUN 22 NASCAR Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Source: Getty
Kyle Busch at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June (Source: Getty)

With the results of Sunday's Cup Series race labeled official, Kyle Busch will miss the playoffs this year. This is the fourth time in his 19-year career and the first time since 2012 that the Richard Childress Racing driver will miss the playoffs. Is he amid the worst slump of his career?

Busch drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing. He is a two-time Cup Series champion and his 63 Cup wins rank him the highest among the current drivers. He also holds the record for the most wins in the Xfinity Series (102) and the Truck Series (66). He flaunts a combined 231 victories in NASCAR's top-tier racing series.

However, Busch is on a 47-race winless streak. His last victory came at the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4, 2023. Since then, he has been close to the win several times but luck has kept the top spot away from the driver time after time.

Even in races where Kyle Busch had the pace to potentially deliver a win, mechanical issues or unforeseen instances of wrecks sidelined him from the limelight. He led 15 laps at Gateway earlier this year but got ousted due to a mechanical failure in his car. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, his car had to be towed away from the track after it wrecked while running pace laps.

According to sportswriter Neil Paine (via NASCAR):

"Statistically, this has been the worst year of Kyle Busch’s career so far. In fact, it’s the only full season of his career in which he’s been a below-average Cup Series driver..."

After recording back-to-back runner-up finishes in his last two races, Busch said:

"I wanted it last week. I wanted it this week. I wanted it in Atlanta. I wanted it in Vegas. There's been a lot of opportunities. Daytona 500 we were up front all day. I can count 'em at least on a hand. Maybe I need two hands to count opportunities that have slipped away."

The veteran racer has 10 weeks to win a race and maintain his streak of 19 consecutive seasons with at least a victory at the Cup level.


Kyle Busch on battling Chase Briscoe for Darlington win

Although Kyle Busch was unable to round up inside the top 10 in the first two stages of the 367-lap race, he managed to start 9th on the last restart with 17 laps to go. He methodically gained positions after that.

However, Chase Briscoe made a risky three-wide pass on Kyle Larson and the then-race leader Ross Chastain.

Check out Briscoe's three-wide move here:

Recalling the restart, Kyle Busch said (via Motorsport):

"When I made it through a few of those guys right there on the start, I thought we had a start to get there."

Busch tailed Briscoe for several laps after that, searching for clean air but the latter's tires were newer compared to Busch's, and therefore, Busch missed out on the win.

"I think I just needed him to have maybe three or four more laps older tires for me to be able to break through the wake. Once I got within his air, I really didn't have enough to power through that, to get closer. I was kind of sliding already," Kyle Busch said.
"Hate it for our guys, everybody on our team, everybody at RCR. They turned it around these last four, five weeks and we've run a lot better. That's been much improved, beneficial to our team and the organization," he added.

With Briscoe clinching the 14th playoff spot, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs grabbed the remaining playoff spots on points. Gibbs, who drives the No. 54 machine for Joe Gibbs Racing, made the Cup Series playoffs for the first time.

Quick Links

Edited by Aayush Kapoor
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications