“It really, really sucks”: Kyle Busch reflects on “disgusting” run of results with RCR this season

Kyle Busch was disappointed with the Next Gen car after his pursuit to punch the playoff ticket was rendered useless. The Richard Childress Racing driver was at high odds of securing his spot in the Round of 16. However, he couldn't do much about Chase Briscoe's domination and finished second at the Cook Out Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 1.

It marked the regular season finale race and witnessed Briscoe seal his playoff spot and Tyler Reddick clinch his first regular season title. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, who finished fourth, lost the title by one point.

Kyle Busch had a lackluster start to the race. He started 17th and couldn't place the #8 Chevy inside the top 10 in the two stages. However, as four cautions reset the field in the final stage, the two-time Cup Series champion crept closer to the frontrunners.

He overtook Christopher Bell after the final overtime restart and challenged Briscoe for the lead. But with more pace in his #14 Ford, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver fended off Busch's enormous pressure for 17 consecutive green flag laps.

Despite being in the wind of Briscoe's car, Kyle Busch couldn't catch up with him, and the reason could be the Next Gen car. Due to the underbody aerodynamics, the maximum airflow is beneath the car rather than over the rear spoiler. As a result, drivers experience reduced downforce and the ride fails to maintain grip at high speeds, which cascades to lower accelerating capability.

Kyle Busch shed light on a similar scenario he encountered during the race on Sunday and called out the Next Gen car for failing him, saying (via Dirty Mo Media on X):

"Once I got in the wind of the 14 car, I couldn't do anything with it. Just lost too much grip and the weight on these things is just, he wasn't blocking or anything, I just lost the grip that was all I had," Busch said (0:23).

"I've gone back and looked at the stats and the amount of second and third-place finishes I have in this Next Gen car is disgusting. It's really really getting old and it really, really sucks that I can't come out on top and get myself some more trophies and some more checkered flags for my team," he added (0:53).

Although Kyle Busch collected five top-5s and nine top-10s this season, he couldn't emerge victorious. Even in the previous race at Daytona, Busch went flat out for the win but failed to overtake Harrison Burton after getting in the wind of Wood Brothers Racing's Ford.

Chase Briscoe opens up on the "unbelievable" feeling of fighting for the championship as he dethrones Kyle Busch from the picture

Briscoe etched his first Cup win in 2022 at the Phoenix Raceway. After starting sixth and leading 101 laps, the #14 Ford driver emerged victorious in the Ruoff Mortgage 500 race. However, this year saw him lingering below the playoff cutline.

After leading 29 laps, sidelining Kyle Busch from the playoffs, and registering his second Cup win, Briscoe reflected on his outing. He said (via NASCAR):

“For all 320 employees, everybody, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, man, unbelievable. This group, the day that we found out that the team wasn’t going to exist anymore, we went over to the shop floor, we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in this till the end. We’re not going to give this up.’ We kept saying all week we got one bullet left in the chamber. That bullet hit."

SHR had announced on May 28 that they will seize their NASCAR operations after the 2024 season wraps up. The majority of their drivers have secured a seat in the Cup Series teams for the next year, but over 300 employees have been laid off.

Amid the shutdown, Chase Briscoe will join Joe Gibbs Racing, Josh Berry has signed a deal with Wood Brothers Racing, and Noah Gragson will go to Front Row Motorsports. Their fourth driver Ryan Preece is yet to confirm his Cup Series future.