Kevin Harvick urges 2x NASCAR Cup champ Kyle Busch “need some consistency” as winless streak hits panic button

Former driver-turned-NASCAR analyst Kevin Harvick has expressed concern about Kyle Busch’s performance in the ongoing NASCAR Cup Series season. With 10 races remaining ahead of the 2024 playoffs, Busch has yet to score a win that would lock his spot in the 16-driver playoff field.

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has been going through a tough phase in his Cup career, enduring a winless streak of 37 races—the longest of his career. It would not be wrong to say that the bad luck has been synonymous for Busch this season.

Kyle Busch, who currently sits 15th in the Cup points table, could drop down to the cut-off line if any new winner reached the victory lane in the upcoming races.

On his eponymous “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast," Harvick stated that Busch has pressed the panic button as the postseason gets closer. He emphasized that the RCR veteran need consistent performance to stay above the cut-off line to qualify for the postseason.

Speaking about who is hitting the panic button, Harvick said:

“The panic button for me is Kyle Busch. We talked about Kyle, but the inconsistency of the speed that they have been, and if one more car wins, it's Kyle Bush down a couple spots, and they just need some consistency to be able to stop the bleeding, and it's not all they’re doing; some of it is just bad luck, but they just can't get out of the middle of all the bad luck. Kyle Bush is my big concern.”

Through 16 races, Kyle Busch has managed to score one pole, two top-5s, and five top-10s, with an average finish of 16.875. He is just eight points ahead of Joey Logano for the final playoff spot.

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Kyle Busch spoke about the Next Gen car challenge at this weekend’s Iowa Cup race

The Iowa Speedway was added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the first time. Ahead of the race, NASCAR veteran discussed the main challenge at Iowa. Busch feels that managing aerodynamic issues while driving a Next Gen Cup car in traffic will be challenging at 0.875-mile short track.

Busch said (via Speedway Media):

“I feel like the biggest challenges at Iowa with the Next Gen Cup car will be the aero deficiencies in traffic and how wide the new asphalt is that allows for you to work your way outside of the wake of the other cars in front of you.”

Watch Kyle Busch's hunt for season’s first win at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, June 16. The live action will begin at 7 pm ET.