The 2024 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway did not treat hometown hero Kyle Busch as well as the Richard Childress Racing driver would have liked. The #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 native was seen finishing the 400-mile-long race in a dismal P26 even after visiting victory lane at the same 1.5-mile-long track during the weekend's Truck Series race.
The Achilles heel for the #8 crew at Richard Childress's racing outfit seemed to be the pit stop performance from Busch's crew, which has already been under scrutiny ever since the 2024 Daytona 500. Having been taken out of contention for a maiden Daytona 500 victory due to his crew's performance at the tri-oval, there were imminent changes made to the #8 crew.
Coming into last week's 400-mile-long event in Las Vegas, the change does not seem to have had a major effect on performance, as Kyle Busch's pit stop ranked among the slowest from the event. Thus, a further personnel change has been noted for the team, with three new members coming into the team, as reported by Bozi Tatarevic.
The change of personnel includes a new front and rear tire changer in the form of Shiloh Windsor and Michael Johnson respectively, along with a new jackman Doug Warrick. The tire carriers and the fuelman for the #8 crew remain the same for this weekend's Shriners Children's 500.
Kyle Busch touches on the importance of car setup ahead of 2024 NASCAR Cup race in Phoenix
Ahead of the 2024 Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway this coming Sunday, Kyle Busch elaborated on how the upcoming track has proven tricky for drivers and teams to get the correct setup for.
Complimenting former driver Kevin Harvick and his team's ability at the venue, Busch spoke about how car setup is vital in Phoenix and told speedwaymedia.com:
“Phoenix has always been a tricky track to hit the proper setup and making sure that you are fast. Kevin Harvick has had a really good time of being able to hit that ever since the repave at this track where I feel as though I might have been better at the old surface.”
The 2024 Shriners Children's 500 goes live this Sunday, March 10, at 3:30 pm ET.