Kyle Busch sends a straightforward message after Bristol setback: “Our time will come”

Kyle Busch sent a simple but pointed message after finishing 14th at Bristol Motor Speedway. His statement came via a team release from Richard Childress Racing following a frustrating but improved showing at the Food City 500. The former Cup Series champion acknowledged the gains made by the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet team but also stressed the lingering issues.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, failed to break into the top 10, yet remained optimistic that better days are coming. This time around, a pit road speeding penalty during Stage 1 pushed him down to 21st and forced him to work his way back up through the field.

Kyle Busch (8) during qualifying for the NASCAR Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway- Source: Imagn

The mistake cost valuable time, and despite a steady effort from crew chief Randall Burnett to keep up with changing track conditions, Busch could only manage a mid-pack finish. He summed up the situation by saying:

“Our Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet was definitely better today than when we raced here last fall. We’ve still got work to do… I’m confident that our time will come.” (via Speedway Digest)

Kyle Busch sits 15th in the standings with 200 points and zero wins after nine races. He has managed only one top-five and four top-10 finishes. At Bristol, he showed slight improvement over his 2024 fall result, where he finished 25th after starting in the 29th position.

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Kyle Busch shares frustration with NASCAR’s new practice limitations

Before the Bristol race, Kyle Busch appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, where he discussed how recent rule changes have hurt his ability to compete at the level he expects.

Since 2025, NASCAR has cut back on practice sessions and restricted what teams can adjust on race weekends. Busch, who has been racing full-time since 2005, pointed to these changes as reasons behind some of his team’s struggles this season.

According to Kyle Dalton on X, Busch said:

“The practice time being so limited and the adjustments that you're able to make being so limited, you don't have those tools at your disposal to be able to work with. So it's, you know, what you show up to the racetrack with is what you got.” [0:04 onwards]

Busch explained that teams can still make basic changes, such as shock, wedge, and height adjustments, but not the deeper mechanical tweaks that make the biggest difference. He added:

“But where the proof is in the footing is more so in some springs and moving some geometry stuff around and changing some things of how the car reacts and rolls and whatnot. So that's where the real magic happens.”

As an example, Busch referenced his only top-five finish this year at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). He explained that he was far off during the initial practice but used the available time to dial in the setup. The team made adjustments that turned a slow start into his best run of the season.