For the first time in 20 years, Kyle Busch has not won in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Since his rookie season in 2005, Busch has reached the highest level in the sport, recording at least one win per season and eight wins (2008, 2018). The record-breaking 19-race winning streak is expected to continue into 2024.
However, Busch suffered an unusual decline in performance compared to another world standard he set, posting the fewest top-5 (5), top-10 (10) and top-10 finishes (230) of his career, the worst since his rookie season (21.0, 2005).
Simply put, Busch described the 2024 season, the second race for the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, as “character building.”
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Busch said during championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “After having some success last year, especially early in the year, after three wins, after a few struggles, it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, but we couldn’t let the monkey out this year. I mean, even though we had a chance to win later in the day, it was close at Daytona and even closer at Kansas, we didn’t win.
“There were probably a few opportunities that slipped out from under us. So I can’t say we shouldn’t have won this year or that we never had a chance to win, but we clearly didn’t.”
The past two years have been significant changes for Busch. Busch, now 39, had a three-year career at Hendrick Motorsports before joining Joe Gibbs Racing, where he enjoyed a 15-year career. His success over the 18 seasons was remarkable, as he amassed 60 wins and two NASCAR Cup Series championships.
That stint at JGR ended after the 2022 season when Las Vegas native Richard Childress left to race. He laments that the era of records is over, but now his perspective has changed.
“If we run another six or seven years, it’s going to be 25, 26 years, and it’s going to be a milestone we’ll never reach, right?” Busch said. “But unfortunately, these conditions haven’t changed even a few years ago. I was glad I was able to extend the series last year and make it my own.”
But honestly, it’s hard for a 17-year-old to turn 18 and for a guy who’s now 19 to have such good years in a row. difficult.
“It’s a continued success that President Busch hopes will carry his career through 2025. Crew chief Randall Burnett returns to lead the No. 1. 8 team, but RCR made a leadership change midway through this season that the company hopes will improve performance.
Veteran crew chief and racing director Keith Rodden has been named vice president of racing, with former Stewart-Haas Racing leaders John Klausmeier and Richard Boswell also joining. Klausmeier will serve as RCR’s technical director, while Boswell will serve as the No. 3 Chevrolet crew chief.
While Busch’s 2024 results left much to be desired, there remains optimism that a new winning streak will begin in 2025.
