It’s no secret that Kyle Busch has been in a slump for two seasons now. The 2024 season was his worst one. He broke his winning streak and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the format was introduced. Even his P20 season finish was the worst since his Cup debut in 2005.
Well, even in the 2025 season so far, Rowdy hasn’t been in top form. Twenty-one races in, and he’s only managed to bag two top-5s and seven top-10s. If we look at the current playoff picture, Busch is on the bubble, P15 in the points standings.
While only five more races remain in the regular season, Busch is in a must-win situation. However, that looks like an uphill battle as the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team hasn’t yet found its footing in the season. And recently, Busch opened up about what’s lacking with them.
Kyle Busch Opens Up on Why His Slump Doesn’t Seem To End
Given Busch’s talent, it’s surprising not to see him lead the points table. After all, he is the winningest active driver in the Cup Series. The only driver in NASCAR to have multiple weekend sweeps to his name. However, ever since he switched from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing in 2023, he’s not had the same speed or domination. Maybe he does not have the top-tier equipment at RCR to compete with the big dogs.
However, despite the struggles, the two-time Cup Series champion has rallied behind his team for giving their all. In a recent interview, lauding them, Busch said, “I tell you, it is not due to lack of effort. That’s for damn sure. Everybody at RCR back there at the race shop, they’re working as hard as they can. Engineers are trying to figure it out, look at all the notes, and figure out where the speed’s at.”
In fact, compared to last season, Busch is feeling much better about his current car. “The balance of the race cars has been pretty good this year. The drivability feels okay. It’s just the lack of speed. There are guys out there who just have more potential. They’re just a little bit faster,” he added.
However, whatever the problem is, the No. 8 team needs to figure it out quickly, as time is running out. And it seems like they are getting back on track lately. At Dover, Busch finished in P11, and his car ran well for the entire weekend. Rowdy started the race in P10, finished Stage 1 in P8, and Stage 2 in P12. Maybe his team can improve their runs further in the upcoming races.
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Also, to his good fortune, NASCAR is headed to the Indianapolis Speedway next. Busch would be feeling confident, being the only active driver to have won the iconic Brickyard 400 twice.
So clearly he’ll be a favourite heading there. But still, it won’t be an easy task as Kyle Larson would be looking to defend his win from last year, and even he is back in form now. Only time will tell what unfolds in the race.
