What Is Going Wrong With Kyle Busch? 

Why do you think Kyle Busch has been in decline?

In my opinion 1 lack of practice 2 bad equipment 3 anger and emotions 4 age he’s not young 5 next gen makes more teams competitive All of this has all led to a decline in performance

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Adam Steven, won both championships with Kyle Busch and was no longered paired with each other after 2020. Adam Steven has made the final 4 twice since they split so it just feels as if he has a bit of impact on Kyle's decline as well. Edit: Another thing to consider. When they started together in 2015 they made every Championship race until 2020, their only year they didn't make it.

People are quick to point out Busch’s age but Hamlin is 43 and Truex is 44 and they’re both competing at top level.

Every time KFB struggles, I always hear that one clip: “I suck just as bad as you!”

Lack of practice since 2020 led to this guy's downfall

The problem with Kyle Busch is that he’s exactly the same racing driver as Sebastian Vettel. Both drivers liked oversteer under the condition that the car has rear end security. When they were given that, they’re just as good as any driver that came before them. Vettel’s security came from the blown diffuser from ‘09-‘13 and Kyle’s came from the fender flare from ‘06-‘18. While there was still flared fenders in ‘19-‘21, the 550hp wasn’t enough power for Kyle Busch to pitch the car into the slip angle he wanted in the middle of the corner (Johnson suffered from this as well but didn’t need nearly as much rear end security). Kyle tends to play catch-up with the throttle when the setup or car isn’t to his liking and feels the need to brake extremely late and get on the power early to the point that he’ll lift off the throttle on corner exists and kill his straight line speed (watch literally any track less than a mile and a half during practice). Vettel had a very aggressive V shaped racing line into many corners and while they both are short corner drivers (spending the least amount of time at the moment of rotation) they never were the best drivers to get the car settled in the middle of the corner which is why they both spun or lost the car in the middle of the corner more times than a Jeff Gordon or Alan Prost. Gordon and Prost never leaned on the tires as much as Vettel or Busch through corners and both had really good platforms (flat car) which produced a more evened out tire wear over a fuel run compared the Busch and Vettel. Although this a driving style analysis, RCR definitely has lost speed year over year in the next gen era and gets majority blame since they’re on the same tier as Hendrick. The lack of practice does mean that car feedback is limited for Busch (ironically I rate both Vettel and him on setup feedback) but they haven’t had a test in where they hit the setup for a specific type of track in awhile except for Gateway

One damning thing I heard from the booth last race was that the 8 team ran the EXACT same set up that they won with last win at this race. I think that is an indication that RCR, or at least the 8 team, got lazy. They were fast as hell in 2022 with Reddick and the first half of 2023 with Busch. We all know how every single race, teams learn and get better, but for whatever reason, the 8 ran the exact same setup as last year, which means they did not get better when everyone else around them did. What if they are approaching every race with the same standard? They use what worked in the past instead of innovating and being faster than last time like so many other teams.

Kyle Busch recently said that after the halfway point of the 2023 season, like Elliott after the 2022 regular season, he really struggled with this next gen car and how to handle it. I do think he still has the talent, but is just stuck in a really bad rut.

I’m not trying to completely defend Kyle Busch, but some of the problem is his team. His cars are not as good as last year and his pit crew is constantly screwing him up. However, I feel the further we get into the season, the more of a problem it is on the driver.

The same reason we all thought Harvick was only a good not a great driver while at RCR. It’s all about equipment and team chemistry.

Lack of practice and racing for RCR’s Cup program is the problem. I don’t blame him for being mad and frustrated (except him intentionally wrecking Stenhouse)

Talk to people in the industry they said that Kyle Bush was one of the best dialing in the car in practice in the last 20+ years. Also, no matter how good of a driver you are you can’t drive a slow car. lol I think it’s showing how much Childress racing has fallen off.

As a lifelong Kyle Busch fan, I’ll tell you why: Father time. He’s nearly 40 and he hasn’t won in the playoffs since 2020. And without great equipment and his clutch nature of years past, he’s shown his age even more than before.

From my observation as a fan of his, it's a mix bag of what has gone wrong this season. 1) Pit road issues whether it be the crew, Randall making the wrong adjustments or Kyle speeding have affected the results. 2) Having no normal practice has hurt his ability to really dial in and work on the car like he was used to prior to 2020. He can still wheel a Truck or Xfinity car with no issues, but this Next-Gen car has presented some challenges mostly to the veteran drivers who don't have a lot of tools to work with compared to the Gen 6 car. It has been frustrating to watch each week and it's gotten to him badly. I want him to keep that win streak alive but unless changes are made, I don't see it happening :/

This year I see kyle and Fernando Alonso as very similar both are 2 time champions driving cars incapable of winning and are often times pushing the car harder than it will allow due to both their expectations of themselves being higher and their emotions taking over, and both have a teammate who is only there due to being related to the team owner.

1. He hasn’t figured out this car yet 2. RCR is a mediocre team 3. No practice I don’t think he’s lost the ability to drive. I think you can look at guys like Hamlin and see that there was a dip in production for a couple years and then it ascended. Kyle will need better equipment to be the 2019 version, but that doesn’t seem like a possibility…unless Hendrick dumps Bowman.

Thinking about it, what are the chances that Denny wants a 3rd charter for a guy like Kyle? I know there are options on the table, but what are the chances that 23XI pulls him from RCR?

I'm glad you did this video Jarett because it needs to be discussed. He's clearly frustrated and he's thinking with his emotions instead of his skill and it's showing more and more..

In my opinion, age is not a concern as Harvick, Hamlin, Truex Jr, and even Kyle’s older brother Kurt Busch remain in contention for wins with this Gen 7 car. Fewer practice sessions certainly contribute to his struggles. Kyle mentioned at Darlington during the Gen 6 era when he was with JGR, how they would depend on simulators for car setups, and then they would struggle on race day. Kyle is more hands on with fine tuning his race car to be competitive and the changes to fewer practice sessions and using more simulation data is affecting his performance on track. Also, RCR is still behind Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, RFK, and Trackhouse in terms of performance with the Gen 7 car. Pretty much the reason why Kyle said to Stenhouse that he sucks as bad as him on track. I can see why some would rather have Kyle leave RCR for another team, but teams like Trackhouse, Spire, and 23XI have drivers waiting for their chance at Cup, so Kyle’s long term future with other teams is not certain either.

To me at least, the single biggest damaging thing is NASCAR killing the extra practices. They are idiots because teams AND drivers need practice to improve equiptment and race craft. The optimism in me wants to believe tht since last year around this time was when this slump started and hasnt improved. I want to believe he and RCR can dig their way out and compete again like the first half of last year. Only time will tell. For a key partner elite Chevy team RCR can be so much better than they have shown.

I always go back to Kyle Busch's worst enemy is himself.

If I were to compare Kyle Busch's 2020 season (15 Starts in) to this season, here are his stats: 2020 - 0 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 1 Pole, Led 130 Laps, 2 DNFs, An Average Start of 9.93, An Average Finish of 14.73, and was 11th in the Final Standings at the Time. 2024 - 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 1 Pole, Led 130 Laps, 1 DNF, An Average Start of 15.1, An Average Finish of 17.2, and is Currently 17th in the Points Standings. As you can see: Busch has the Same Amount of Wins (0), Same Number of Poles (1), and Same Number of Laps Led (130) in 2020. Unfortunately, he also has Less Top 5s (2), Less Top 10s (5), A Worse Average Start (15.1), A Worse Average Finish (17.2), and A Lower Points Position (17th) than 2020. The only "bright spot" is DNFs (1), which is 50% Less than 2020.

I dont know but its really depressing. I went from always being excited to watch him race but ever since the Darlington truck race I've just kinda lost hope.

Kyle's problem is that he only drives the cup car anymore. Look at Larson, he drives everything he can. The more seat time a driver can get, the better. That's why guys like Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue and AJ Foyt were so good, they drove every chance they had. I think that's a big part of it

feel like its the pit crew. dont think he fell off. still wins in trucks multiple times so i dont think his racing senses are no longer tingling

We need to bring back practice. Not saying it’s everything but honestly if it’s a top tier motorsport why don’t you have practice sessions? And why do we have a gimmick style points system?

From what others say, I have a feeling that a lack of practice is a reason

I think the biggest reason is he went from JGR to RCR. Simply put, their cars aren't on the same level.

I think it's a combination of a lack of practice and him being in lower equipment than JGR. RCR isn't on the same level as JGR, Hendrick, Penske, etc. I also think that maybe Richard Childress, Austin Dillion and Kyle Busch thought they could do a RFK scenario and turn the race team around to be a championship contending team once again. With that not really coming to fruition, everyone may be frustrated.

I think Rowdy, more than any other driver, gets very frustrated very quickly when things start to go sour. As someone who has watched his career from the very beginning, I think he's very super emotional and it's a double edged sword for him. When he's running good it's a benefit to him but when he's running like he has this season it actually becomes a hinderance. Who knows for sure?

The whole Childress is going downhill. Look at Dillon too.

I'm a Kyle Busch fan so you might wanna take whatever I say with a pinch of salt, but I think there's a number of reasons. For starters I just don't think RCR are anywhere near as good as they were 12 months ago and have regressed dramatically since the start of the next gen era, that and also I'll admit and accept that I think Busch's prime is behind him. I still have faith he can get a win, that's all I really want or expect going into a season anymore, but as for championships I think that ship has sailed. I just want him to turn it around man.

Go with me on this but I'm spotting a small trend RCR has preduced some of the most agro driver's ever from dale sr to Kevin harvick to now kyle Busch and austin hill hell even papa childress has been willing and has gotten in fights. So my theory childress has made a work environment that is unstable and toxic that all starts at the top Now I'm not saying thats the only reason as to why kyle is slipping but I don't think rcr is helping and may be the primary reason why kyle has been getting more unstable And i hope no pray that gragson doesn't end up at rcr as that just won't end well

KB is 39. I'm 41. I am nowhere near the physical fitness of a professional athlete, but I generally take care of myself. The difference between my 20's and 30's and then my 30's and 40's is drastic! It takes a hell of a lot more effort to stay in shape, keep the pounds off, and not to mention mental acuity and quickness. I'm sure that KB's problems have to do with RCR in large part, but the age factor has to be part of it.

I really hate how in the last 15 years if someone has a slump people act like they will never get out of it. This kind of thinking is not helping.

It’s really sad to see this, He’s in his veteran years. I hope he gets a win eventually and maybe be like his brother in his later years. I hope it doesn’t end like this

This is going to sound awful but as a Kyle Busch fan I believe it now since 2020 it’s been a steady decline but I feel like it was a mix of bad luck just down times every driver has those but since his daughter was born and Brexton started racing outside of the first 15 or so races with RCR it has been a sharper downhill than before so I honestly think his family growing and him spending more time with them has contributed to his downfall. If you put 2021 Kyle Busch even in this RCR car I expect similar results to what Reddick had in 2022

Im calling it now, and 23xi gets a SHR Charter, Kyle Busch leaves RCR for 23xi

I think Kyle Busch can be competitive again because we've seen what he can do when he has good stuff and is motivated he's the scariest guy on this race track. In oder to make him relevant again he has to be willing to make some serious changes and realize that he has to be open to finding other solutions than waiting for a change from NASCAR. Kyle needs to leave RCR it's apparent that they are not a team that can be contenders and rely too much on him trying to be a leader of that team. I think a team like 23XI is perfect since he's back with Toyota and they are near or at the level of Joe Gibbs Racing which is really competitive right now. He also needs to stop letting his emotions get to him and focus more on succeeding in each race which will help him get better results. I think we've these changes Kyle can put himself in a better position and while maybe not on the level he was before he will be closer to his 2015-2019 era. Being a KB fan I've seen the many downs but also the up's that come with it.

Kyle's been on the rotten side of luck like Jimmie Johnson. When they ever had a good day and were in contention, luck then yeets them.

I was expecting this kind of season last year.

This feels like when the Labontes were driving Go Fast and JTG cats 💀

Honestly think the Larson incident, he was seemingly defensive against a hit to his corner which visibly had him fish tailing at high speed, then larson’s car goes loose and puts him in the wall. The contact at the start by Larson could have actually put Busch in a wreck had he not caught it so it honestly was just some push back in my eyes to that contact

He has his wins and two championships and he has a huge amount of talent. Makes me feel old as hes only two years older than me. Every driver has had "slump" seasons. Whether its team, age, rules package, new car or just ready to do something else other than racing, only time will tell.

Not being with JGR Eventually exposed KFB's flaws that by his standards are Worse than Corey Harris' Decision to Court Zoom while Driving With A Suspended License

I'm honestly shocked there's no mention of Rowdy Energy possibly being a factor.

At least my boy Brad is doing good

He's driving like he did when he was at Hendrick... Too many repair bills... Probably needs to hit the gym more than I used to. Look at Fernando Alonso at age 42 now, he changed his diet and workout, he's back to one of the best drivers in F1 again. And, Busch might need to work on his mindset as well.

Bro just crashed in a test in indy also. Kyle going through it this year.

The NexGen car is driving Kyle, not Kyle driving the NexGen car. Kyle mastered a “loose” chassis and “sloppy” tires. No rapid decline, adaptation to the new reality of the NexGen design vs his command of the car.

Anyone know if his contract is up this year?

man as a life long kb fan it really is sad to see the decline of his career, a lot of is definitely from rcr just not being competitive at all anymore even though it looked like they would be, as well as still having no real practice which for a veteran driver like him who was used to it for his entire career is a huge disadvantage. Unfortunately tho I do believe some of it is just Kyle himself beginning to regress a little as a driver and all of these mixed together have simply ruined his career

It’s funny that you posted this as he just crashed in the Indy Goodyear test

Practice and limiting of how many Xfinity/Truck races you can run a year led to this. As talented as he is, this shows he doesnt have the RAW talent and needs to find the right setup instead of playing with what he has. Not saying hes a bad driver persay, but he aint as good as what we thought he was, and the removal of 2 things proved that

The fact he crashed the same day you posted this during practice is crazy timing

THIS IS MAKING ME CRY DAY BY DAY!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Did anyone really expect him to perform to Gibbs standards at Childress given his age?

I think Andrew Mayer described RCR's current state best with what's increasingly becoming clear to have been their master plan for resurgence in 2022: Step 1: Sign Kyle Busch Step 2: DIAL-UP NOISES Step 3: Profit

Who’s here after he crashed in the Indy test

Question is what team would Kyle go to if he was to leave RCR?

Busch does not like the "new car." For example, he loses the back end more than anyone. No one should like the new car. It's a step backward in every area. It downright sucks, and all they do is make excuses for it.

I think Kyle Busch should go to 23XI mainly due to the fact they are most likely better than RCR

My thoughts here 1. RCR is a B level team. 2. Bush is getting older and losing his edge. 3. Bush has regressed to to the days behaving like 5 year old like he did way back and ultimately hurting himself .

Before his team switch, it could be a multitude of factors, it could also be maybe that Joe just wanted his grandson (and or his father) to be in cup, so they gave him not so great equipment to race, he started to fall off, team switch, that gave Joe Gibbs a reason to replace him with his grandson. And switching over to RCR was a good idea, the RCR team just hasn't been a front runner ever since Kevin Harvick. At least that's my theory; Like I said, a multitude of theories but that's what I think that comes to mind when it talks about his performance so far

Come on home to Toyota, Kyle. 23XI may have a ride

Then he goes and crashes at Indy dangit man

It's so many things combined. The lack of track time. Even the limits on Truck/Xfinity have hurt him. The constant pit crew blunders are inexcusable after a certain point. A team mate that hhovers in the low 20s in points consistently isn't providing any useful data. Wholesale changes need to be made at RCR but unless Busch threatens to walk like Harvick did so many times it's not gonna change.

If you truly think about it. Denny Hamlin is the new Mark Martin.

If he didn't have to leave Gibbs he would have had a win by now.

I equipment and lack of practice. He’s always been emotional on track and it didn’t stop his results. Look how well he ran at Vegas, Atlanta, Daytona, Dega, Dover, Kansas etc. when the car is there he can perform. When it’s not there’s only so much he can do with it

I just saw on Twitter he crashed at Indianapolis during the testing 23 Minutes ago

The drop-off of Kyle's performance of late could be from the accumulative wearing effects of his *_one-thousand-two hundred_* NASCAR starts. He got a bit greedy with doing multiple races with the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck series all in the same season for multiple years.

I personally thought that 3 wide battle for the lead would help his confidence/remove some of the pressure on him, so he could 'just drive the car', but I guess that wasn't enough. Maybe his crew chief needs to try some crazy strategies to get him the lead late in the race. It will be a hell of a challenge in the junk equipment RCR has to offer though :/

It's rcr paying him back for all the shit he put harvick through.

This was the season that I thought Kyle was going to take a tumble in performance and now the frustration is starting to mount. I hope that he can improve but the older that Kyle gets, he is going to need a decent car to get him going. RCR really has a hard time at many places and Kyle has helped make the team better in some areas. Also, Busch was better when there was practice, he was better when he was able to diagnose and fix the car. Busch is a talented driver, but he is not a driver who can just jump in a car and win with it. He has to get stuff dialed in.

Nobody put laps on thier car more than Kyle Busch in a weekend 😊

I'm a Kyle Busch fan and I always have been since I was little. I remember in 2015 when I was 4 he won the championship and I still have that Die cast that he signed. Its hard seeing your hero sink. I am praying that he somehow makes his way into the championship but honestly all I want is a win.......... :(

He's not declining. He's regressed to his mean. He's a good driver. He's a great driver, in fact. And to nip this argument in the bud, it SHOULDN'T be his age. Every driver ages differently, but it is a largely established idea that a driver's best seasons come in their late 30s/very early 40s. Happened with Hamlin, Harvick, Truex, Kenseth (though his best best happened earlier), Jr, and even his brother Kurt. Kyle's had MAJOR issues with consistency his entire career. Looking back at his early seasons, his issues can be clearly seen. Never averaged better than 12.5 (2008) for his career outside the 2015-2019 stretch. It's clear as day that the thing that kept him focused and made him as good as he was was Adam Stevens, who has gone on to have great success with Christopher Bell. So what we're seeing isn't something really going wrong. It's the result of a splotchy driver on a team whose equipment can't make up for his shortcomings.

The takeaway of practice and being able to dial in the car is one factor. Second? RCR as a whole. When he first went to RCR last season and got those 3 wins? It was a huge hype! For a moment we had a glimmer of hope that made people say "RCR IS BACK BABY!". . .until this year. Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was Busch. But I think he needs to leave RCR and find a team with a more stable program and crew. Because at this point with all of the issues he's had with his team there's no excuse for it at all. There's many races this year he could've won but his team cost him that chance with horrible stops. RCR sadly is long gone from being it's dominant counterpart back in the days of Dale Earnhardt. And Busch deserves better, it's no wonder he's frustrated week in and week out. While yes some of his actions were uncalled for. It simply ties back to why he's frustrated and he has every reason to be. He deserves far better than what RCR has dished out and I hate to see it for him. Let's just hope this doesn't get any worse than it already has.

Kyle Busch still my driver ROWDY NATION

I think it’s the RCR cars. Also several drivers are struggling with this car

Lack of practice definitely plays into it, but to be good you have to continue to adapt to changes. That’s consistent across all sports. I really hope Busch can bounce back somewhat, but I lose hope more and more every race weekend. Especially with the lackluster equipment RCR is giving him.

I think he will retire after this season. Sold his house, his race team, and energy drink company. RIP Rowdy

Another element appears to be his inability to adapt to the next gen car as quickly as other guys. We’ve heard guys who had massive success (like Jimmie) talk about how they always drove off of the left rear wheel in the old cars and how you simply can’t do that anymore. For a guy like KFB, who was so dominant for so long & everything seemed to click very easily for him in older gens, this has to be a massive adjustment. And one he may just be a little slower to make than other guys have been.

I think it's the team. RCR seems way more invested in Xfinity Series right now compared to the Cup Series. And it shows on track if you watch every week. And Kyle probably feels his team was abandoned and just lashing out. Also Jaret, would you have the same attitude if Dale Jr. had a similar drop???

I hope he figures it out. NASCAR is way better when he’s good. If you told me in 2012 I would be rooting for Kyle Busch I would laugh in your face. Yet, Here we are

This video has insane timing 💀💀 Busch crashed at Indianapolis testing today around the time this was uploaded

IMHO its a combination of issues for KB. Almost a Perfect Storm of issues of age, lack of practice and lack of the ability to fine tune the Next Gen car setups. Pre Next Gen car, all drivers got to practice enough to really fine tune to their liking. The Next Gen car has a lot of setup features for a at best semi rough setup. But due to the extremely cut and dried must purchase and use NASCAR erector set parts limits fine tuning that they once had. I really felt that KB wasn't taking to the new car right from the get-go. KB seemed to be more sensitive to the all the changes than the other drivers were. And to make a point of this. Dale Earnhardt had a huge slump way back when too. Its well known that Sr. hated tire testing and rarely tested his cars, paying Dave Marcus to be his primary personal tester. During the slump my Dad asked me, what's up with Earnhardt? My answer back to him was "radial tires". The cars handled very differently when going from bias ply to radials. And Dale had a difficult time with radials for a while. Did Dale test on radials? I dont know, I would guess that he did at some point. Dale seemed to be more bothered by the radial transition then other drivers were. But being the Intimidator, he adjusted and went on to win races on radials.

I could see some time and introspection, if Kyle can do this, maybe a part time ride for a year or two to get his live back and then pull a Mark Martin (my goat) in 2009 at nearly age 50. He might sign a short term deal at low money just because he loves racing again with a good team. I hope Kyle can humble himself enough and perhaps he has a few good seasons left

Numbers don’t lie. RCR cup program had declined, and Kyle’s frustration has set in. Sad. I wish the best for the guy and RCR.

Kyle Busch will win Richmond and Michigan back to back.

It gets even worse after he wrecked his car today during testing at IMS

Kyle Busch still has talent whether you like it or not. As a Kyle Busch fan, there is no way in hell that rowdy nation will ever give up on our driver. Yes, it has been a frustrating and tough season so far, but myself, and all of rowdy nation still believe in Kyle Busch. Keep your head up rowdy, things will get better!!

Can you do a what's wrong with Joey Logano video when you have time?

Being a fan of his since the beginning it has to do with the equipment more than anything. He’s always had an immature side to him but most of that is usually when he’s not performing to the degree he feels he should be. The new car doesn’t help tbh because there have been some drivers who have kind of struggled with the new car even now a year and a half into it. But the competitiveness isn’t there so now you’re gonna see him fall even further probably into obscurity the longer he is at RCR. It sucks as a fan, but it’s something he and Richard should probably discuss now rather than later.

He’s getting the bad equipment from RCR. And because of that, he’s not running up front like we’re used to seeing him do.

It really kills me i grew up a Busch fan (mainly just bc he drive the m&m car and I loved them) now that I am able to pay for and go see races it kills me not to see him perform well I really think it’s a mix of his age equipment and he seems like he doesn’t have any motivation as well

not a criticism, but "held up" also being used for someone who holds things back really confused me for a second there.

What people call bad seasons for KB are great seasons for 80 percent of the field