“Can’t Shake This Monkey off Our Back”: Winless Kyle Busch Aims to Secure Chequered Flag Early in Playoffs

Before the start of the 2020 season, it would have been considered a stretch to say that Kyle Busch would be winless throughout the regular season. He is, after all, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion. But Kyle Busch has endured a frustrating season, one where he has come so near yet been so far from a win.

Kyle Busch addresses eagerness to bag elusive win

As the playoffs begin on Sunday, the 35-year-old is eager to get ‘the monkey off his back’. “Just seems like we can’t shake this monkey off our back. Wherever he is, whatever he looks like, somebody tell me,” Kyle Busch said in a media interaction before the playoffs.

Busch has 10 weeks to end his winless streak but will need to be at his best from the word ‘go’ as the playoffs begin. “We’re gonna go for a few roll-arounds here. Get him off my back in order to be able to go out here and have a solid, successful, productive final 10 weeks,” Busch expressed.

Consistent season for Busch

Busch came agonizingly close to victory on three occasions this year. He has three second-place finishes – at the Auto Club Speedway, Darlington Raceway, and at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also finished second in the All-Star race.

With the playoffs beginning at Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Busch will aim to convert the second-place finish from earlier, into a win. Busch also has 13 top-10 finishes this season, with 11 of those converted into top-five finishes.

Kyle Busch can take inspiration from Tony Stewart’s 2011 Cup Series championship run as the playoffs begin. Stewart failed to win a single race in the regular season that year but turned things around after that. Busch recently admitted that he wants to ‘Tony Stewart it’ heading into the playoffs.

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Previous playoffs experience

Busch recently even admitted that he will start the playoffs ‘behind the eight ball’, despite being the title holder.

The first step for him will be progressing through the playoff rounds and reaching the ‘Championship 4 race’. That is where he has great memories of the past, making the Championship race in each of the last five seasons. He won the Cup Series in 2015 as well.

Busch will start the Darlington race this weekend from the back of the field in 15th place.