As William Byron, Christopher Bell, and the new generation of NASCAR drivers continue to deliver stellar results back-to-back, one veteran is eager to get back to winning ways. For Kyle Busch, it has been a painstaking 328 days without a visit to the Cup Series victory lane, something the #8 RCR driver was rather familiar with before the Next Gen era.

Despite starting the year strong with podiums at the Busch Light Clash and the Ambetter Health 400, Rowdy is yet to conquer the biggest hurdle in the #8’s path to glorious resurgence: NASCAR’s infamous short tracks. But as the Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway, Kyle Busch is optimistic that the tides are about to turn in his favor.

Dover is shaping up to be a make-or-break moment for Kyle Busch and RCR

It’s no secret that short-track racing hasn’t been the best display of what NASCAR stands for, ever since the Next Gen car arrived. And no driver feels that more so than Kyle Busch, who has, with time, realized that the Next Gen car doesn’t suit veteran drivers, let alone short-track racing. This is fairly evident when looking at Richard Childress Racing’s short-track package.

Out of the four races we’ve had so far this season in which RCR has used their short-track package, Kyle Busch has failed to finish better than 20th in three of them. But that isn’t all. As Rowdy himself stated, “A lot of different things that keep adding up.”

Though the team’s 2024 form may not instill great confidence, Busch’s 22 laps led at last year’s Dover race reveal that the #8 garage could have an ace up its sleeve. But that’s not all. Busch also believes that it will be vital to do well in the following race in Kansas.

After finishing P7 last year during the playoffs at Kansas, the #8 driver is rather prepared to take on the coming weekends and recover some much-needed points. Reflecting on this make-or-break opportunity, Busch shared with Jayski, “These two places will be really good for us to get our footing back in the right direction and find a good, solid basis to land on in order to build into the summer.”

Now that Kyle Busch has laid down major expectations from the RCR garage at one of their weakest layouts, it’s safe to say that Rowdy has a plan to make his way back toward the HMS top dogs.

‘That’s what it boils down to’ – Rowdy dissects the formula for success moving forward

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Although the #8 RCR driver seems to be in a downward spiral, the results from the 2024 season do not tell the whole story. For Kyle Busch, what’s important is where he could have finished realistically, if not for all the curveballs that ended his races early. Putting together the pieces, Busch revealed a shocking reality. He had lost out on over 89 points owing to mistakes made by himself or other drivers. Naturally, this trend cannot continue if Busch wants any shot at changing his fate this season.

That being said, Kyle Busch is well aware of the shortcomings that weren’t in his control. He shared it with Jayski, saying, “We just had different reasons and issues that arose during those races that kept us out of positions to gain those points or get those wins…(…)…it’s definitely not where we want to be, but I’m not shocked. We haven’t scored the finishes that we need. That’s what it boils down to. When you can get finishes, stage (points) the way that you need to then you know you’re going to be alright.”

For the #8 Richard Childress Racing crew, there are quite a few hurdles that lie ahead. Not only does the team need to figure out a way to stabilize their pit crew, but the short-track package also needs major improvements. After all, even with all his optimism, there’s only so much Rowdy can do without the proper tools.