It has been a challenging year for Kyle Busch. Having said that, it is bewildering that it looked effortlessly easy for him in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. However, come the 2023 playoffs, it has all gone downhill for Rowdy who now faces the brunt of some intense criticism.

During his time at Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch remained a favorite for the championship more often than not. While that hasn’t changed much with his switch to RCR, things haven’t been going his way lately.

Kyle Busch gets ruthlessly bashed for his playoff struggles with RCR

It is no secret how many doubted Kyle Busch after he announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing last year. Many believed he would struggle at Richard Childress Racing but he proved them wrong, at least initially. In the regular season, Busch went on to win three times, reinstating his faith in his capabilities.

While Busch was impressive in the first 19 races, it all changed pretty much after his crash in New Hampshire. Having finished in the 36th position then, it looked like his confidence took a major hit. Surprisingly, post that race, the 38-year-old finished just once in the top five.

In fact, his run in the playoffs has been nothing but disappointing, especially for a driver of his stature. In the four races that have taken place so far, Busch has finished in the top ten only once and has even struggled to finish in the top 15 more than twice.

Very recently after his 34th-placed finish at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch took the blame upon himself for his poor run. It was then that he admitted that keeping it simple worked for him while trying hard didn’t. Discussing it on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, veteran spotter Brett Griffin slammed the #8 driver for his approach.

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He said, “I mean he’s one of the best average driver race car, right? Yes. He’s really good. I mean he’s one of the best to ever do it, but, so stop trying so f**king hard. Stop putting your team in a hole. If you’re gonna be as good as we say you are, you gotta be that good all weekend. You can’t just show up halfway through the race and do it.”

While there was both respect and criticism in Griffin’s words, he just wanted Busch to keep it simple. Now, how does he stand in comparison to his competitors to clinch the upcoming race at Talladega?

Busch needs a massive turnaround at Talladega to escape playoff elimination

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After crashing out at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Kyle Busch now sits in the 12th position on the table. With him 17 points outside the top eight, he would need to be at his very best at Talladega come this weekend. Having already won the race there in spring and in 2008, Busch surely knows how it’s done at the tri-oval course.

However, he faces strong competition from Brad Keselowski who has won six times at Talladega Superspeedway. Alongside him, playoff drivers Ryan Blaney (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Ross Chastain (1), and Bubba Wallace (1) all have enjoyed the taste of victory there.

Given how there is no specific approach that has always worked at Talladega, Busch’s chances of a win are as good as anyone else’s. It will be interesting to see if the RCR driver deviates from his natural style given the recent issues.

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