Home

NASCAR

Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Star Lives the Dream Kyle Busch Yearned for

Published 08/14/2023, 10:07 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

As the dust settles on the Indy escapade, the reverberations of post-race comments have only started to take form. The NASCAR crowd has now set their sights on The Glen, another road course heralding the penultimate race of the regular season, a prelude to the imminent playoffs. Kyle Busch, ensconced in the playoffs with a trio of victories, spent the week bemoaning the waning glory of the Brickyard 400.

Its metamorphosis from an oval to a road course robbed it of its former luster. A seasoned veteran, Busch’s racing odyssey at the Indy oval spanned from 2005 to 2020, until the ill-fated road course takeover. The transformation, though inevitable, kindled a sense of nostalgia, a yearning for the days gone by.

Chase Briscoe checks off his bucket list while Kyle Busch’s longing continues

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

During a media interaction, Kyle Busch was questioned about the IndyCar-NASCAR weekends for the past three years. Responding, he acknowledged the uniqueness and his enjoyment of the event, describing it as “pretty cool.”

However, he revealed that both he and several peers shared a preference for oval racing over the road course. Busch admitted to a sense of nostalgia, wishing to embrace the prestige and historical significance of the oval.

He confessed, “But you know, if I’m being selfish, I think many of us drivers, crews and everything else, we’d rather be coming here and racing around the oval with the prestige and the history of what the oval is, Even though we’re at Indy, it just doesn’t really feel like it’s the same thing going the wrong way.”

In the midst of Kyle Busch’s wishful yearning for the oval races, a contrasting tale emerges from the Stewart-Haas camp. Chase Briscoe, Tony Stewart‘s standout driver, took to Twitter, sharing his elation after completing a lap around the iconic IMS oval. Accompanied by a clip of the feat, Briscoe tweeted, “Run a cup car at @IMS on the oval…✅”.

Kyle Busch’s struggles continue: Consecutive disappointments after Michigan DNF

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NASCAR stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Kyle Busch, armed with three wins this season, aimed for a fourth triumph at Indy, starting strong in 5th place. However, his hopes crashed as the race unfolded, an engine failure took a win further away from him on the Indianapolis road course. The setback cut deep, as Busch expressed his frustration on Twitter stating, “I just don’t know anymore.” 

The car’s recurrent issues, particularly on short tracks, lend credibility to his dismay. He surged to P4 in the second stage and finished P6 but encountered more engine woes, causing a drop in positions and a lost lap. Radio excerpts captured his struggles, with drag hindering acceleration.

“Something’s slowing me down. I’ve got drag. Like, I don’t know what’s happening.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

His consecutive disappointments, coupled with remarks from crew chief Randall Burnett, compound the concern, leaving Busch disheartened for the second consecutive week since the disastrous DNF at Michigan.

Watch this story: Kyle Busch’s Concerns Become a Reality as Fans Bash the Chicago Race after an Unwanted Stoppage

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Rashi Shetty

283Articles

One take at a time

Rashi Shetty is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. Her passion for the sport extends beyond the thrill of on-track racing, as she finds the behind-the-scenes aspects of car development and sportsmanship equally captivating. Her favorite motorsports moment of 2023 is the NASCAR Garage 56 entry at Le Mans.
Show More>

Edited by:

Nischal Kandpal