Kyle Busch has been making headlines ever since he started showing signs of improvement with his #8 team. Seemingly on his way to clinching his second top-10 finish, an incident put him back in the spotlight, but this time for more than one reason, as ‘Rowdy’ appears to be making a comeback.

“Not freaking clear. great day going. and just got wrecked. what an a**,” John Hunter Nemechek wrote on X following the end of the race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

If you look at it, the overall race was going pretty well for both drivers. However, that didn’t last long. With just three laps left, both drivers were involved in an incident that caused them to lose several positions, drawing quite contrasting reactions on social media.

After the stops, Busch remained stuck in 11th place on new tires, but in the next turn, Nemechek passed him. In an attempt to regain the position, Busch tried to pass him on the side, but contact occurred that caused his Chevrolet to hit the outside wall, causing damage. The 28-year-old, without delay, advanced and took the position.

However, Busch, being the unforgiving ‘rowdy’ that he has now been for decades, seemingly forgot that he is no longer in a winning car. He took his time letting Nemechek catch up to him, then wrecked him, sending the car into the wall. While Busch finished 20th and Nemechek came in at 21st.

Undeniably, this race could have ended much better for both drivers. But Busch had to pull off that stunt, wrecking the race for Nemechek and also ruining his finish. Chase Elliott crossed the white flag shortly after this and eventually won the race.

“Kyle has his best race in months and then ruins it with this,” wrote popular NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp.

However, it was also hard to determine who was at fault for the initial contact that triggered Kyle Busch. Some claimed that it was John Hunter Nemechek who attempted to make a contract with the #8. However, analyzing the on-board footage, it seemed that Busch wasn’t completely cleared before making contact. But then he pulled up with the ultimate move: race data.

“I did not start this. The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the RS of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him, and I was judging my left side tires to the hash marks. Always know who your racing beside,” he wrote on social media, sharing telemetry and positioning of both cars.

This added another layer of drama to the already event-filled race. There were multiple cautions for similar wrecks throughout the race; however, they were more ‘single-car wrecks’ rather than a legend wrecking into another driver.

If we turn back the clock a bit, we can see how Busch made a clear admission while appearing on FOX News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity about intentional wrecking. What began as a general question about extreme racing tactics turned into a personal confession.

“Like intentionally wrecking somebody, that needs to be a no-no. You can’t do that. Oh, no, I can’t say that. I’ve never done that. I have done that,” he said.

Now, intentional wrecking is something no driver would tolerate, and it is bound to stir up some rivalries. But if anything, there was one very interesting aspect about Busch’s overall performance. Considering this season was one of the worst starts to his career, a top-10 run was the last thing fans expected. Although he did not finish there, the run in itself was rather impressive. This possibly could be because of the massive changes that Richard Childress recently made behind the scenes.

Kyle Busch reflects on working with Andy Street

Childress swapped Jim Pohlman with Andy Street shortly after the race at the Talladega Superspeedway (ironically, that was the best result he produced all season). The chemistry between him and Busch didn’t seem to be fitting, and although that one race result was impressive, the rest of the season’s story was on the opposite side, with Busch finishing at the back of the field.

But even before he headed into the race at Texas earlier, the 41-year-old shared positive words for his new crew chief:

“Andy’s got a good focus here for this weekend, qualifying sixth, great start for us, looking forward to keeping that momentum rolling.”

Kyle Busch has been struggling for most of his stint with Richard Childress Racing, and the matter seems to be getting out of hand now for him and the rest of the team. But Busch has been working on his performance as well, and he seems serious now.

“Basically, just I’m all in, I’m here to work, I’m here to do my job,” he added, “Going to the sim all the time, being in there sometimes two times a week, whatever it takes.”

There’s still a lot that remains for Busch to work on, including his anger, perhaps. However, that is just one of the things the ‘Rowdy’ has been known for decades, and he seems to be cherishing that persona of his.