NASCAR Insiders Reveals ‘Bigger Issue’ With Kyle Busch’s Performance Woes

Despite the advantageous features of Kansas Speedway that generally foster exciting overtaking opportunities, Kyle Busch continues to grapple with performance issues in his 19th year competing at NASCAR’s highest level.

The two-time Cup Series champion’s ongoing challenges continued at the Hollywood Casino 400, where hopes for a resurgence were dashed.

The Kansas Speedway provided an ideal setting for Busch to shine. Starting third on the grid, he maintained a competitive pace, staying within the top ten from the second stage onward. By lap 205, Busch was in the fray for the lead with Ross Chastain, and by lap 226, he appeared well-positioned for a win.

However, a collision with the wall on lap 235 resulted in a spin-out of his No. 8 Chevy, ultimately costing him the race. Reflecting on the incident, a visibly disheartened Busch lamented, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:

“I’m numb. I don’t know what to do.”

NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi has now analyzed Busch’s prolonged struggles in a recent episode of ‘The Teardown’ podcast. Bianchi pointed out that Busch’s performance this year has been generally lackluster, with exceptions at Darlington and Atlanta. He explained:

“He’s really had a year where he hasn’t been in contention for many wins. Obviously, Darlington and Atlanta come to mind as exceptions.

“But this really felt like, okay, here it is. Here’s the opportunity. Whether he could have held off Chastain or not, we don’t know. But certainly, a missed opportunity.

“It speaks to I think a bigger issue for Kyle Busch since this new car…I don’t think his skill set is adapting well to this. It’s been a struggle for him sometimes to get his hands around it.

“And sometimes when he doesn’t have great cars, he’s pushed too much. Other times when he’s had good cars, maybe tried to do a little too much. He’s got himself in trouble. And today, it just looked like he got crossed up a little bit.”

NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 At Kansas Speedway Results

1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Penske Racing Ford
5. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
8. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
9. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10. Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
11. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
12. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
13. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
14. Joey Logano, No. 22 Penske Racing Ford
15. Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
16. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
17. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
18. Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
19. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
20. Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
21. Ty Dillon, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
22. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
23. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
24. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
25. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
26. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
27. Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG-Daughtery Racing Chevrolet
29. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
30. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
31. Kaz Grala, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
32. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
33. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
34. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Penske Racing Ford
35. Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
36. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
37. JJ Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
38. Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford