The racing world is still reeling over the loss of one of the greatest drivers of all time, Kyle Busch. The last thing I want to do is gloss over the loss suffered by his family, his team, and fans worldwide. But I can’t help but think about what we all missed out on from a performance standpoint. I believe there is plenty of evidence that “KFB” would’ve either made the Chase this season or come very close to making it.
The proof is in his most recent results, the body of work he put together over his long and prosperous career, and the many tea leaves showing he and his team were very clearly turning the corner.
Ever since his last win at Worldwide Technology Raceway in 2023, Busch had been frequently struggling on track. He was embroiled in the longest winless streak of his career. Some weekends he had a tough time staying on the lead lap.
When the struggles began, everyone thought he would overcome them. As time went on and the struggles continued, many began to believe Busch had won his last Cup Series race and competed in his last post-season.
Almost every legend of any sport eventually hit a point in their career where the performance begins to decline. Racers are not immune to this, but they often can continue to perform at a prime level well into their 40s.
Busch was in the early stages of a career comeback, and what a story it would’ve been.
Following a 10th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, crew chief Jim Pohlman was re-assigned to other duties with Richard Childress Racing, and Andy Street became the crew chief on Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet.
In the week leading up to his first race with Street, it was reported that Busch had addressed the entire RCR team to let them know he was “all in”. Busch’s RCR teammate Austin Dillon said the following about the team meeting, “He’s all in and wants to get back… his next win is going to be the biggest of his career.”
In his first race with Street atop the pit box, Busch qualified sixth at Texas Motor Speedway. It was his best qualifying position since the Daytona 500. He ran inside or near the top 10 throughout the race. A last lap dust up with John Hunter Nemechek relegated “Rowdy” to a 20th-place result, but the speed had been there.
The following week at Watkins Glen International, Busch settled for an eighth-place finish. He had been running in the top five until he ran out of fuel coming to the checkered flag. Again: the speed, the race craft, it was all there.
Then came his final race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. Busch started by winning the pole for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, led 147 of 200 laps and won by over three seconds in a vintage, dominant performance. In it Busch told the world he was still here, and he was still KFB.
He followed that up by driving up to seventh in stage one of the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. He subsequently got caught up in a multi-car wreck not of his doing and limped the wounded car home 17th. But once again; Busch, Street and the No. 8 team had found the speed they had been lacking earlier in the season.
Plus, Talladega, Texas, Dover and Watkins Glen? These are four circuits that could not be any more different, and Busch was putting up Rowdy-like numbers at each type. His track versatility had returned.
After Busch’s final Cup Series points race at Watkins Glen, he was tied with Zane Smith for 23rd in the standings. He was 66 points behind the Chase cutoff with 14 races to go. Right behind Busch? Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series Alum Erik Jones, who sat 69 points behind the cut line.
In the weeks since Watkins Glen, Jones has risen to 18th in the standings and trimmed his Chase deficit to just 18 points. Wow, Kyle Busch’s fingerprints and numerology are all over that. Its fitting.
Since Street took over, Busch had backed up his talk of being all in at every opportunity. They had the speed. If Jones can whittle his deficit down from 69 points to 18 points within a few weeks, Busch could’ve done something similar.
But the reality is, he wouldn’t have even needed to catch up that quickly. The 66 point deficit with 14 races left before the post-season means he would’ve needed to make up a very doable 5 points per week. The newfound speed was key. Starting closer to the front means racing in cleaner air and having more opportunities to accumulate points in the stages.
Since Busch’s tragic passing, Ryan Preece, another “bubble” driver, has free fallen in the standings. Austin Cindric had back-to-back finishes of 38th and 26th. At Nashville Superspeedway, AJ Allmendinger finished 35th. You get the point. There would’ve been many opportunities to make up ground, and it was clear Busch was showing the ability to do just that.
Had Busch been able to continue, I believe he would’ve made it to the Chase and won at least one more Cup Race this season. The reaction would’ve been, as Dillon said, “The biggest win of his career.”
Go back to his last Cup win at Gateway. Go back to the one before that at Talladega. Listen to the fan reaction when he got out of the car. The familiar boos that Busch heard over the course of two decades were replaced by something initially unexpected: resounding cheers.
As Busch got into his 40s in age, and began driving for RCR, who is somewhat of an underdog team these days, fan sentiment changed in a big way. Long time haters were pulling for Busch. People wanted to see him get back on top. That tends to happen when a long-tenured star of any sport gets into a rough patch. Kyle’s older brother Kurt Busch experienced the same phenomenon in his later years. Father time will always be undefeated against all of us. But we love nostalgia and fond memories of the past.
Busch has given us all no shortage of fond memories.
Carrying the sub-optimal RCR cars to a Chase berth with a victory along the way would’ve been one of the biggest and best stories of the entire NASCAR season. It could’ve also extended his career, in the Cup Series and perhaps the Truck Series, where many expected he would one day compete for a Championship. This would’ve allowed Busch to become the only champion of all of NASCAR’s top three series in the sport’s history. That would’ve been very appropriate for a driver who won more than anyone across all three.
It may have also allowed him to race against his son Brexton Busch.
Rowdy’s first-born son Brexton would turn 16 during the 2031 season, while the elder Busch would be 46. That seemed destined to happen.
It all seemed destined to happen. Making the Chase in both of its eras, getting back to victory lane, winning a Truck Series Championship and racing in a major NASCAR race against his son.
We were going to witness many more special moments in the life and career of Kyle Busch. His story was so far from being complete. It remains one of the most shocking, heartbreaking, and reverberating tragedies in NASCAR history.
Fortunately, Busch’s legacy will live on, and it will be ever-present in the sport we all love. Through the many current drivers who drove for and were mentored by Busch during the KBM Truck Series era, through everything RCR is able to accomplish now and into the future, through the lives of his surviving family members, and through all the great memories he’s given us over his long – maximally entertaining – wildy successful career.
He’ll be missed for so many reasons off track too. While many drivers sought a more private life off track, Busch gave us a lot of great (and often hilarious) content that had little or nothing to do with racing. His efforts with his wife Samantha Busch and their Bundle of Joy fund have touched the lives (and even enabled the lives) of so many and will continue to do so.
Busch had gone from most-hated, to beloved and respected. I just wish we got to see the rest of the arc play out. It would’ve been one hell of a Rowdy ride.
Steve Leffew joined Frontstretch in 2023 and covers the Xfinity Series. He has served honorably in the United States Air Force and and lives in Wisconsin.
Thanks for choosing to comment on this article. A name and email address are required to post a comment. The email address is not publicly visible or shared. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated according to our comment policy.