Has Kyle Busch Hit Rock Bottom?

Has Kyle Busch hit rock bottom in his NASCAR Cup Series career?

Mark Kristl: Other than more DNFs further worsening his points position, yes. This is the least competitive I’ve seen Kyle Busch, and it’s painful to watch. He is one of the all-time greats and is driving for historic Richard Childress Racing, yet he is not a regular contender. His average finishing position is his second worst, only a few spots better than his rookie season in 2005. He has finished in the top 10 in less than a third of the season, which would be his career worst. To boot, he knows he’s hit rock bottom; hence why he dumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at North Wilkesboro Speedway, was involved in that skirmish and openly said he’d be willing to return to Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports.

Kevin Nix: In terms of a full season, no, but this is a horrible stretch he’s in right now. He’s finished 35th in three of the last four races, and he’s on track to have his worst season since he was a rookie in 2005. In years past, when Busch has had bad stretches, he has typically recovered either the next season or in the second half of that year. He finished fourth in points in 2013 after missing the playoffs entirely in 2012. If one or two more months go by and he’s still running outside the top 25 on pace, it’s time to hit the panic button. But he’s still close enough to the cutline right now that if he recovers starting this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend, he can point his way in.

Andrew Stoddard: Close but not there yet. After all, Busch missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2012, so arguably those were worse moments in his career. You could make a case for 2020 as well when Busch did not win until Texas Motor Speedway, the 34th out of 36 races on the Cup schedule. If Busch winds up missing the playoffs and/or goes winless, 2024 will be without a doubt the worst season of his Cup career.

Mike Neff: Rock bottom is a little too extreme. Prior to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he had five races in a row where he was running in the top 10 and working closer to the front as the race evolved. Unfortunately, bad luck reared its head and prevented a strong finish.

Will RCR benefit from Andy Petree’s retirement?

Nix: It’s hard not to, considering how abysmally the team has performed in the last two months. Busch was running outside the top 30 on speed at New Hampshire, which is inexcusable no matter how you slice it. It was clear…