What’s Happening?

Kyle Busch and RCR have had a rough 2024. While his season hasn’t been as bad as some, is it time for Busch to look at other opportunities?

• Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing ended their 15-season partnership after 2022. This breakup was due in part to a lack of sponsorship and hotshot prospect Ty Gibbs, who needed a spot on the team.
• Busch landed on his feet in the rebranded No. 8 at Richard Childress Racing. RCR had just lost its planned future in No. 8 and had grouped enough sponsorship to support Busch. Halfway through 2023, the partnership garnered three wins. However, since that last win, the duo has had a rough skid from the top.

The Case to Leave

Busch’s season on track has not been good. As previously stated, the team started rough, got better, and then fell off again by summer. Alongside this performance was a violent cycle of Busch starting poorly and finishing well or starting well and not improving on his starting position.

Last season, Crew Chief Randall Burnett and Busch clicked early on.

This success said a lot for Busch and the team as a whole. Since losing Kevin Harvick in 2014, RCR has fallen off the path to championship contention. In 2023, Busch, who replaced Tyler Reddick, the driver who left RCR, matched Reddick’s 2022 in wins and standing.

But 2024 feels like a step back for RCR and Busch.

Busch was as high as 12th in the standings at the start of the summer and fell to 18th by Pocono in July. Teammate Austin Dillon was an even greater problem for RCR.

Dillon’s stats have slowly fallen off since his first few years in the Cup Series. This year is his worst to date, floating around the bottom three of all full-time Cup Series drivers in the standings.

A dominating car at Richmond looked like a win and a playoff spot for Dillon before wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin for the win on a late restart, with NASCAR revoking his playoff spot days later.

In the midst of the chaos, Childress denied that anyone from the team told Dillon to wreck the drivers, though in-car audio told a different story. What felt like a breakthrough win for RCR was now soured, but Busch, ever resilient surged late in the regular season.

Three top-fives in a row from Michigan to Darlington were not enough to salvage Busch’s season. Out of the Playoffs and winless for what could be the first time since 2004, Buschs’ fans have rumored, theorized, and, at times, begged for Rowdy to find a new home.

The Case to Stay Put: The Free Agent Market

Fans were quick to throw Busch’s name around when JGR had an opening in the No. 19. When 23XI was rumored to expand, the rumor mill kicked Busch’s name up yet again.

However, Busch’s departure is highly unlikely, as one key factor affects whether or not he should consider leaving RCR.

The 2025 NASCAR free agent market is slow, very slow. The list of names keeps growing, but very few Cup Series drivers are off the market.

Complementary to that, the open rides might not be an upgrade from RCR. The two known Cup Series openings are the No. 7 at Spire Motorsports and an unnumbered new entry at Front Row Motorsports.

Busch has a solid relationship with Spire. He sold his iconic Truck Series program to the team and won for the team in the Truck Series this season. FRM is an up-and-coming program with decent speed and a youthful 2025 lineup.

That youthful lineup is a part of a new youth movement in NASCAR, something that greatly affects Rowdy’s career.

The Case to Stay Put: Sponsorship and Loyalty

While he is Kyle Busch, KFB is getting older, and both of these teams are turning a corner with a chance to build a future now. Not that another suitor could arise for the former Champion, but his age is always going to factor into the decision.

Another factor in his market is the reason Busch left JGR: lack of sponsorship.

Busch, a big name in the sport, was left dangling after Mars left JGR. RCR not only believed in Busch but worked to get sponsors together for a full season.

RCR’s show of loyalty tells us that RCR needs Busch, who is under contract for at least next season, giving him valuable job security. The No. 8 is not the worst team on track to be with. In fact, statistically speaking, Busch is picking up the reins and turning his year around.

Slumps are common for teams. RCR, like many others, will rise and fall with the years. As of now, Busch doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere. Rather, like many times before in his career, he is adjusting.

While Kyle Busch might stay put, the idea of him leaving looks appetizing to the rumor mill, and with how this Silly Season is going, you never know what will happen next.

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