Freshly removed from championship contention after the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, it is no secret that Kyle Busch has fallen short of expectations after capturing the NASCAR Cup Series title in 2019.
In fact, if you were to take me to his hometown of Las Vegas at the beginning of the season before a crazy virus flipped the nation upside down and predicted brother Kurt Busch to advance further in the playoffs than Kyle, I would have gladly thrown the mortgage at that safe bet. It’s a good thing I didn’t, though, because I would be pretty cold at night as we approach the October months.
Still winless this season, Kyle Busch is now in danger of ruining one of the most impressive statistics currently running in NASCAR’s premier series. If the 35-year-old cannot find victory lane in one of the last four races remaining, he will snap a 15-year streak of winning at least one race in each of his full-time Cup seasons.
The last time we saw the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&Ms Camry in victory lane was in November of 2019 in that title race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Unfortunately, the younger Busch brother might just be a victim of his own success. Although he hasn’t been in victory lane hoisting a trophy by himself smiling behind a mask this year, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been a ‘bust year’ for the driver. Twelve top-fives and 17 top-10s in 32 starts would be a tremendous year for most drivers, but with the amount of success that we have seen out of Busch the last fifteen years, it is understandable to see Rowdy Nation in a true pandemic.
Luckily for the No. 18 team, 2021 will bring rejuvenation to the group with a new schedule that sees a dirt track and 6 road courses. All eyes will be on the 18 as we roll into Kansas Speedway this weekend to see if he can finally end his nightmare year.
