Kyle Busch in 2023 came in surrounded by controversy and doubts. He had left one top-tier team in Joe Gibbs Racing and went on to a new manufacturer entirely with Chevy in Richard Childress Racing. The two-time Cup Series champion and winner of 63 Cup Series races, and countless others in the Busch Series or Truck Series, is a legend. But a late-career change can be tough on the best of them.
He replaced the #8 of Tyler Reddick, as he moved to the #45 of 23XI, and rookie the year Ty Gibbs took the car vacated by Busch and transformed it into the #54 of his own. Busch was the premier free agent last winter, and Richard Childress Racing, despite the historical feud with Rowdy, signed him on anyway as a teammate to #3 Austin Dillon.
2022 vs 2023
Embed from Getty ImagesBusch started the year off strong. In the first 10 races, he had won at Fontana, the final race of that track, and Talladega. Tacking on an additional three top-10s. He continued strong through the rest of the regular season finishing with 10 top-fives and seven more in the top-10 with another win at WWT. He posted an average finish of 15th leading 241 laps and winning two poles at WWT and Dover. 2023 was for all intents and purposes, a bounce back for the two-time champion.
Now, let’s compare 2023 to 2022. Last season, Busch only had one win at Bristol Dirt. Along with that, just eight top-fives and nine other finishes in the top 10. Rowdy didn’t win any poles in his last year with Joe Gibbs Racing and finished almost two spots lower than he did in 2023. He also didn’t make it past the round of 16 in ’22. He advanced another round this year getting tossed out in the round of 12.
Looking Ahead
Embed from Getty ImagesLooking ahead to 2024, it looks like Busch has no signs of slowing down or retiring. We can deem 2023 a success, and look forward to what 2024 has to come. There’s some turbulence with the new media rights deal and how Rowdy Nation will catch the #8 driver in action from race to race. But ultimately, I expect Kyle Busch to be right in the thick of the playoff chase, put up multiple wins, and maybe even approach the championship four come next fall.
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