Kyle Busch heads into the weekend at Iowa Speedway carrying an average finish of 37.0 on the track, a number skewed by last year’s early exit after starting seventh and bowing out with mechanical trouble. With only four races remaining in the regular season, the clock is ticking on his bid to lock in a playoff spot.
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Yet the two-time Cup champion has history on his side, having already scored two victories at Iowa in ARCA and another in the Truck Series, and he hopes this weekend will mark his turning point.
Adding to his optimism, team owner Richard Childress recently voiced his frustration over the quality of cars and promised upgrades, signaling renewed confidence inside the RCR camp. Busch echoed that confidence during the pre-race media session.
“We went to Iowa Speedway for the tire test earlier this year, and we found out just how treacherous it is when there were only four of us there. You get out of the groove, and your car just wants to take off to the wall. So, it was very, very sketchy. I’m not even sure which tire Goodyear ended up deciding to bring back to Iowa.”
The No. 8 driver backed his boss’s commitment, adding, “A lot of work has been done both internally at RCR and with Chevrolet to try to make sure that we’re the best prepared of anybody.”
Busch currently sits 15th in the standings with 478 points, riding a season that includes two top fives and seven top 10s. His participation in June’s Goodyear tire test at Iowa alongside Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe provides a slight edge, giving him firsthand knowledge of how the surface behaves.
Still, while Busch owns 16 career Cup victories on short tracks, his last trip to Victory Lane on such a circuit dates back to 2019. His teammate, Austin Dillon, finished 19th at Iowa last year but has an impressive Xfinity history at the venue, with three top fives and four top 10s in six starts.
RCR now aims to channel that past success into the Cup garage, hoping a strong showing at Iowa can ignite their championship push.
