Kyle Busch was certainly not the happiest driver to leave Sonoma Raceway last Sunday. However, the Richard Childress Racing driver does have a silver lining to look at after what was a tough outing for the two-time champion.
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The 2024 Cup Series race in wine country saw Busch on course for a top 5 finish during a season that has seen the #8 Chevy driver struggle for results. Unfortunately, he could not manage to hold on to the same as Ross Chastain made contact with the RCR driver on the final lap, relegating him to a P12 finish.
An angle of the last-lap incident between @KyleBusch and @RossChastain. pic.twitter.com/DZv5WwVQhs
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 9, 2024
Despite not being able to haul in as many points as he deserved during the end of the 110-lap-long event, Busch’s P12 finish comes with one positive as he inches closer to a postseason playoffs spot.
Before the Sonoma Raceway weekend, Kyle Busch sat 20 points behind Bubba Wallace who holds the final playoff spot. Post Sunday’s event, Busch has closed that gap to 8 points.
Updated Race Results from @RaceSonoma. @KyleBusch finished P12 in the #Zone Chevrolet. pic.twitter.com/ycXDmXh2Ja
— RCR Updates (@RCRupdates) June 10, 2024
The Las Vegas native also spoke about how he thought he raced during the event and touched on the final lap incident and said, “A couple of guys there at the end of the race had better tires than we did, but we were going to have a good day. Unfortunately, one of those guys got into us on the last lap and ruined our day. It’s frustrating to not get the finish that we deserved.”
How has Kyle Busch performed during 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season so far?
NASCAR’s visit to Sonoma Raceway marked the RCR driver’s longest winless streak during his long, storied career. The two-time Cup Series champion has not managed to visit victory lane for 37 consecutive races.
Busch’s last winless streak which lasted 36 races long ended all the way back in 2017, back when he used to drive for Coach Gibbs’ racing outfit. The #8 Chevy driver has also managed to win a race in all of his 19 seasons in the sport so far, with this year threatening to break that record as well.
It remains to be seen whether Kyle Busch can log another win during his 20th consecutive season in the sport this year as NASCAR heads to Iowa Speedway next weekend.
