The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has not been kind to two different 2X champions of the sport this year. Kyle Busch at Richard Childress Racing and Joey Logano from Team Penske’s camp both find themselves out of position as NASCAR heads to its 14th regular season points-paying race.
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Busch’s frustration after his honeymoon period with RCR ended was quite evident as he displayed last weekend during the All-Star Race. Claiming to “suck as much as” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who punched the #8 Chevy driver after an on-track run-in, Busch has not been able to steadily finish inside the top 10 nor has a victory to his name this season.
Former NASCAR crew chief turned broadcaster Steve Letarte recently spoke on why Busch’s struggles have increased since last season and said, “Think about the equipment he’s driving. Last year he impressed me specifically on where that car ran on speed. Now, when I look at the RCR group, Kyle Busch is barely in. His teammate is 31st in points. Busch is 16 positions in front of his teammate. Simply put in my mind, he needs faster racecars.”
Race results from Darlington:
P28 – @austindillon3
P27 – @KyleBusch @BassProShops | #zone_partner pic.twitter.com/NPOIg6VLK3— RCR (@RCRracing) May 12, 2024
Letarte also touched on an interesting point that Busch is not in a privileged position to bounce off car and setup-related data off other veteran teammates as he probably would have been used to at Joe Gibbs Racing. The #8 crew at RCR currently only has manufacturer support or RCR’s alliances with Hendrick Motorsports to help them improve performance on the track.
Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Joey Logano is comfortably set at a team that has proven it knows how to challenge for championships just when it counts the most. Roger Penske’s Cup Series outfit has a proven track record with Logano recently clinching the title in 2022, followed by his teammate Ryan Blaney taking the same trophy home in 2023.
The #22 crew’s performance this year however has been completely under the radar up until last weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Despite having won the exhibition race at the historic track, Logano has failed to challenge for the playoffs up until now and sits in P17 on the driver’s standings table. Logano’s last top-10 appearance came back in Martinsville Speedway last month, with a consistent run outside ever since.
Finished 21st at Darlington pic.twitter.com/2EXy6IlhWd
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) May 13, 2024
Former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton however praised the team for being known to turn on the afterburners just in time, characteristic of Logano and Blaney’s championship runs from the past two seasons. He said, “I am never going to bet against Joey Logano. That guy is a fierce competitor, he knows what he’s doing. He drives for a really good race team. I am certainly not going to count him out.”
As the regular season inches closer to a finish and drivers prepare for the postseason playoffs, it remains to be seen how both Logano and Busch turn their seasons around after dismal starts in 2024.
