Only four races remain in the Cup Series regular season as Kyle Busch continues to seek his first win since Gateway last season. He is below the playoff cutline, but Richmond Raceway provides a prime opportunity to get back to victory lane.
Busch is the active leader in Cup wins at the Virginia short track. He has six wins in 37 starts, along with 19 top-five finishes and 28 top-10s. His average finish at the track is 7.4 and he has finished every race he has started there.
Busch's last wins at Richmond were in 2018 when he swept the season. He has since finished top-10 in eight of the 10 races. His worst finishes in this stretch were 14th in last season's spring race and 20th in this season's spring race.
We're bringing back the patriotic paint scheme this weekend @RichmondRaceway. 🇺🇸
RT and tell us how many times you've watched @KyleBusch in the 'Rowdy' movie on @PrimeVideo (and some signed swag could be yours.)@RCRracing | #CookOut400 pic.twitter.com/7TskdMiKvW
— Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen (@cheddarskitchen) August 7, 2024
These numbers could be crucial considering Busch's situation. He is 19th in the playoff standings, and he is 112 points below the cutline. Chase Briscoe (-83) and Bubba Wallace (-7) are the two drivers immediately ahead of Busch.
Ross Chastain holds the final playoff spot on points heading to Richmond as he sits seven points above Wallace and the cutline.
This weekend's race at Richmond will be different from Busch's last start there for multiple reasons. One of the biggest is the introduction of the option tire. Teams will be able to switch between a softer tire with more grip and a harder tire with less grip. The softer tire will wear faster while the harder tire will last longer.
The different tire options provide teams with an opportunity to mix up race strategy. They could opt for the softer tire to gain track position early in a run or if there is a late caution with only a few laps remaining.
The other reason this race will be different is that the spring race began in the mid-afternoon. This weekend's race will start after 6 p.m., and the drivers will battle for the win into the night.
"I think the night racing at Richmond is the best racing at Richmond," Busch said in a release from Chevrolet.
"I don't know that it'll really make that big of a difference besides the sun going down and being a little bit blinding into Turm 3 but once you get past that into darkness, it's just a normal Richmond race."
Of course, the past wins and top-10 finishes don't necessarily mean that Busch will race his way into the playoffs this weekend at Richmond Raceway. The No. 8 team has been off all season with unexpected issues on the track and on pit road.
An example of this is five DNFs in the last eight Cup Series races.
However, the No. 8 team had two weeks away from the sport. This provided an opportunity to reset and prepare for a pivotal four-race stretch to close out the regular season.
Now, it's time for Busch and his team to get back to the track and contend for his seventh Richmond win.