Kyle Busch recently expressed his growing frustration with NASCAR’s Next-Gen cars, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his concerns, saying, “Race for win = finish last.” As a two-time Cup Series champion, Busch’s lack of recent success has been particularly tough for both him and Richard Childress Racing (RCR). The team has struggled to find consistent results, raising concerns about potential layoffs at RCR, especially under the current NASCAR regulations.
Richard Childress, the team owner, has also acknowledged the harsh reality that, if NASCAR continues with its current regulations for the Next-Gen cars, layoffs at RCR may become unavoidable. This has caused worry within the organization, as they seek solutions. Layoffs in NASCAR are a sensitive topic, with the recent announcement of Stewart-Haas Racing’s exit at the end of the season still fresh in fans’ minds. This announcement involved 323 workers potentially losing their jobs, and now RCR may face a similar situation but for different reasons.
Since the introduction of the Next-Gen car three years ago, RCR has managed only four wins, even with a driver of Busch’s caliber. Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s show “Happy Hour,” Childress voiced concerns over the changes to the car, which he believes have hampered RCR’s performance. Childress explained that the car initially performed well during testing but struggled as changes were made, particularly reducing the car’s spoiler size from 8 inches to 7, and then to 4 inches. This, he says, has made it difficult for drivers to pass, affecting race outcomes.
Childress also revealed that the engineering challenges posed by the new car have increased the need for technical expertise within the team, forcing RCR to take on additional military contracts and other external projects just to keep people employed. Despite the frustration, RCR has even hired more people for these outside endeavors, though the team’s on-track struggles continue.
The Next-Gen car is not solely responsible for RCR’s performance issues, though. Despite a promising start in 2022, the team has only secured four wins since then. Busch showed some early momentum in 2023, but it soon faded, with the team facing a nearly 30-year championship drought since Dale Earnhardt’s last title win. In addition to the car’s challenges, internal team issues have compounded the struggles. Multiple penalties and errors, such as those at Texas, Daytona, and the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), have plagued the team. For example, a pit stop mistake at Daytona led to a disappointing 12th-place finish for Busch, while at COTA, pre-race inspection failures led to penalties for using a backup car. Pit crew mistakes have continued to disrupt the team’s performance.
The team’s leadership has also faced disruption. In June, Andy Petree, RCR’s Executive Vice President, retired unexpectedly, leaving a significant gap at the top of the organization. Changes on the track, such as the replacement of Austin Dillon’s crew chief, Keith Rodden, after just seven races, have not yielded the desired results either.
Kyle Busch has admitted that the balance issues with the Next-Gen cars, especially in traffic, have contributed to his struggles. The former car didn’t have these problems, and Busch believes the new vehicle requires much more work to keep the car balanced during races.
These ongoing difficulties at RCR have left the team in a state of uncertainty. Their approach to the Next-Gen car has not worked out, and without a clear plan forward, motivation is low. The biggest fine in NASCAR history against the team earlier this season has only added to their troubles. As it stands, RCR’s championship drought, stretching back to the days of Dale Earnhardt, may continue without significant changes.
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