[autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] has struggled on ovals since the second race of the 2024 NASCAR season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the event at Martinsville Speedway showed slight improvement. Busch came home with a 16th-place finish, his best result on a non-superspeedway oval track to start the new campaign.
Following the event, the Richard Childress Racing driver discussed his day at Martinsville and mentioned how the No. 8 team improved from 2023. It might not be a great result, but it provides slight optimism moving forward.
“We made an improvement this weekend from how we ran last year at Martinsville Speedway,” Busch said. “The first run of the race the Lucas Oil Chevrolet got looser as went. We pitted for tires and adjustments and the next run we were a little free everywhere but tight at the three-quarter mark of Turns 3 and 4.
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE KYLE BUSCH ON HIS WIN AT WWT RACEWAY! pic.twitter.com/uST2d8U8Wz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 5, 2023
“At the end of Stage 2 we pitted again but the adjustments didn’t seem to work, and we lost track positions. Crew chief Randall Burnett and the guys kept working and never gave up. We made the car better by the end of the race and we were able to get a decent finish, but we still have work to do to get to where we want to be.”
Busch has struggled on short tracks with Richard Childress Racing, so any improvement would benefit the organization. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion can still win races at the top level, but he needs the equipment to do so. If not, Busch will linger around 10th to 20th place on short tracks until a genuine improvement is made.
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