Kyle Busch’s outlook for the Round of 12 during 2023 NASCAR season

Evaluating Kyle Busch’s chances of advancing out of the Round of 12 in his NASCAR playoffs with Richard Childress Racing.

[autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] is currently in his first NASCAR playoffs with Richard Childress Racing and it has been solid to this point. Busch advanced to the Round of 12 with finishes of 11th place at Darlington Raceway, seventh place at Kansas Speedway, and 20th at Bristol Motor Speedway. The results haven’t been as significant as the start of the season but it has been enough overall.

Busch has been revitalized at Richard Childress Racing with three victories, which matches the total in his last two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.  So, how does the Round of 12 stack up for Busch as he tries to capture his third NASCAR Cup Series title? Let’s take a look at what tracks are coming up over the next three races.

The driver of the No. 8 car will take an eight-point advantage to the playoff cut-line and head to Texas Motor Speedway, which is a track that has been successful for him in the past. Prior to the two down years at Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch had four straight top-10 finishes and one victory. Since he represents the active driver with the most wins at Texas, this Sunday could be a strong showing.

Moving onto Talladega, Busch has generally not been great outside of the first date earlier in the year. Busch saw the seas part and he cruised to a surprising victory. However, it was the Richard Childress Racing driver’s second top-5 finish in the last three Talladega races. Maybe, Busch is turning a corner but Talladega is too unpredictable.

Finally, the Charlotte ROVAL is a track that represents both sides of the spectrum for Busch since its debut. The two-time Cup Series started out with three finishes of 30th place or worse and turned it into two straight top-4 finishes. If Busch can continue his hot streak at the ROVAL, there are reasons to be optimistic about his chances.

The Round of 12 represents a low floor and high ceiling scenario. It could easily be a major success but also a massive disappointment. Busch likely needs to set the tone at Texas and improve his advantage to the cut-line because Talladega and the ROVAL are too unpredictable for him. If Texas does not go well, it could spell trouble for Busch’s chances at a title.

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