Kevin Harvick has drawn sharp attention to the ongoing struggles of Kyle Busch and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team, warning that repeated pit road mistakes are sabotaging their NASCAR Cup Series ambitions. Speaking during his “Happy Hour” podcast earlier this week, Harvick cited both Busch’s personal errors and critical shortcomings in pit crew performance as the main reasons why the team lingers at 16th position after 10 races, despite showing notable speed and strong qualifying sessions in the 2024 season.
Kyle Busch, a proven competitor, has found fleeting moments of promise this year, frequently starting races from favorable positions. However, Harvick was quick to point out that mistakes on pit road—such as speeding penalties and loose wheels—have repeatedly derailed the team’s momentum. “When you look at Kyle Busch and that whole team, they’re 16th in the points right now. But I feel like they’ve had their moments where they’ve run a lot better,” Harvick explained, emphasizing how these avoidable missteps have become a frustrating pattern.
Examining the team’s season, Harvick highlighted that Busch has accumulated four separate speeding penalties and one incident involving a loose wheel. The team’s pit crew is ranked just 20th in overall speed, a figure that stands out starkly against the fastest teams in the series. Harvick compared their performance directly, noting, “This is the stat that really stuck out to me about the pit crew: they’ve had three stops all year that were under 10 seconds. The No. 1 pit crew of Bubba Wallace has had 18.” Such disparities in execution make a difference in the fiercely competitive world of NASCAR, where milliseconds can shape the final result.
This past weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway provided a vivid example of the team’s struggles. Busch managed to battle back into contention after an early Stage 1 incident, only for his day to be undone by a speeding penalty on his final pit stop. Instead of seizing a golden opportunity to end his 67-race winless streak, Busch finished 27th, a result that underlined the consequences of those costly mistakes.
Harvick’s assessment focused on how these recurring errors are knocking the No. 8 team out of key moments during races. “How many weeks can you think back where it’s a moment like that, that always seems to happen with the 8? They’re critical moments and in the critical moments, it seems like those are when the mistakes happen and then takes them out of contention,” Harvick reflected. While the car has often had the speed needed to compete for victories, execution remains lacking when the pressure is highest. “You just can’t take yourself out of those races in critical moments,” Harvick added, underlining the fine margins that define success or failure.
The significance of Kevin Harvick’s warning lies in the urgency for change within Kyle Busch’s team. If these pit road issues aren’t addressed, the No. 8 team risks falling further behind as the season’s demands intensify. With every mistake costing invaluable points and opportunities, a rapid turnaround is essential for Busch if he hopes to revive his championship challenge and break through his winless drought. All eyes will be on the team’s next moves, as high-stakes moments will inevitably test their ability to learn from these setbacks and compete at the highest level.
