Coming into the elimination race at the Charlotte Roval, Kyle Busch is going to be under a lot of pressure. He might even have to win. There is a path forward for Busch if he wants to make it in on points. I just don’t think he’s going to get that chance this late in the NASCAR Playoffs.
26 points is what separates Kyle Busch in 12th from Brad Keselowski in 8th. That gap is huge, and Busch would need four drivers in the playoffs to meet an early end if he wants to make up that gap.
Then, there is always the obvious choice. Win. Busch hasn’t won at race since Gateway. He’s actually had his worst stretch of the season to start the NASCAR Playoffs. Richmond was the last time that Busch found himself in the top-5 of a race.
Don’t worry about Busch too much, though. In the last two Roval races, he has come out of there with two top-5 finishes. He was P3 just a year ago. While some of that was due to late-race tire strategy flipping the field, it was a strong finish. If Busch is able to get to the Round of 8, I think his chances of making the championship are really strong.
Rowdy has a history of being a good road course racer. He just has to tap into that a bit and hope that he’s able to pull off the upset win.
Kyle Busch’s chances of winning the Charlotte Roval
The Bank of America Roval 400 is a tough course. Taking those big turns on the oval just to come in and get techincal with the road course sections, it can test drivers. While many fans don’t like the race product, a lot of drivers do enjoy the track.
A year ago, Chrisotpher Bell walked-off the win to get himself into the Round of 8. Kyle Busch is in a similar position right now. Odds makers aren’t too down on Busch to do it this season, too.
Opening odds place Kyle Busch at 16-1 to win this race. He has worse odds than William Byron and Tyler Reddick as well as Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. So, it won’t be easy. It won’t be impossible, either.
Richard Childress Racing has struggled to get Busch a fast car. Qualifying is going to tell us everything we need to know about this weekend as far as the 8 team is concerned. You have to go back to the Indy Road Course to find the last race where Busch qualified in the top-5.
Give Kyle Busch a fast car and watch him go. That is the formula here for RCR and the crew. The two-time champion isn’t even 40 years old yet. He’s got lots of wins and great races ahead. He just has to have a car that can do it.
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