Kevin Harvick paints bleak outlook for Kyle Busch, NASCAR playoff chances

Kyle Busch is beginning to make up ground in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture. After scoring his seventh top-10 finish of the season with a P10 at Sonoma Raceway this past Sunday, Busch is 37 points below the playoff cutline.

Six regular season races remain, and the unpredictable Daytona International Speedway is on the schedule. But other than pulling out a win out on a superspeedway, Kevin Harvick doesn’t see a path to the postseason for Busch. He believes Busch is “too inconsistent,” he said on his “Happy Hour” podcast.

“I just think it’s too inconsistent at this point,” Harvick said. “I think he has his strengths — he’s Kyle freaking Busch… he could go to Daytona and win — I don’t believe he’s going to go win anywhere else.”

Busch missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2012. His winless streak is well documented, stretching back to June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway). That being said, Busch has shown glimpses of the driver who previously captured a pair of Cup Championships. He had a car capable of winning at COTA and rallied to post a fifth-place finish in the Chicago Street Race.

But if everything were perfect, Busch would be safely in the playoffs. He’s led just 62 laps this season and has an average finish of 17.25.

Can Kyle Busch get back to Victory Lane at Dover?

This Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway is a great opportunity for Busch to secure his spot in the postseason. Busch has three victories at “The Monster Mile.” He has started on the pole in each of the last two races at Dover, finishing fourth in last season’s race.

Ultimately, Busch and his team just need to execute. Doing that has been a struggle over the last year and a half, though the arrow is pointing up at the right time.

“I think it just boils down to all of us on our team being accountable,” Busch said of making a playoff push. “Pit crew, myself, [crew chief] Randall [Burnett], engineers, everybody and being able to do what we know how to do and what we’re paid to do and that’s to execute.”