“Xfinity Series is better”: Kyle Busch remains skeptical about NASCAR horsepower plan
NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch recently weighed in on the ongoing discussions about a potential horsepower increase for Cup Series cars—a topic that has stirred excitement within the racing community. This follows confirmation from NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition that the sanctioning body is indeed exploring ways to enhance engine output, particularly for short tracks and road courses.
Despite the buzz, Busch is managing his expectations. The two-time Cup Series champion expressed skepticism about the possibility of meaningful change. In an interview with The Tennessean, Rowdy didn’t mince words, stating that he doubts NASCAR will follow through with adding horsepower to the cars
"I'll believe it when I see it. I think everything that we've done with this car from the old car is bigger tires, bigger brakes, less horsepower. It's just not conducive to better racing in my opinion."
Furthermore, Kyle Busch believes that the Xfinity Series races are better than Cup in today's day and age, and remembers the days when their racing machines used to 'scream' during qualifying sessions.
"A lot of times the Xfinity Series is better, and that's the old car we have[...]"The years when we were running 900 horse was pretty bad ass," Busch said. "The cars were screaming during qualifying. It was a lot of fun to have that sort of power to put yourself to that limit to see how fast you could go."
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch ranks among the sport’s most decorated drivers. The Nevada native has secured 232 wins across NASCAR’s top three divisions, including 63 in the Cup Series, putting him ninth on the all-time list. However, Busch has struggled to add to the 63 Cup Series wins in recent history, having not won a race since 2023's Enjoy Illinois 300.
Piloting RCR's #8 Chevy, Busch is P19 in the driver standings, with only a single top-five finish this season.
Austin Dillon gives his verdict on having Kyle Busch as his NASCAR teammate
Richard Childress Racing's #3 driver, Austin Dillon recently weighed in on what it's like to have a legendary driver like Kyle Busch as a teammate. Dillon and Busch have been teammates since 2023 and are in their third season together since Busch made the move to RCR from Joe Gibbs Racing.
In an interview with Speedway Digest, Dillon shared how the #8 Chevy driver is a 'hard worker' and 'pushes everyone' to be the best versions of themselves.
“I feel like Kyle Busch gives you what you expect, which is that he's a hard worker. He's fiery. He wants the best for the cars. He wants to get to victory lane constantly and will push everyone to figure out how to make that happen, even himself on the track.”
Meanwhile, the Cup Series will return to Nashville Superspeedway for the Cracker Barrel 400 on Sunday, June 1. Catch the action live at 7 PM Eastern time.