Kyle Busch achieved his third consecutive top-three finish at the LA Clash event on Saturday. The start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup season was moved up due to anticipated severe weather conditions in Los Angeles. Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver emerged as the victor, successfully fending off his former teammate, who was behind the wheel of the No:8 Chevy Camaro ZL1 from RCR.
Hamlin’s win at the LA Clash marked a significant milestone in NASCAR history, as he became the second most successful driver in the event’s history, with four victories to his name. For Busch, however, this year’s race was another disappointment, as he has consistently finished within the top three since the inaugural event in LA. In 2022, he secured second place, followed by third place in 2023, and another second place finish this season.
Coming in second place can be incredibly frustrating for racers, as it serves as a constant reminder of how close they were to claiming victory. During his conversation with the media, Busch openly expressed his disappointment and acknowledged the sting of his ongoing streak of second-place finishes. He also drew parallels to his past experiences in late model racing, where he faced similar emotions.
Reflecting on the race, Busch highlighted that he would have emerged as the winner if only the race had lasted a few more laps. He emphasized that given the opportunity, he would have been able to overtake his competitor and make up for the loss of momentum he experienced when he failed to capitalize on The No:11 Camry’s poor corner exit.
“I got to his side off of the middle of (Turn) 2, but I just never had any acceleration off the corners. I could not get my forward momentum started. So that was kind of my hindrance. As bad as (Hamlin) was on entry, I was as bad on exit… If we could have had three, four more laps or whatever, I felt like I would have had enough to be able to get close enough to make a move.”
Busch has kicked off the 2024 season on a similar note to the previous year and aims to maintain the impressive performance he demonstrated last season. Furthermore, he hopes to avoid peaking too early, as inconsistency plagued his team towards the end of the previous season.