"He has to win" - Here's why Kyle Busch-SHR deal didn't materialize, according to veteran NASCAR reporter

When Kyle Busch’s 2023 contract was not decided, Kevin Harvick publicly put the idea that the two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion would be an excellent option for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023.

Once Aric Almirola reconsidered at Stewart-Haas Racing, Cole Custer’s Cup Series future with the team was a work in progress, and Harvick still pushed the owners of the team to sign Busch.

It looks strange for Harvick to go in that direction because of his history with Busch going back more than a decade. As recently as his 2020 season, Harvick was offering some of his own money to any driver in the Cup Series to beat Busch in the Truck Series.

In September, Kyle Busch ended his 15-year-old long journey with Joe Gibbs Racing and joined Richard Childress Racing for the 2023 season and beyond.

There’s no evidence of how far Busch and SHR deals have progressed, he would have significantly progressed over Aric Almirola and even more over Cole Custer, who was replaced by Ryan Preece as a full-time driver in the offseason.

Can Preece even remotely provide the boost that Kyle Busch would have provided? During the “The Pit Reporters” podcast, RacingBoys.com reporter Lee Spencer expressed his views on it and said:

“He has to win. I mean, he’s had opportunities in the past with the JTG Daugherty group. Let’s face it: That’s probably a ‘C’ team. … He’s shown that he’s very competitive at the Xfinity Series level, but (now it’s) ‘Sunday money.’ That’s the big difference for these kids. But he has got to win.”

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“It was clear that Harvick really pushed for Kyle Busch” - Lee Spencer

Further into the podcast, long-time NASCAR reporter Lee Spencer said that it’s clear that Kevin Harvick wants someone like Kyle Busch to enhance the performance of other Stewart-Haas Racing drivers. Harvick felt Busch would be the one to push himself, Chase Briscoe, and Aric Almirola.

Lee Spencer further mentioned:

“It was clear that Harvick really pushed for Kyle Busch, really wanted somebody who would elevate the performance of that organization as a whole. He wants somebody who’s going to push him and Briscoe’s maybe one year away from doing that.”

Stewart-Haas Racing has only one reliable driver like Harvick who can win races. Chase Briscoe is getting there, but others like Almirola and Custer are not progressing.