Kyle Busch delivers his verdict on NASCAR’s Driver Ambassador Program

Kyle Busch delivered a verdict on NASCAR's Driver Ambassador Program and called it 'beneficial.' The Richard Childress Racing driver found no fault with the system but admitted that it was tough to beat out 'guys at the top.'

The DAP, which has taken effect this year, rewards drivers with points for their promotional activities outside the race weekends. The quality of those efforts is also taken into account, as former Cup Series champions get a higher points haul for their status within the sport.

In addition, the driver with the most media appearances wins a cool $1M payout, while the driver with the least involvement gets paid $7,500. The prize money is split across two terms in a season, and the first term just got over with the Pocono race.

Joey Logano, who won the Busch Light pole for Saturday's race at Echopark Speedway, also topped the charts for the DAP's first term, while Kyle Busch came in at eighth. Reflecting upon the program, Busch spoke to the media on Saturday and said (via Frontstretch),

"From the driver's perspective you know, just the work that you do and being rewarded for that and having the opportunity to go do some stuff or sign up for some stuff that that was self-induced I guess you'd say. To go do some of those things and and get rewarded for that was beneficial. I can't say that i've necessarily faulted the program at all, like I can't find a fault besides it's really hard to beat those guys at the top." [6:05 onwards]

Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-3 drivers in the DAP.

Kyle Busch reveals his wife's reaction to his 'busy' schedule under the Driver Ambassador Program

Kyle Busch opened up about his wife Samantha's concerns about his packed schedule from NASCAR's Driver Ambassador Program. The driver admitted to being surprised by how often he was away from home.

"I thought I was busy and my wife was especially concerned that how busy I was and she was like "where are you?" and i was like "i'm not even close." And so she was like "damn those guys must have no life,"" he said via Frontstretch. [6:33 onwards]

Kyle Busch also revealed that 70% of his media appearances are driven by NASCAR requests, while the remaining 30% are driven by his own voluntary efforts. The DAP's prize money has been sourced from the new media rights deal, meant to incentivize fan engagement and increase the visibility of the sport.

On the racing front, Busch has qualified a dismal 29th for Saturday's Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart. He faces off against Brad Keselowski in Challenge Round 1 of the In-Season Challenge. The RFK Racing driver, meanwhile, is poised to secure bragging rights after a sixth-place qualifying result. The winner of this bracket will go against whoever emerges victorious from the Denny Hamlin and Ty Dillon matchup.