Kyle Busch to face New Hampshire as his worst Next Gen obstacle 

For Kyle Busch, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has long been a track that felt like home. Over the years, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has collected three victories at the one-mile oval, along with more than 1,100 laps led. That total places him fourth all-time at the track, trailing only Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr, an elite company that underscores just how dominant Busch once was over there.

In the era of the Next Gen car, New Hampshire has turned from a strength into one of Busch's biggest hurdles. Since the new car was introduced in 2022, Busch’s results at “The Magic Mile” have been nothing short of puzzling.

In three starts, he has averaged a finish of 27.7, which is his worst performance record at any track since the Next Gen debut. The driver faced a DNF last time around at this track due to an unfortunate incident in the second stage of the race, which sent him crashing into the wall on turn 2.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch at Go Bowling at The Glen - Source: Imagn

The contrast between his past success and his recent struggles highlights just how much the Next Gen car has reshaped the competitive landscape. The car’s different aerodynamic balance, braking demands and tire wear characteristics have made New Hampshire especially tricky. Where Busch once commanded long stretches of the race, he now finds himself fighting just to stay inside the top 20.

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Kevin Harvick has his say on why Kyle Busch has struggled in recent years

For many years, Kyle Busch has been one of NASCAR’s fiercest competitors, relentless, aggressive and technically sharp. But lately, he’s found himself repeatedly falling short. Kevin Harvick recently voiced what many around the sport are starting to quietly believe: the next-Gen car has shifted the game in ways that hurt Busch’s greatest strengths.

Harvick recently assessed the situation and spoke in detail about why the next-gen car has made Busch struggle so much.

"I think this car has totally disrupted everything that has made Kyle Busch good. Everything that made Kyle Busch good up until this Gen-7 car was the fact that he could drive it over the limit, save the car, and he could tell you every single thing that you needed to put in the car to make it go fast. He knew the springs, he knew the shocks, he knew everything that was going on, not gonna happen in Gen-7 racing,” Kevin Harvick said via his Happy Hour Podcast (32:30 onwards)

Still, Harvick seems to admire Busch’s fight. He acknowledges that Busch is trying, continually adapting, demanding improvements and striving to extract more out of RCR’s machines.

Busch failed to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs for the second time in a row. The driver has just two top-five finishes this year and is currently ranked 21st in the Cup Series rankings, scoring 606 points.