Kyle Busch gives unfiltered take on Chevrolet’s ‘common problem’ at All-Star Race as Toyota reigns supreme

Kyle Busch shared his insight on a recurring issue that was affecting Chevrolet drivers in the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver suggested that Chevy lacked a "complete package" that can keep up on the long runs.

Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet, Busch logged his first top-10 finish in five starts, albeit in a 23-car field. He finished eighth in the pecking order, while Toyota's Christopher Bell surged ahead to earn the checkered flag.

Saturday's (May 17) Heat 2 saw a similar pattern, with Bell securing a dominant win by leading every green-flag lap. Busch, meanwhile, fell short with a fourth-place finish. Notably, Bell's win on Sunday marked Toyota's first All-Star success since 2017, when Busch last achieved the feat with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Speaking to the media post-race, Busch addressed the key issues that hampered his All-Star showing.

"We ended up fading on the long run. We didn’t quite have the complete package and all of the grip that I was looking for. I think that was a common problem with all of the Chevys tonight. We were just a little bit behind on that front," he said via Speedway Digest.

Kyle Busch also mentioned he was stalled by dirty air during the long runs. The issue has been a common theme of short-track racing throughout the Next Gen Era. However, Sunday's All-Star race featured a smaller field with minimal lapped traffic, which allowed the frontrunners to pull away in clean air, while the chasing pack got stuck behind their wake.

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Kyle Busch reveals a unique observation from his Truck race at North Wilkesboro

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch made his second Truck Series start of the season in the Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, May 17. Piloting the No. 07 Chevy for Spire Motorsports, Busch noted how running a high line in the Truck race didn't have any positive impact for the Cup cars during Sunday's All-Star race.

Reflecting on the same, Busch spoke to NASCAR reporter Peter Stratta and said,

"It's funny because the truck line that I was running was super high; enter right up on the wall, get it to the wall in the middle of the corner, and then the cup car was, was, a lane, lower, you know, so just different between the two vehicles. So, what I learned in the truck race didn't do a whole lot."

Kyle Busch began the Truck Series race on the front row but suffered a pair of pit road speeding penalties that dropped him down to ninth. Front Row Motorsports' Chandler Smith took home the win after a thrilling final lap battle with his teammate Layne Riggs and Corey Heim.