NASCAR ranks Kyle Busch among top 10 unluckiest drivers of 2024 amid Olympics break

As NASCAR enjoys a summer hiatus, renowned journalist Neil Paine has summarized the 2024 Cup Series season. He has compiled an extensive list for NASCAR, highlighting both the season's top contenders and those who have endured a string of unfortunate events.

The 2024 Cup Series season has been full of surprises, with fans having witnessed some close battles on the track throughout the year. Apart from the on-track action, fans also saw some controversial off-track tussles, including the one between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch after the All-Star Race.

Paine recently compiled a list of unofficial awards based on his analysis of the season. His data suggests that Busch is part of an unfortunate group of drivers, including Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., and Tyler Reddick, who have experienced more than their share of bad luck this year.

While other drivers have only faced trouble on the racetrack, Busch has been involved in several controversies beyond racing. The list includes the #8 driver's crash with Corey LaJoie at Pocono and his defensive action to avoid a crash at Nashville.

However, topping the list has to be the fight between Stenhouse Jr., his father, and Kyle Busch at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Here's a look at the clip of the brawl posted on NASCAR's official X page, captioned:

"Another angle of the confrontation after the race."

As of now, Kyle Busch is placed in 18th position in the driver's table, 309 points behind the leader, Kyle Larson. With just four races remaining in the regular season and no race wins yet, he is likely to miss the 2024 playoffs.

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"By losing him, we take a big hit" - Toyota Racing Development's president David Wilson opens up on the split with Kyle Busch

The split between Kyle Busch and Toyota Racing Development (Joe Gibbs Racing) was a controversial saga in the world of NASCAR in 2022. Despite having a legacy of 60 race wins and two Cup Series championships, the Nevada-based driver had to exit JGR to join Richard Childress Racing in 2023.

Busch's exit was linked to the declining support from sponsors. Another reason behind the split was Toyota's ambition to bring in new talent to replace the NASCAR veteran. Committed to transparency, David Wilson, President of Toyota Racing Development, cleared all doubts regarding the controversial move.

“Obviously, for Toyota, losing Kyle in a run through a championship is a massive setback, Kyle Busch is money in the playoffs… By losing him, we take a big hit. There’s zero upside. There’s zero upside. It’s just a crushing blow to our organization,” Wilson stated.

Since his exit from Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch has managed to win just three races. As for 2024, he has finished twice in the Top 5 and six times in the Top 10.