Parker Kligerman contradicts "fading off" narrative about Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski

Former NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman was recently featured on the Rubbin Is Racing podcast on YouTube and talked about Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski's struggles in the Cup Series. During the interaction, the host compared Busch and Keselowski's situation stock car racing legends Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.

The Richard Childress Racing driver has been on a winless streak since 2023 and missed out on the playoffs twice for the first time in his career. He got close to winning a race but was not successful in doing so. He secured two P5 finishes at the Circuit of the Americas and at the Chicago Street Race, making them his season-best finishes so far.

Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski has been on a winless streak since the 2024 Darlington Race. He also missed out on the Cup Series playoffs this season. Additionally, the RFK driver struggled in securing a victory during the regular season. He was close to a win during the Atlanta Motor Speedway race but ended as a runner-up, making it his season-best finish.

Reflecting on Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski struggling in the 2025 Cup Series season, the host recalled Parker Kligerman's history with them and asked:

"Do you see them kind of fading off the way that we've seen Harvick and Truex anytime soon?" [01:02:59 onwards]

The former Big Machine Racing driver opposed the "fading off" narrative about Busch and Keselowski, highlighting that 30s is "actually the premier" time for a racer. Kligerman cited several legendary drivers like Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, and others, who have ruled the tracks in their 30s to back his answer,

"I say, like, age, you know, late 30s to me is still a young race car driver. Like, you can go—you can go in your 40s. Denny Hamlin's proven that. Kevin Harvick proved that. Mark Martin has proved that. Many, many years before this, you know, we've gotten obsessed with age, and the analytics would tell you for the last 15 years is probably the wrong approach. Like your best cup drivers are in their 30s, right?" [01:03:12 onwards]

"Like that's just the forever-reason lifestyle, you know, mental experience, talent, skill—everything aligns in your 30s. So, I think it's actually the premier time for a race car driver," he added.

Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are set to compete in the upcoming Cook Out Southern 500 scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Darlington Raceway. USA, MRN, HBO Max, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will broadcast the 367-lap race live at 6:00 p.m. ET.

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"It’s a spinout, a wreck, or something on pit road": Kevin Harvick blamed seventh-generation cars for affecting Kyle Busch's playoff momentum

Earlier this week, on the Happy Hour podcast, former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick talked about Kyle Busch's struggles in the Cup Series. During the podcast, Harvick blamed NextGen cars for disrupting Busch's momentum.

The Gen7 cars were introduced in NASCAR three years ago, in 2022. Since then, Busch has been seen struggling with the car, leading to a noticeable decline in his performance. The #8 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver has secured only four wins in the seventh-generation car.

Additionally, he has been on a winless drought since 2023 and missed a spot in the 2024 and 2025 playoffs. Kevin Harvick blamed the car for Kyle Busch's struggles in the Cup Series and explained (via YouTube):

"Every time that this eight car is in position, it's a spin-out, a wreck, or something on pit road, or something happens that's going on and just can't finish the deal. And I think that for Kyle, he's in a position where he knows he wants to win, and he knows everybody wants to win. He knows he needs to win. He knows in those positions where he can win, and then he pushes it over the edge.

Kyle Busch currently ranks 20th in the Cup Series points table with 541 points to his credit. He has secured seven top-ten finishes and two top-five finishes in 26 starts this season.