NASCAR 'needs' Kyle Busch to be a success

Kyle Busch's failure to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for a second straight year has been lamented by two of the sport's leading pundits.

The two-time champion finished the regular season well short of the points total he needed to progress to the 10-round postseason, with several drivers between him and the bubble.

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That points situation left him needing to win-and-in, but – illustrating his lack of pace and luck on the year – he never even managed to finish above fifth in 26 attempts.

Now 40 years old and clearly at a different point in his career after leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2022, Busch remains an attention-grabbing figure even as his on-track performance wanes.

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Busch 'needed' in Cup Series playoffs

The Athletic's Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi talked about Busch's failure to make the postseason on the Teardown podcast in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's Daytona race, with Gluck saying simply: "NASCAR needs Kyle Busch in the playoffs."

Bianchi added: "The sport is better when Kyle Busch is better. Especially driving for RCR. Like if Kyle Busch was winning races and contending, he makes RCR more relevant. People love RCR. They've kind of got this rough and tumble image.

"It's just good for the sport all around. And unfortunately, it's just not the reality. Now he's for the first time in Kyle Busch's career, by the way, he's gone two straight years of failing to make the playoffs, which is just absolutely mind-blowing."

While it's hard to argue with the experienced pair about Busch's importance to the sport, it raises wider questions about the series' struggles in promoting new personalities – with Busch and fellow over-40s Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin still three of the most prominent drivers.

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