Kyle Busch Gets Publicly Scolded by Crew Member Over Poor Tire Management at Phoenix

Two times NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had a nightmare race in the 2026 Phoenix Raceway Outing and RCR crew was really frustrated.

Kyle Busch Gets Publicly Scolded by Crew Member Over Poor Tire Management at Phoenix

Kyle Busch (Via @KyleBusch/X)

The NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Phoenix turned out to be nightmare for two times champion Kyle Busch. His disappointment started with a poor qualifying session that saw him end Saturday as the 29th best racer.

It ended any hopes the Richard Childress team had about the No:8 team ending their winless streak that started in June 2023. Once the started, the veteran got no breaks, as despite the luck being on his side, he couldn’t help himself from getting involved incident.

The veteran blew his tire on lap 93 of stage two and found himself making contact with the wall. He went multiple laps down, but fortunately got press-pass later after a caution only to lose the advantage over a second tire failure at the end of the stage.

Kyle Busch had to tail of the longest line in the start of the stage 3, after getting one last free pass. But even then, the veteran couldn’t hold his composure, as he wasn’t able to conserve the Goodyear tire as good as he should.  

The whole No:8 crew was boiling over due to the frustration and one of the crew members lost his cool. He was heard ranting in team radio about Kyle Busch not doing a good enough work to conserve his tires. The RCR personal was livid about the situation.

All we had to do was limp to the freaking caution. I’m trying to get him to conserve, take care of it, there’s only so much I can do. I’m holding a headset not a steering wheel.

An anonymous RCR crew member said on team radio.

The incident showed how tough the situation is with the RCR team over years of winless run and not being able to settle in the new season. Crew chief Jim Pohlman, who joined the team at the start of the season hasn’t seem to find the solution to redeem the side from their struggles.

Kyle Busch’s wife Samatha Busch shared her frustration on social media

The champion racers’ long-time partner and wife Samantha Busch has always been his biggest supporter. She has never hesitated from sharing her feelings about her husband’s runs with comments on social media.

Samantha Busch and Kyle Busch
Samantha Busch and Kyle Busch (image via Fox News)

During the Phoenix chaos she took it to X to share her feelings and admitted that the day is going from bad to worse for Busch’s. She was clearly disappointed and frustrated with the poor day he had on the track.

Welp, had the free pass, but now another flat, so have to pit. It’s been a day.

Samantha Busch wrote on X.

The couple came into the weekend with a lot of positivity on their side, after they were able to settle the multi-million lawsuit they filed against Pacific Life Insurance Company. They reached a confidential settlement in this matter. But their hopes of redemption on track was shattered by another disappointing day.

Also Read: “Cherry on Top!” Ryan Blaney Cherishes Maiden NASCAR Win as a Father After Surviving Phoenix Chaos