The Wide World of Dirt

Kyle Busch announced this week that he’ll be returning to Xfinity Series racing with a 5-race slate in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry.

This of course has been meet with mixed reactions as the news hit social media same as it always does when any Cup Series guy goes “Buschwhacking”.

While Kyle gets a worse reaction than most, it’s due in no small part to the insane amount of success that he’s had in Xfinity (being the all-time series leader in wins with 102 at the time of writing this.)

The general consensus seems to be that, because Landon Cassill’s deal fell through, the No. 10 ride will become an “all star” ride, opening the door for Kyle.

However, rumors swirled about Kaulig putting Kyle in a 4th Xfinity car before the Cassill situation was even announced publicly, so in my opinion, this was coming one way or the other.

That’s not why you’re here though, so let’s get into the meat and potatoes of why this happening is actually a good thing for the Xfinity Series and why “Buschwhacking” (at least in its current state) is a very good thing for the sport as a whole.

Builds up young talent

Simply put: to be the best, you have to beat the best. Cup drivers like Kyle are the upper echelon of motorsport in America (at a national level) for a reason.

Having elite Cup drivers competing against the stars of tomorrow is the best way for them to prove their worth and skill on the track.

I still remember vividly when Chase Briscoe outdueled Kyle straight-up at Darlington, putting himself in the spotlight that has directly lead to where he is now in the No. 14 ride in Cup at SHR.

You could certainly argue that he would’ve proved it without beating Kyle Busch, but I became a Briscoe fan that day and have been ever since.

When the Xfinity guys duke it out with Cup stars on a Saturday, that means more people are gonna be pulling for those young guys when they’re racing on Sundays.

Names are made here is the Xfinity Series tagline; to make those names you have to beat the names of the Cup Series.

It can help struggling Xfinity teams

So this one isn’t as cut and dry as the first because Cup guys getting in the top tier (JGR) Xfinity rides may make the checkbook balance a bit better, but when they race for smaller teams, it can help them greatly.

Last year Cole Custer got SS Greenlight Racing their first win at Fontana last year. Yeah, you could argue they had an alliance with SHR or that it was an SHR car, but the win still belongs to SS Greenlight and will forever be theirs in the record books.

Same could be said for Tyler Reddick getting Big Machine Racing their first win at Texas in 2022, but I’m sure it was a big boost to a team to know they can compete with talent behind the wheel.

Drivers like Ross Chastain elevating DGM cars at COTA shows prospective sponsors that these cars are worth spending money on.

Brings more eyes onto the Xfinity Series

Like it or not this one’s pretty cut and dry. The more big names you have running Xfinity on a given weekend, the more people are gonna tune in or come to the track.

They show up to see either their favorite driver try to beat the up-and-comers or, in the case of Kyle Busch, see them get beat.

With the kind of shows the Xfinity Series has put on in terms of on-track product in the last few years, the more eyes that the sport can put on arguably the best racing product we have, the better.

This is especially true for a series that has struggled to find any sort of identity in the last handful of years.

Look, you may not be the biggest fan of Buschwhacking, but drivers like Kyle Busch dropping down for a limited amount of races every year is great for the sport.

The positives totally outweigh any “negatives” that just boil down to not liking a driver for whatever reason you may have. I appreciate you taking the time to read my opinion on the matter.

-A Usually Disgruntled Kevin Harvick Fan