Kyle Busch, who has won the NASCAR Cup Series twice in his career, is already considered an icon. But that does not mean the 40-year-old has lost the drive to win and add to his legacy. However, he has been struggling for the past two and a half seasons.
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Well, it’s not that Busch has not come close to winning during this lull phase. However, none of those opportunities translated into a visit to Victory Lane. Heading into 2026, there is hope that things might finally change.
However, veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass recently stated that he is skeptical about Busch winning a race in the upcoming season. Last year, Pockrass had predicted that Busch would secure a victory, but that did not happen.
Instead, the No. 8 driver finished the season 21st in the standings. Busch had ended the 2024 campaign 20th. Based on that experience, it appears Pockrass is now tempering his expectations.
“Obviously, new crew chief with Jim Pullman, where is RCR going to be? I’ll say, no [race win], this year,” Pockrass said on Beating and Banging.
“I was wrong last year. Maybe I’ll be wrong this year, but I don’t have as much faith this year as last year. I think it’s almost a little bit of rebuilding, and we’ll see how close they are,” he added.
With Busch’s contract at Richard Childress Racing set to expire at the end of 2027, the veteran reporter predicted that fans could see the 40-year-old switch teams. “I think so. I certainly think so [that he could possibly leave RCR], and it could depend on where there are a lot of drivers more than half the field who don’t have contracts for 2027,” said Pockrass.
Busch, along with Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, will see their contracts expire in 2027. Their next moves will likely dictate how the rest of the Cup Series grid shapes up.
Busch’s tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing was the best phase of his career. He won two Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 while also leading the series in victories. However, since moving to RCR, what initially appeared to be a perfect fit, things have unraveled.
Mark Martin blames RCR for Busch’s struggles
After winning three races in the first half of the 2023 regular season, Busch’s struggles have intensified. More often than not, he has run into issues with either his car or his pit crew.
Veteran driver Mark Martin believes the problem does not lie with Busch, but rather with his team. In an interview with Charlie Marlow, Martin said he understands that the RCR team is trying, but their on-track performance still falls short of where it needs to be.
Busch does wield influence over how the car is set up, so he could bear some responsibility for the lack of performance. Yet, the major blame rests with the team, as per Martin.
Busch sits so far from the front now that he must overdrive every single time. Busch does it, too. But when he gets within reach of a top finish, the way he pushed his car proves too much.
Busch’s previous stints before RCR have shown that he is way better than his performance in the last couple of years. All he needs is better equipment and machinery capable of being pushed to win races.
