Kyle Busch has won the NASCAR Cup Series twice in his career and is already a part of the sport’s folklore, but it does not mean he has lost the motivation to win and add to his legacy. Unfortunately, for the past two and a half seasons, the most fitting word to describe him has been “struggle.”
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Busch has come close to winning several races, but none of those opportunities materialized. Heading into 2026, there was hope that things might finally change. However, veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass recently stated that he remains skeptical Busch will claim a race win 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 after ending the previous campaign in 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 this year,” Pockrass commented 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 be a little bit of rebuilding, and we’ll see how close they are.”
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.”
Busch, along with Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, will see their contracts expire in 2027. What transpires with those three drivers will likely dictate how the rest of the field shapes up.
Mark Martin blames RCR for Busch’s struggles
Busch’s tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing was one of the finest phases of his career, as 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 has unraveled. After winning three races in the first half of the 2023 regular season, Busch’s struggles have only 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 himself, 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 from Martin’s standpoint. Busch sits so far from the front now that he must overdrive every single time.
Busch does overdrive his car when he gets within reach of something, and it proves too much. His 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.
