For Kyle Busch, the struggles continue to mount. Since winning three races in his first year with Richard Childress Racing, he’s gone two seasons without a single trip to victory lane, and if the early signs from 2026 are to be taken seriously, the wait may very well continue.
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The start to the 2026 season has been slow for Busch, and in an interview with Chris Weaver, veteran driver Mark Martin explained why he was struggling so much to find good results.
To him, it all stems down to the RCR car being too slow. Martin feels it has affected Busch’s racecraft. “He has to get back in a car where he doesn’t overextend himself. And you know, there’s magic in that.” Busch agrees, but blames himself for making errors as well.
Weaver put these thoughts in front of Busch in another interview where the two-time champion agreed that there was a certain “magic” required to win races. RCR didn’t have that yet. He also detailed what he has to do to return to winning ways.
Busch said, “You have got to be 15th every week, you have got to be 10th every week, you have got to be fifth every week, and then you can move yourself into having a shot to be able to win the race. Right now, we have to get ourselves back up to where Austin [Dillon] is running.”
Dillon, his teammate, has been finishing near the top-10 consistently with a better car.
Busch continued to talk about how he had some of that magic when he initially joined Richard Childress Racing. But the ball dropped quickly after. He recalled how he had a good chance to win at the Kansas Speedway last year, but couldn’t do so because of a mistake he made.
“Last year at Kansas, I believe, we had a shot to be able to win the race, and that’s where I made a mistake,” he said. “You know, I put myself in a bad aero spot. We hit the wall and spun out. But yeah, just trying to make sure that we do all the right things, and right now it’s about communication and finding that magic.”
Currently, Busch sits 22nd on the points table after the first five races of the season. NASCAR fans, regardless of which team they support, would love nothing more than to see him win a race again.
