“I Made a Mistake”: Kyle Busch Stands on the Same Page With Mark Martin About NASCAR Struggles

There seems to be no respite for Kyle Busch from the struggle he has been enduring since winning three races in 2023, his first year with Richard Childress Racing. Busch has gone two years without a single trip to victory lane, and if the early signs from 2026 are anything to go by, the wait may very well continue.

The start to the 2026 season has been slow for Busch. And veteran Mark Martin explained why he was struggling so much to find good results. It all stems down to the RCR car being too slow.

Martin feels the lack of pace 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,” he told Chris Weaver in an interview recently. Busch agrees, but he also blames himself for making errors.

When Weaver stated Martin’s thoughts to Busch in another interview, the two-time champion agreed that there was a certain “magic” required to win races. RCR has yet to have that. He also detailed what he has to do to return to winning ways.

“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,” said Busch.

Dillon, his teammate, has been finishing near the top-10 consistently with a better car. Busch then spoke about how he had an edge when he joined Richard Childress Racing. But the performance dropped since then. The 40-year-old recalled how he had a good chance to win at the Kansas Speedway last year, but a mistake ruined the race for him.

“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,” recalled Busch. “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.”

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 the two-time Cup Series champion win a race again.