When Kyle Busch signed a one-year contract extension with Richard Childress Racing shortly after the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season began, there were questions as to whether or not it was the right move.
Busch went cold after starting his tenure behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet with three wins in the first 15 races in 2023. He failed to win a race for the rest of 2023, and in fact, he hasn't won at all since.
His record 19-year win streak went out the window in 2024, when he also failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2012, and he failed to qualify for the playoffs again in 2025.
That is certainly how things are trending in 2026 as well, as he's 24th in points through seven races, and his top finish is only 12th, by far a career-worst through any season's first seven events.
What does the future hold for the two-time Cup Series champion and 63-time race winner? Here are five possible landing spots.
Richard Childress Racing
Busch signing a contract extension with Richard Childress Racing early last year was surprising in and of itself. But even though his overall win drought is now at 100 races, we're still early in 2026.
There have been bright spots for Busch and the No. 8 team, even amid a winless streak during which 25 other drivers have found victory lane at least once. The question is whether or not they can become consistent enough to make Busch want to stick it out for at least another year.
A return might not look likely at the moment, but a departure is not a foregone conclusion, especially since a quadragenarian Kyle Busch isn't likely to generate as much interest from other teams as he would have five or six years ago.
Spire Motorsports
If Busch is to switch teams, Spire Motorsports makes the most sense as his next landing spot. Aside from Carson Hocevar, who recently signed an extension to remain in the No. 77 Chevrolet into the next decade, they have not committed to anybody in their lineup for the long haul.
Michael McDowell is 41 years old himself, and the signing of Daniel Suarez from Trackhouse Racing as Justin Haley's replacement felt like a career lifeline and a "prove it" type deal for a driver with two wins in nine seasons, including three winless years with two top-tier teams in Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing.
Busch sold his Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports after 2023, and he has run (and won) races for the team in each season since. It's hard to imagine there isn't already mutual interest, and given the Busch family's desire for son Brexton to ascend the NASCAR ladder as well, this could be the smartest long-term play.
Hendrick Motorsports
2027 Hendrick Motorsports is the 2023 Richard Childress Racing of Kyle Busch landing spots; it's impossible in principle only, and as we saw four silly seasons ago, that impossible really wasn't as impossible as everybody assumed, even considering Busch's checkered past with Richard Childress himself.
Sure, a reunion with Rick Hendrick's team, where Busch started his Cup Series career more than two decades ago, is unlikely. But Alex Bowman's struggles, coupled with his health issues – he has missed multiple races in three of the past five seasons – mean that the No. 48 Chevrolet could have a new full-time driver come next February.
Hendrick Motorsports could go young, but unless they can somehow pry Connor Zilisch free from Trackhouse Racing, who else is truly ready to go? As for the salary Busch would presumably command, primary sponsor Ally Financial is already signed through 2028. They extended for five years, back when Bowman extended for three.
Let's not forget that HendrickCars.com became a Busch sponsor at Spire Motorsports' Truck Series team this year.
Legacy Motor Club
23XI Racing would have made more sense, if we had been talking about a reunion with Toyota for this year, but they opted to keep Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota for 2026. With Corey Heim expected to be in that car next year, the door for Busch has seemingly slammed shut.
However, Legacy Motor Club continue to improve as the only non-Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Toyota team in the garage, and they have confirmed their plans to expand from two to three cars for the 2027 season.
If Busch can't reunite with former teammate Denny Hamlin as his team owner, would he consider joining forces with seven-time champions Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty?
Retirement
It's hard to see Busch completely retiring from NASCAR competition; he has said that he wants to win a Truck Series championship before he hangs up his firesuit, and he could very well land a full-time ride in that series, likely with Spire Motorsports, if he so chooses.
This possibility is more about stepping away from Cup Series competition, which is an entirely plausible scenario.
However, it's not the most likely one. It's fairly obvious that Richard Childress Racing aren't on the level of several other top NASCAR teams, so it's probably premature to suggest that Busch has already fallen off a cliff; he's still 40 years old, and several drivers have driven at a high level well into their 40s.
But while silly season is setting up to be a chaotic one, after a relatively quiet free agency period in 2025, there's no guarantee that teams with open seats won't go for younger (and, quite frankly, cheaper) talent, as we've also seen time and time again.
And for what it's worth, if Busch does finally get his first crack at a full-time Truck Series ride, there's no doubt that the winningest driver in series history would be the instant championship favorite.
Will Busch find victory lane for the first time in three years at some point before the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season concludes? The next race on the schedule is the Food City 500, which is scheduled to take place at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Busch is an eight-time winner on the concrete surface, on Sunday, April 12. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!