It's been more than 100 races since Kyle Busch most recently visited victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series, and we're officially at the point where we have to ask the difficult question: will he ever win again?
No, not "when" will he win again, but "will he?", because after his latest disaster of an outing at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, it feels like far from a sure thing.
Busch is a two-time Cup Series champion and future first-ballot Hall of Famer. His 233 victories across all of NASCAR's top three series are the most of all-time. But his performance has been trending downward for several years, and now, he might have officially jumped the shark.
For the first time, it feels like Richard Childress Racing can't be entirely blamed for Kyle Busch's problems
The common refrain when it comes to Busch the past few seasons is that he is stuck in a horrible situation at Richard Childress Racing. And make no mistake; he is. RCR is arguably the slowest multi-car team on the Cup Series grid, with a toxic culture to boot.
Still, Busch has to own some responsibility for his struggles. He has carried a sour attitude through the adversity, and this was never more obviously on display than it was on Sunday, when he intentionally spun Riley Herbst in the closing laps as payback for an earlier incident.
Kyle Busch view of that incident with Riley Herbst. pic.twitter.com/SUngVARqjx
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) April 12, 2026
That only put the icing on the cake of what was a banner day for Busch, who also had a tense moment with crew chief Jim Pohlman earlier on. The chemistry is just not there on the No. 8 team, despite the hope that giving him a new voice atop the pit box to replace Randall Burnett could provide a spark.
https://t.co/QgiK8ajAo8 pic.twitter.com/cZ6xYIlqh8
— K.F.B Updates (@KFB_Updates) April 12, 2026
When Busch spun Herbst to set up the overtime finish, neither driver was on the lead lap. It was clearly pure frustration on the former champion's part, not only from his day on Sunday, but from what he has dealt with the entirety of the past three seasons.
And it feels like there's no going back.
Even prior to his move to RCR, Busch's performance had dropped off from his peak years at Joe Gibbs Racing. He only won four times in his final three seasons at JGR, a number he nearly equaled in 2023 alone.
But ever since then, he has declined at an increasingly rapid rate, culminating in a 2026 season during which he sits 24th in points and has yet to record a single top 10 finish through eight races.
The ideal solution for Busch would be to leave RCR for a new home, perhaps at Spire Motorsports to replace either Daniel Suarez or Michael McDowell. But even then, on the wrong side of 40, it's hard to see any world where he returns to his title-contending ways.
Busch has had a legendary career, but his past few years can no longer be considered just a rough stretch or a product of a bad team. The fat lady is warming up her vocal cords.
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