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Kyle Busch recently discussed the upcoming 2026 season and his future in NASCAR
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season will be the 22nd full-time campaign for Kyle Busch. With 63 career Cup victories and two championships, the driver of the #8 has already accomplished just about everything in the sport.
However, the 40-year-old hasn’t won a Cup race since June 2023 and missed the playoffs the last two seasons. On top of that, Busch is in a contract year in 2026 as he isn’t guaranteed to return to Richard Childress Racing after this season.
Ahead of this season, Busch sat down with FOX motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass to discuss this upcoming season and his NASCAR future beyond 2026.
Kyle Busch on Expectations for 2026: ‘Get Back to Victory Lane’
Busch joined RCR ahead of the 2023 season. After 15 races of his first campaign with the team, the Las Vegas native had three victories. However, Busch hasn’t won a single race since then.
When Pockrass asked Busch what he’d like to see at RCR that would make him stay beyond 2026, the champion driver said winning is essential. Because of his “competitive nature,” Busch wants to win.
“You’ve got to get back to victory lane. It’s all about winning races, it’s all about being able to capitalize on those days, and having a good team around you. You win from top to bottom, so looking forward to seeing what [crew chief Jim Pohlman] has for us and what we can do with that,” Busch said.
Busch went on to say it’ll take some time to figure out where they’re at in the season, performance wise. Three or four races won’t dictate where they’re at, Busch believes, and that the Coca-Cola 600 in May will be a solid checkpoint of where they stand.
“I’ve always kinda said once you get to the Coke 600, that’s sorta where you’ll fall in the season and where your points are and where you kinda stack up. You can go about one or two places higher or lower than where you’re at currently. I would say that would be a good time to start judging,” Busch said.
Kyle Busch Not Worried About NASCAR Future: ‘It is what it is’
The 2026 season wouldn’t be the first that Kyle Busch has entered not knowing where his future lies. When asked about any pressure he feels about not having secured a ride for 2027, Busch said he doesn’t worry about it.
“I don’t really worry. It kinda is what it is. I’ve always told Samantha [Busch] the same thing. You can’t worry about things you can’t control. All you can do is go out there and do what you can do and the good Lord will take care of the rest. If I’m here in the future, great,” Busch said.
After 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing (2008-2022), Kyle Busch left to join Richard Childress Racing. In his time at JGR, behind the wheel of the #18, he won 56 races and two championships, with the championships coming in 2015 and 2019.
Busch will be making his 21st Daytona 500 start on February 15. He has yet to win “The Great American Race,” with his best finish being second in 2019.
John Breeden John Breeden is a NASCAR contributor at Heavy Sports. He has five years of sports journalism experience. He graduated from James Madison University in May of 2022 with a degree in media arts and design. John is also a sports reporter for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Previously, John was a sports writer for JMU’s The Breeze and a NASCAR content writer for Sportskeeda. More about John Breeden
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