{"id":277034,"date":"2025-11-11T20:24:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/277034\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T20:24:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:24:08","slug":"was-nascar-always-targeting-kyle-busch-shocking-2026-rule-reversal-raises-eyebrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/277034\/","title":{"rendered":"Was NASCAR Always Targeting Kyle Busch? Shocking 2026 Rule Reversal Raises Eyebrows"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was a time when Kyle Busch couldn\u2019t get enough racing. He\u2019d jump between the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series<\/a> any weekend he could, and 2009 summed it up perfectly \u2014 four Cup wins, nine in Xfinity, and a championship to top it off.<\/p>\n

He was a series regular because, well, the rulebook let him.<\/p>\n

But over time, NASCAR<\/a> began enforcing stricter limits on full-time Cup Series drivers with five or more years of experience from competing in the two lower national series.<\/p>\n

But when you take a look at NASCAR\u2019s 2026 rulebook, you can\u2019t help but wonder \u2014 was it really about Busch all along?<\/p>\n

Was NASCAR Restricting Kyle Busch All Along?<\/p>\n

Back in 2017, Cup veterans could squeeze into 10 Xfinity races and seven Truck events. In 2018, NASCAR dialed it back to seven Xfinity and five Truck races, a limit that stuck through 2019.<\/p>\n

Then came 2020, when the rules got even tighter: five races in each series, and the crackdown hit drivers with just three years of Cup experience. Those limits remain today.<\/p>\n

Even with the clampdown, fans weren\u2019t shy about their feelings \u2014 Busch racing (and winning) in the Xfinity and Truck Series was still controversial.<\/p>\n

Because Busch was often the only driver hitting the maximum number of races allowed under the new limits, the restrictions earned the nickname the \u201cKyle Busch Rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the winningest driver in both the Xfinity and Truck Series, Busch has kept running five Truck Series races a year since 2018, even after selling Kyle Busch Motorsports to Spire Motorsports following the 2023 season.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, he\u2019s found victory lane at least once each year going all the way back to 2013.<\/p>\n

The two-time Cup Series champion did pledge to step away from the Xfinity Series once he hit 100 career wins. After going five-for-five in 2021, he reached 102 wins and sat out the 2022 season.<\/p>\n

He returned in 2023 for four races following a Cup team and manufacturer switch, ran just one race in 2024, and didn\u2019t compete at all in 2025.<\/p>\n

Come 2026, Cup veterans with three or more years of experience<\/a> can hit the track for up to 10 Xfinity races and eight Truck Series events \u2014 though the finale, playoff races, and championship remain off-limits.<\/p>\n

But history tells the story: Busch was the only driver exploiting these rules. Since he stepped back, no Cup driver has consistently maxed out the limits. Will anyone suddenly jump into 18 races across both series? Don\u2019t bet on it.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Ross Chastain became the first full-time Cup driver to run five races in both the Xfinity and Truck Series in the same year. Everyone else? Not even close. And the Xfinity Series limit hasn\u2019t been touched since A.J. Allmendinger ran five races in 2023.<\/p>\n

The message is clear: these restrictions were designed with Busch in mind. Now that he\u2019s no longer running a Truck team and has barely touched the Xfinity Series in the last two years, NASCAR can afford to relax.<\/p>\n

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