Imagine being so good as a racer that the sanctioning body actually has to introduce a new rule to stop you. NASCAR fans remember when the Kyle Busch rule was put into place. For context, there are three NASCAR divisions, but nothing prevents a driver from competing in all three if possible. Often, Cup drivers would compete part-time in the Truck and the erstwhile Xfinity Series.

More often than not, the Cup drivers would be in a league of their own from the full-time drivers. As a result, NASCAR introduced new rules that restricted the Cup drivers from competing in too many races. This would deprive the full-time drivers of the chance to win races, and a frequent culprit was Kyle Busch. As a result, the rule was unofficially called the Kyle Busch rule. Ahead of the 2026 season, though, the regulation has been relaxed, so Cup drivers can compete in more races in the lower tier.

Some in the NASCAR community defended the Kyle Busch rule

Corey LaJoie told the Stacking Pennies podcast, “They made the Kyle Busch rule because he was winning too many Xfinity races. Put the lid on that, limited to five races for Cup drivers with a certain amount of experience, say 3-4 years of Cup experience. Now they have taken the lid back off. We need to have the Larsons, the Chase Elliotts, and the Ross Chastains running in our lower series. I have my own opinions as to why. My opinion is that people watch Sunday racing. They have an affinity towards these guys, so when they go, even Carson Hocevar’s running a substantial amount of Truck races, Michael McDowell. They know these guys, so they would be more apt to tune in to watch a Cup guy than somebody on the way up. I wish it wasn’t that way, that’s just the way it is.”

So what’s the appeal of having Cup drivers drive in the Trucks or O’Reilly Auto Parts series? First and foremost, they bring a fair amount of star power to the lower leagues. LaJoie noted that fans were more likely to watch the Truck or O’Reilly Auto Parts races if their favorite Cup driver was racing in it.

On a personal level, Corey LaJoie is not a big fan of Cup drivers infiltrating lower divisions. He believes that people prefer to watch races on Sundays, as opposed to Fridays and Saturdays, when the Truck or O’Reilly Auto Parts were on.

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Corey LaJoie and Ryan Flores are excited for the 2026 NASCAR season

Now, both LaJoie and Flores will have a busy schedule in 2026, as they are still heavily involved in NASCAR. LaJoie may no longer be racing full-time, but he has been given part-time gigs at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. In addition to that, he is also competing in the Truck Series with Henderson Motorsports, also on a part-time basis. Meanwhile, Flores will be working with JR Motorsports in the #88 Chevrolet in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

This means that he will rub shoulders with the likes of Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman. Aside from them, he will be linking up with Rajah Caruth. According to Flores, Caruth is kicking off the season with JR Motorsports for the opening three races in the #88 car. Aside from that, he will also race for Jordan Anderson Racing, also on a limited schedule. Without a doubt, the 2026 season is sure to be exciting, and it is almost time to go racing.