Kyle Busch’s downfall is worth discussing. Being a title contender for years, he is nearing 1,000 days without winning a Cup race. His move to Richard Childress Racing has hurt him, but even though many expect him to get back to the top in 2026, there is a huge question mark hanging at the end of that expectation, as a NASCAR insider sheds light.

Are Kyle Busch’s winning days over?

Busch moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and won three races, including the last at Gateway. That, however, also remains the only race he has won with the team. He has struggled for most of his time spent with RCR, and although he did clinch a few top-fives, Busch still seems miles away from a race win. NASCAR insider David Style also backs this, claiming his winning days are over.

“It will not happen again. He is done. Put a fork in him. He will not win a race in 2026. He can just not overcome the equipment issues that they have at RCR,” he said.

Richard Childress Racing had an early advantage with the Next-Gen car that allowed them to outperform their rivals. But it is quite apparent that the team does not have the same strength it used to back in its early days. Slowly, the team lost the advantage they built, and Kyle Busch was left with an underperforming car that never got him anywhere close to winning a race.

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Styles’ statement seems true. Analyzing Busch’s performance in the past two seasons, he was never competitive enough to win a race. But, a late caution at a superspeedway might give him a chance, as Style claims: “If he does get a win, it will be at a super speedway or some fluke instance.”

More or less, Busch seems stuck with the team. He had a 19-year streak of winning races in the Cup Series, which came to an end as he crossed the checkered flag at Phoenix in 2024. But there is some positive outlook towards the 2026 season. With the Chase format returning, consistent performances will matter more than race wins. Although this could be a way for Busch to mark an impressive performance, he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the format.

Busch is not a fan of the Chase format

NASCAR bid farewell to the elimination-style playoff format. Beginning with the 2026 season, the sport will follow the older Chase format, with 16 drivers competing for the title in the final 10 races. While this is expected to shakeup the grid, Kyle Busch sounds a bit confused.

“I thought we got away from it for a reason in the past,” he said. “I’m not real sure why we went back to it.”

He claims that the format can be quite punishing, as just a couple of bad races can put drivers out of the championship contention, as happened with him back in the day.

“There were times where guys like myself, who would have one bad race or two, would then knock them out of the championship. I finished 3rd one year, 5th another year, just from having a wreck in one race like Talladega. You can’t make up enough points to get back to the championship. I got wrecked at Kansas one year. That put me 5th in the championship.”

While what he says makes sense, the same was true of the playoff format. In fact, it was more amplified because drivers could lose their spot even after performing well. Denny Hamlin remains the prime example.

The issue Busch raises can only be fixed by returning to a 36-point championship format, which NASCAR used in the past. However, that can have its disadvantages. The Chase somehow fits perfectly between fair racing and pure entertainment, and most drivers are happy with it.

But for Kyle Busch, there are other issues he needs to focus on first. He has remained winless for a long time, and the worst part? He has been competitive, but his car fails to deliver. There is a lot of work for Richard Childress in the upcoming races, but will the team be able to catch up?