Kyle Busch hasn’t visited victory lane in nearly 2 years, and as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season heads into its final three-race stretch, his playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Despite a grueling 2025 season that has tested every ounce of his talent and resolve, he needs a clutch win, a miracle, to keep his championship campaign alive.

With the NASCAR Cup Series garage heading to a road course, Shane van Gisbergen remains the undefeated road course master. But Busch thinks differently. With the Cup Garage running just one day ahead of race action, Busch recently spoke candidly about his chances, laying it all on the table as he prepared to fight for his postseason ticket.

Kyle Busch gets real about his playoff hopes with some reality checks

Busch’s most recent win was in February 2023 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, where he claimed the Pala Casino 400 driving for Richard Childress Racing. In just his second start with RCR, he surged to the front amid chaos and captured his 61st Cup Series victory, extending his record streak of at least one win per season to 19 years. Despite breaking in with a strong performance, that remained their only win of the season. And fast forward to 2025, his playoff game seems weak.

However, Busch is no stranger to the track in question. At Richmond Raceway, he’s a dominant force with six career Cup wins to his name. Dengering into Daytona is a different beast, one he hasn’t conquered yet, but he holds the record for most laps led in the Daytona 500 without a win. And he also claimed victory at Watkins Glen about 12 years ago.

Speaking to Frontstretch, Busch said, “Yeah, I mean, I’ve won at all three of these places, and one of my best racetracks is Richmond. Walking to Atlanta is always fun. I’ve always enjoyed this place, probably my best road course racetrack, not sure statistically, but I just enjoy coming here. And then Daytona, honestly, I would guess Daytona is probably our best shot, as crazy as that sounds, with 30 other guys having their best shot of being able to win that race as well too, but the RCR package has been really fast there over the years, and we’ve been really good at having some good runs and just coming oh so close to winning.”

The 2025 Richard Childress Racing package has seen notable behind-the-scenes changes, including key engineering realignments and specific updates aimed at improving performance. Initially, Kyle Busch praised the team’s effort, the improved balance and reliability of the car, though he admits outright speed remains an area of concern, particularly on power-dependent tracks. Despite the challenges, RCR has shown its commitment by extending Busch’s contract through the 2026 season, with both sides confident that the renewed engineering focus and gradual gains can end the winless drought and push them back into championship contention.

But for now, at the Go Bowling at The Glen, Kyle Busch has secured an encouraging fifth-place starting spot after a sharp qualifying run at Watkins Glen International. Clocking in at 1:12.144 with an average speed of 122.255 mph, Busch placed himself formally in the mix among the weekend’s fastest drivers. Only polesitter Ryan Blaney, followed by Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain, managed to post quicker laps, highlighting how competitive the session was. The performance not only gave Busch valuable track position for Sunday’s race, but it also served as a confidence boost as he chases a much-needed victory to keep his playoff hopes alive.

Kyle Busch breaks down how to run a Cup car on a road course

Kyle Busch knows that there is no margin for error. When asked about what it takes to win on a road course like this, without hesitation, Kyle Busch seems to have the lay of the land. He knows how road courses work here since he has won at Watkins Glen before.

He said, ” Yeah, I mean, I’ve won here before the road course dogs were here, you know, so being able to do that, you got to have really good brakes, you got to be able to stop getting in these corners with these long straightaways and high speeds. You got to be able to slow down and get it to the speed that you need for being able to go through the corners, and then of course, you got to have the grip and the balance right to be able to go through the corners. You got to rotate the apexes and set yourself up for those long straightaways.”

Busch’s last win at Watkins Glen came at least 12 years ago, in 2013, when he captured the Cheez-It 355 in a tense, hard-fought finish. Starting near the front, Busch kept himself in contention all afternoon, but the decisive moment came after a late restart. With Brad Keselowski in hot pursuit, Busch hit every braking point perfectly through the bus stop and carousel, denying the 2012 Cup champion any chance to make a move.

Marcos Ambrose, two-time Glen winner and heavy favorite, had been in the mix earlier but slipped back in the closing stages, leaving Busch and Keselowski to duel for the win. When the checkered flag flew, Busch crossed the line half a second ahead, earning his second career victory at the Glen and his 3rd Cup Series win of the season. It was a race that showcased his road course prowess, something he will be looking to replicate this weekend with the playoffs on the line.