Kyle Busch is definitely in a pickle. Over the past few months, Rowdy has been fighting an off-track battle with the Pacific Life Insurance Company. A $8.5 million lawsuit from NASCAR legend Kyle Busch and his wife, Samantha, was filed, and they claim that the company sold them policies with misleading promises of tax-free retirement income. But as the couple dove headfirst into the legal battle, a new update has emerged and has flipped the case on its head. And now, a victory for Kyle Busch seems far from over as he is left licking his wounds.

In a filing Thursday in the Western District of North Carolina, the same court that recently handled Michael Jordan’s antitrust case against NASCAR, Pacific Life says the Busches bought five index universal life (IUL) policies between 2018 and 2022, totaling more than $90 million in coverage.

The policies were supposed to deliver immediate death benefit protection while letting cash value grow over time if held long-term.

But Pacific Life claims Kyle Busch didn’t find the policies properly, let some lapse, and surrendered the rest. Busch says he lost $10.4 million and sued in October 2025, accusing the insurer of hiding the true risks.

Pacific Life pushes back, saying the couple signed multiple documents showing they understood the policies, one even spelled out that they would pay planned premiums and keep the policies for 30 years through age 17 and beyond.

“Instead of keeping the policies long enough to capitalize on their growth potential, Plaintiffs failed to timely pay planned premiums, failed to monitor allocation of their policy values between indexed and fixed accounts and surrendered the policies or allowed them to lapse,” the company wrote. “Rather than accept responsibility for their own decisions, Plaintiffs now attempt to blame their negative outcome on the IUL product.”

An IUL mixes life insurance with a cash value account tied to a stock market index, supposedly with built-in protection against downturns.

When he filed the suit, Busch said he was told that paying $1 million for five years would let him withdraw $800,000 annually starting at age 52. But after getting a sixth premium notice, he claims he discovered almost all his money was gone.

Pacific Life also argues that the lawsuit is too late. Busch’s claim for breach of fiduciary duty and negligent misrepresentation came seven years later, after he started buying policies, outside the three-year statute of limitations.

“A plaintiff cannot avoid the statute of limitations by remaining ‘willfully blind’: A man should not be allowed to close his eyes to the facts readily observable by ordinary attention, and maintain for his own advantage the position of ignorance,” the filing says. “Such a principle would enable a careless man, and by reason of his carelessness, to extend his right to recover for an indefinite length of time.”

Pacific Life insists the misrepresentation claims fall apart because the Busches signed “express, repeated disclosure.”

Each policy included a cover letter with bold, capitalized instructions to “READ YOUR POLICY CAREFULLY,” and offered a 20-day cancellation window with full premium refunds.

The company also noted that the couple signed a form confirming they received and reviewed the policies. The lawsuit also targets agent Rodney A Smith, accusing him of steering the Busches toward a risk, unsustainable product, and charging a 35% upfront commission they say they never knew about.

And as the legal battle still goes on, the score remains 1-0, with Pacific Life taking one win for its team.

But as far as things are concerned on track, the 40-year-old driver looks to make things right in 2026; however, he isn’t too happy with the revised Chase format either, and the fans aren’t too sure about his comeback either.

Busch treads lightly around new playoff format

Heading into his fourth season with Richard Childress Racing and a new partnership with crew chief Jim Pohlman, Busch is facing a big question. Can NASCAR’s revamped playoff system help snap out of recent postseason droughts?

When asked whether the change was to improve his chances compared to the past two seasons, Busch was optimistic.

“I feel like the last two years we were knocked out of the bubble because of the winners behind us. They maybe wouldn’t have been there otherwise. But yeah, it gives us an opportunity to talk about sixteenth place. There’s no reason why I need to be talking about sixteenth,” he said.

He recognizes the new structure rewards steady performance, but he doubts it will drastically change how drivers race or behave on track. For a veteran like him, the shift needs adjusting, not just strategy but mindset, finding the right balance between aggression and consistency to make a real championship run.

“Any crashes will kill your championship run,” he admitted.

With Pohlman now leading the pit box, Busch hopes a blend of experience and fresh thinking will unlock success and NASCAR’s Chase format.