The clock is ticking. With just six races remaining before the playoffs begin, Kyle Busch has his work cut out for him. The Richard Childress Racing driver is running the risk of not making it to the playoffs for a second year in a row, and a 77-race winless streak isn’t giving fans many reasons to be optimistic. It’s now or never for ‘Rowdy,’ who has struggled with consistency this year, with just two top-five results in 20 races.

Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, outlined expectations for his driver going into the business end of the season. If there was ever a time to get some clutch results, it’s now, and the two-time Cup Series champ will be hoping to get a string of good results to remain in contention for the Bill France Cup.

Kyle Busch’s crew chief isn’t underestimating the task at hand

Kyle Busch went to Sonoma Raceway with his work cut out for him. He was 46 points off the playoff cutline going to Wine Country, but he managed to pull off a good points day despite plenty of struggles. A good pit strategy, thanks to crew chief Randall Burnett, helped him get points in Stage 2, but he fell back outside the top-30 with a spin on Lap 76. Still, the No. 8 Chevy showed lightning-fast pace around the 2.5-mile track and managed to salvage a 10th-place finish thanks to new tires and the field bunching up.

It’s that kind of luck that could prove to be the difference maker. Kyle Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, said on the NASCAR Live podcast, “You can’t exclude yourself from the points because you’re still right in there, right?” He went on to say, “Anybody can win at Daytona, obviously. You know, if you get somebody that’s behind you in points that moves that cutline again and wins a race, it’s going to make it all tougher, right? We definitely gotta be points conscious. Where we’re at. But we also gotta be racing for the win. So it’s a fine line.”

As things stand, Busch gained nine points on the cutline after the result in Sonoma. He’ll be going into Sunday’s race at Dover Motor Speedway 37 points behind Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot. Twelve different drivers have automatically secured their postseason berth through race wins, which means four spots are up for grabs via points. Tyler Reddick is 149 points above the cutline, while Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman are 34 and 32 points above the cutline. The final spot is occupied by Wallace.

However, if the likes of Ryan Preece, Carson Hocevar, or AJ Allmendinger manage to snatch a race win, they’ll leapfrog the competition to qualify for the postseason, making Kyle Busch’s job much more tricky. The final regular-season race is at Daytona International Speedway, which is always a gamble, and Busch will need to get his act together fast. Apart from showing consistency in every single race, the Nevada-native will need to potentially snatch a race win to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. That’ll be easier said than done, but if there’s one driver who can do it, it’s ‘Rowdy.’

Kyle Busch identifies room for improvement

Kyle Busch narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year. He finished 2nd at Daytona and Darlington, the last two races of the 2024 regular season, despite dominating both races. It’s a situation the Richard Childress Racing driver will be hoping to build on this time around, and with consecutive top-10 finishes in his last two races, the 40-year-old seems to be hitting his stride at just the right time.

Sharing his thoughts about the playoffs, Busch said, “I would say if you find another winner outside (a playoff spot), then I would say you’re in a must-win (situation). I would say right now, today, pointing your way in with no more new winners is certainly doable. Our biggest fault is just not being able to get stage points.” He also said, “I think it just boils down to all of us on our team being accountable.”

As things stand, Kyle Busch has 36 stage points, 14 of which came at the Circuit of The Americas in March. Even though the results come down to the veteran racer at the end of the day, making gains on the racetrack will require a team effort. “Pit crew, myself, (crew chief) Randall (Burnett), engineers, everybody, and being able to do what we know how to do and what we’re paid to do, and that’s to execute,” Busch said. Will the No. 8 team show significant improvement in the remaining six races to make the playoffs? Let us know in the comments.