The Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2025 has been filled with playoff pressure, and for Kyle Busch, it turned into a firestorm that had tempers blazing. On a tense lap in the elimination race, Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet clipped Riley Herbst’s No. 35, sending Herbst spinning and sparking a radio outburst that echoed through the NASCAR world.

“Maybe (Kyle Busch) should retire,” crackled over the No. 35 team’s radio, a brutal jab that captured the frustration of a rising star tangled up with a veteran fighting to stay relevant. The call, caught on social posts, lit up X and Instagram, with fans and critics piling on Busch’s rough 2025 season.

Busch’s year has been a slog, no question. The two-time Cup champ, with 63 career wins, is stuck in a career-worst 88-race winless streak, sitting 22nd in points with just two top-5s through 28 races. The Roval incident wasn’t just a one-off; it’s another chapter in a season of wrecks, mechanical woes, and fading momentum. Starting in this race, Busch himself faced a wreck on the first lap itself, seemingly from Carson Hocevar, sending him multiple laps down.

Busch was already clawing uphill from that incident, and then the contact with Herbst, a young gun driving for 23XI Racing, only deepened the narrative that his edge might be slipping. The Roval’s hybrid layout, with its tight corners and slick surface, is a known chaos magnet, and Busch’s spin of Herbst fit right into its unforgiving script.

The retirement jab stings because it’s not the first time Busch has faced the question. Back in March 2025, he admitted to Motorsport.com that stepping away has crossed his mind, though he’s still all-in for now: “Hopefully when you’re still out here enjoying what you’re doing … we’ll keep working at it.”

But when a rival team’s radio drops a bombshell like that mid-race, it’s a gut punch. Busch’s legacy, two titles, 229 top-10s, once made him untouchable, but 2025’s struggles have fans and drivers alike wondering if the sport’s new blood is passing him by.

Herbst, pushing for a breakout with 23XI, didn’t need the wreck to amplify his playoff pressure. The spin cost him track position in a must-win scenario, and the radio call reflected raw frustration. Busch’s aggressive move, while not uncommon in the Roval’s dogfight, turned heads because it’s part of a pattern; like the Lap 1 wreck in this same race that’s fueled the “washed” chatter.

While the No. 35 team’s radio burned Busch, teammate Austin Dillon stood up for him at Charlotte’s Saturday presser.

Austin Dillon backs Busch amid RCR struggles

“I think the main focus for RCR is to get Kyle Busch, a two-time champion, back to the winner’s circle in any way possible to make him happy and to make the rest of the organization happy, and to go fast because that’s what we want in the end,” Dillon said.

With Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, exiting for Trackhouse in 2026 to work with Connor Zilisch, and Andy Street stepping in as interim, RCR is in flux. Dillon’s push to rally around Busch shows team loyalty, even as the No. 8’s 88-race drought looms large.

“It’s funny, you go through a little bit and everyone feels like you forget how to drive, and that’s not the case,” Dillon added. “Kyle’s Kyle Busch, he’s always going to be one of the best to ever do it. We’ve just got to give him the best shot at doing it on Sundays.”

At 40, Busch’s talent isn’t gone; his 159 laps led at Kansas proved that, but the Roval wreck and Herbst’s spin have the garage buzzing. Dillon’s call for better cars and strategy is a lifeline, but with “retire” ringing out, Busch’s fight to silence doubters just got louder.