Kyle Busch given one chance to win NASCAR race and get into playoffs

Kyle Busch has been informed about the race that is likely his only chance to cruise to victory lane and secure his place in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Following a P10 finish in the Toyota Save Mart 350, where Shane van Gisbergen once again demonstrated his unmatched dominance on road courses, Busch is now 37 points below the playoff cutline. However, with only six regular-season races left on the Cup Series schedule, his time to secure a postseason spot is dwindling.

"I just think it's too inconsistent at this point," Harvick mentioned on his 'Happy Hour' podcast. "He has his strengths - he's Kyle freaking Busch... he could go to Daytona and win - but I don't think he's going to win anywhere else."

Busch missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2012. His winless streak is well-known, dating back to June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway). Nonetheless, Busch has shown flashes of the driver who previously won two Cup Championships. He had a car capable of winning at COTA and managed to secure a fifth-place finish in the Chicago Street Race.

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.Though Busch has achieved no shortage of success over a decorated 21-year career in NASCAR, he currently finds himself mired in a 77-race winless streak that dates back to June 2023. The No. 8 Chevrolet driver has led only 62 laps during the 2025 campaign while boasting seven top-10s, two top-5s, and an average finish of 17.25.

Amidst his continued struggles this season, Busch asserted that his team simply needed to do "what we're paid to do" in order to reach the playoffs. "I would say if you find another winner outside [a playoff spot], then I would say you're in a must-win [situation]," he said last month. "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.

"I think it just boils down to all of us on our team being accountable," Busch continued. "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."