100 races without a Cup win: Every time Kyle Busch nearly ended his NASCAR drought

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100 races without a Cup win: Every time Kyle Busch nearly ended his NASCAR drought

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In the NASCAR Cup Series, there is no driver with as many wins at Kyle Busch (63), although Denny Hamlin is moving ever-closer.

The 40-year-old Busch won at least one race every year between 2005 and 2023 in his Hall of Fame career. That final year before the impressive streak came to a grinding halt was his very first with Richard Childress Racing, and the two-time Cup champion came out of the gate swinging. After battling for the Daytona 500 win, he earned his first victory with RCR in just his second start with the team at Auto Club Speedway.

Busch went on to win three of the first 15 races that year, and hopes were soaring for the No. 8 team. That third win came at Gateway on June 4, 2023, leading 121 of 243 laps from pole position. Shockingly, that victory would be the last.

Almost three full years and 100 starts later, Busch has yet to win another Cup race. So, what’s happened?

Some point the finger at RCR for struggling to keep up as the larger teams get faster and father, others at Busch’s age or his own difficulty in adapting to the wildly different Gen-7 car, or maybe it’s a combination of all of these reasons and more.

Regardless, the fact remains that it’s been 100 races since Busch won at the Cup level, and it hasn’t been for a lack of effort. Here’s a look back at the five moments when Busch came closest to securing his long-awaited 64th career win.

Atlanta 2024 – Closest three-wide photo finish in history

Watch: Hear FOX Sports Latin America’s call of Daniel Suárez’s wild Atlanta win

Daytona 2024 — Passed by an underdog on the final lap

Watch: Harrison Burton claims win No. 100 for Wood Brothers Racing

Darlington 2024 – Just a car length away

Watch: Chase Briscoe fends off Kyle Busch to win, clinch playoff spot at Darlington

Kansas 2024 — Spinning from the lead

Watch: ‘I’m numb, I don’t know what to do,’: Kyle Busch walks away P19

COTA 2025 — A dominant race with a disappointing end

Watch: Kyle Busch: ‘Wish it was us’ after coming up short at COTA

Since that last win at Gateway almost three years ago, Busch has seven finishes of either second or third. Busch has led 381 laps since then as well, but he’s also been involved in a multitude of incidents as he battles an ill-handling No. 8 Chevrolet most race weekends as of late.

Despite the close calls and other opportunities, the win column remains empty for KB, and 2026 has been a step in the wrong direction. Busch has yet to score a top ten through the first seven races, and neither has his teammate Austin Dillon. He opened the year by earning pole position for the Daytona 500, but that’s about it for the No. 8 team, even with a new crew chief on the pit box. Frustrations are high within the organization, and most of the Chevrolet camp seems to have lost a step as they adjust to the updated ZL1 body.

Busch’s win drought enters the triple digits as he arrives in Bristol, a track where he was once unstoppable. The only hat trick weekend sweep in NASCAR history happened at this iconic half-mile, and it was Busch behind the wheel. He has eight Cup wins at Bristol and no active driver comes close to that number, but he has no finish higher than 14th in the Next Gen era at the track (excluding a win on Bristol Dirt in 2022).

It’s also not unheard of to see Cup veterans return to Victory Lane after such a lengthy absence. Brad Keselowski ended a 110-race winless streak at Darlington in 2024. And that’s nowhere near the record. Bill Elliott once went an astonishing 226 races (seven years) between race wins later in his career.

But where can Busch finally end this drought and win for the 64th time in the Cup Series? At the moment, the options seem limited to superspeedways, but RCR’s most recent triumphs both came at the Richmond short track with Austin Dillon winning there in back-to-back years. We know that Busch has the talent to fight for wins with this No. 8 Chevrolet when it has the pace, but will he get that opportunity again? That remains to be seen…

Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Matt Kelley / Getty Images

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing celebrates with mother Heather and grandfather Joe Gibbs

Matt Kelley / Getty Images

Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Atlanta 2024 – Closest three-wide photo finish in history

Daytona 2024 — Passed by an underdog on the final lap

Darlington 2024 – Just a car length away

Kansas 2024 — Spinning from the lead

COTA 2025 — A dominant race with a disappointing end

Photos from Bristol – Sunday

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Austin Cindric, Team Penske

Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing

Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing

General view

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing

General view

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports

General view

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing, Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Team Penske, Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing

Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing

Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Austin Cindric, Team Penske

Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing

Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing

General view

General view

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske

Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports, Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing

Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., HYAK Motorsports

General view

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports

General view

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing

General view

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske

Joe Gibbs Racing team members celebrate

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing celebrates with mother Heather and grandfather Joe Gibbs

Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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