NASCAR Cup Bristol
100 races without a Cup win: Every time Kyle Busch nearly ended his NASCAR drought
Kyle Busch is the winningest active driver in Cup, but it's been almost three full years since he last held the checkered flag at the top level of the sport
Nick DeGroot
Edited: Apr 13, 2026, 4:06 AM
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Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Michael Allio Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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.
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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
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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...
Photos from Bristol - Sunday
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