With only three races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Kyle Busch finds himself in an almost must-win situation. Well, assuming he wants to make the Cup Series playoffs, that is (of course he does).
With his 73-point deficit to current bubble driver Chris Buescher virtually insurmountable, Busch knows his chances of qualifying for the playoffs on the basis of points are slim to none. So to make it in, the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy all but has to win.
Does Busch have what it takes to get it done this weekend on the road course at Watkins Glen International, next weekend at Richmond Raceway or in the following weekend’s regular season finale at Daytona?
Even though his results this season, and especially his results over the last several weeks, don’t offer much reason for optimism, Busch — despite being behind the proverbial eight ball — may have an ace up his sleeve.
Watkins Glen Might Offer Kyle Busch Best Remaining Opportunity To Earn Playoff-Clinching Win
While Kyle Busch has been to Victory Lane at each of the final three tracks set to host a regular season race, Watkins Glen is the place where he’s probably most likely to get back there.
Sure, Busch has more wins at Richmond (6) than The Glen (2), but he’s raced at Richmond twice as many times. Perhaps even notable, though, is the fact that Busch owns just two top-five finishes in 2025 — both coming on road courses.
The two-time Cup Series champion finished a season-best fifth at the Chicago Street Course and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. So those results, combined with his past success at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen road circuit, give Busch reason to believe he’s still very much in the fight for a playoff berth.
“Watkins Glen has always been a favorite,” he said. “I really enjoy it. I’ve always enjoyed the technicalities of that place, the high speeds of that place.
“It’s just a really fun place. And you can be on attack mode there and find some speed.”
Flashback to 2013 when Kyle Busch won at Watkins Glen.
— Crispy Kyle Busch ✨ (@kfb8182313000) August 4, 2025
Driver No. 8 Believes He Can Play At Richmond And Daytona, Too
Although recent history suggests that Watkins Glen may be Kyle Busch’s best chance to punch a playoff ticket by ending a drought dating back roughly 26 months, he’s not conceding anything at Richmond or Daytona — the latter of which is always a crapshoot.
“I have won at all those places,” Busch said. “So, let’s go do it again. Watkins Glen is probably my favorite road course we go to. Richmond is statistically one of my best racetracks that we go to. And then Daytona has been one of my best racetracks since I’ve been at RCR with Team Chevrolet.
“I feel really good about our opportunities the next three weeks.”
But to come out on top, Busch and his No. 8 RCR team will need to do what they’ve done only three times since Busch joined the organization in 2023 — and not once in 2024 or 2025. That is, put together a nearly flawless race.
“It’s all about execution and being able to do our job right,” Busch said. “And that includes me going out there and setting some fast laps and being in control of being able to do that. And having good pit stops on pit road and having good strategy and the race falling our way.”
