NASCAR

‘I Just Didn’t Have Anything There At The End’: Kyle Busch Unsatisfied After Dominant Day At COTA

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By
Jared Turner
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Jared Turner Sports Editor

Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.

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Sports Editor

Published02 Mar 2025

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Kyle Busch COTA

Seeking his first NASCAR Cup Series win since June 4, 2023, Kyle Busch spent much of Sunday’s race at Circuit of The Americas in position to end his lengthy drought.

But when the checkered flag waved on the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Busch wasn’t out front. Instead, the Richard Childress Racing driver was fifth.

So, what happened to stand in the way of Busch putting an end to his winless streak, which now stands at a whopping 60 races?

Older Tires, Untimely Caution, Late-Race Contact Doomed Kyle Busch

Seemingly on cruise control at times, Busch led 42 of 95 laps on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) — the third race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and first on a road course.

But as the old adage goes, timing is everything. And, unfortunately for Busch, timing was not on his side at the 2.4-mile, 17-turn road circuit in Austin, Texas. Neither was strategy.

On older tires than many of the other frontrunners, including race winner Christopher Bell, Busch knew he was in trouble when a caution flag bunched up the field in the latter portion of the race.

“Once we had that yellow, then it was just defensive mode,” the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion said. “You’re in complete and utter just beat the heck out of the tires at that point, and I just didn’t have it over the No. 20.”

Busch fended off Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car for as long as he could but ultimately surrendered the lead to Bell with six laps to go following an intense battle that lasted several laps. A bit of contact with Bell’s Toyota, before Bell made the winning pass, didn’t do anything to help Busch’s cause.

“Hate it that the contact that we made between turns 2 and 3 ruined our race car,” Busch said. “It bent the right-rear toe link and knocked everything out of it.”

Busch had no issues with how Bell drove, though.

“He ran me really hard, and I was a complete butthead,” Busch said with a smirk. “He did a great job working me over and just doing it the right way and being able to get by.”

Kyle Busch Somewhat Upbeat Despite Disappointing Outcome At COTA

With his absence from NASCAR Cup Series Victory Lane stretching to nearly 21 months, Busch was understandably very disappointed to come up short on Sunday at COTA.

After all, the race seemed for a long time like his to lose.

Busch could, however, take some solace in the fact that he’s off to a solid start in 2025. It comes after an agonizing 2024 during which he missed the playoffs and endured his first winless season in 20 years as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Three races into 2025, Busch has a pair of top-10s — Sunday’s fifth-place finish and a seventh-place finish from the previous weekend in Atlanta. He has led a total of 55 laps and sits ninth in the standings. That would be good enough to make the playoffs if the playoffs began today.

After his performance at COTA, Busch seems encouraged about the overall direction of his team and the speed in his No. 8 Chevrolet.

“The guys did a great job adjusting it through practice, qualifying and into the race, and giving me a piece to go out there and do that well, and to get the car up front like we did,” Busch said. “If we can keep getting top-fives and running in the top five, the wins will be right there.”