“I think you can, if you’re smart”: Kyle Busch crunches the numbers in make-or-break NASCAR playoff chase

Kyle Busch is once again under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons the Richard Childress Racing driver is hoping for, as the No. 8 Chevrolet driver enters the final stretch of the regular season before NASCAR transitions to playoff rounds.

Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, is currently on one of his biggest winless streaks. The 40-year-old last won a race in his debut season with RCR in 2023, accumulating three triumphs in the first 15 races. Since then, victory lane has eluded the 63-time Cup race winner.

Apart from that, Busch also missed last season's playoff rounds and is still in a points deficit for the 2025 season. With six races remaining before NASCAR ventures into the first playoff round at Darlington Raceway, the Las Vegas native broke down the points he needs to gather for a chance to be in the top 16. When asked if he'll be able to erase the deficit, Busch said (via Speedway Media):

"I think you can, if you’re smart, play it the right way, and keep yourself up front to get those stage points. In these races, yes you can do it. Now we go back to the ovals where it’s a little more evenly separated between the competition. There is a slight chance that somebody outside of the playoffs will win, and you have to start all over again."

Furthermore, he emphasized the "task at hand" for him to make the cutline before the final race of the regular season at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race at Daytona International Speedway.

"The task at hand right now is to knock off eight points per race. If you look at it, divide 40 points into six races. That’s going to be somewhere around the seven-to-eight-point range per race that you need to have in order to put yourself in the playoffs on points," added Kyle Busch.

Kyle Busch - NASCAR Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

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Kyle Busch opens up on matching Shane van Gisbergen's road course prowess

NASCAR is set to return to its traditional oval after two road course weekends in Chicago and Sonoma. While Shane van Gisbergen headlined those race days with his back-to-back wins, Kyle Busch made ground with one top-five and one top-10 finish.

However, the RCR driver believes it will take until his "retirement" to hone 10% of the Trackhouse star Gisbergen's skill on a road course.

In a media interaction at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Busch shared his thoughts about matching Shane van Gisbergen's talent in his stock-car racing series. He said [1:12 onwards]:

“I mean just the longevity of it all but we’ve also had others that have been here that have grown up just doing that as well so I don’t know. He’s just really, really good. He has the heel-toe method I know." "So, for me to try to figure that out it would be until my retirement before I’m even 10% as good as he is at it, so that’s out the window,” added Kyle Busch jokingly.

Catch Kyle Busch and Co. live in action for the 21st race of the season at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20 at 2 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Luke Koshi