Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing split would be best for both parties

There was a time when it was difficult to imagine Kyle Busch doing anything but winning. 

Those days are long gone. 

The 63-time Cup Series winner and two-time series champion who drives for Richard Childress Racing is embroiled in a winless streak now at 94 races after Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. Through the first seven races of 2026, Busch is 24th in the standings and without a top-10 finish. In fact, 2026 is the first season that RCR as a whole has gone seven races into a campaign without a single top-10 result. 

Making things worse for the 40-year-old Busch is the fact that 2026 is the final year of his contract with RCR. And while Busch likely won't say it in public, at least not anytime soon, it seems unlikely the two sides would want to extend their partnership at the moment. 

After all, Busch is in the midst of the worst stretch of his career. Prior to 2024, he had never gone winless over the course of a season. Before the 2024-25 season, he had never missed the Cup Series postseason in consecutive years. 

Busch is setting never-before-seen marks in his career — just not the right kind. 

It's for the best for Kyle Busch, RCR to split

To his credit, Busch has stuck with RCR. He signed a one-year extension in 2025 to stay in the No. 8 Chevrolet. 

But if Busch, who is clearly in the twilight of his career, chooses to stick around the organization past this season, it's hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. 

It's not as if the man who was once NASCAR's most formidable driver suddenly lost his talent in a Space Jam-esque way. It's certainly possible that Busch, now a grizzled veteran far removed from the young heel he once played, has lost a step or two. But there's still a fire in his belly and plenty of driving acumen left to be exercised. 

RCR is not lighting the world on fire with its other full-time driver in Austin Dillon or its part-time Cup Series entry with Austin Hill or Jesse Love, either. While it's the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team with Hill and Love is a bona fide title threat, its Cup Series companion is anything but. 

Dillon, Busch and Hill qualified 30th, 34th and 37th (last) at Martinsville on Saturday and finished 25th, 24th and 33rd, respectively. Busch finished two laps down. 

Even a new crew chief in NOAPS champion Jim Pohlman hasn't changed much for Busch, who still appears to be stuck in the same rut he's been mired in for the last two and a half seasons. 

A Busch-RCR split, even if it becomes messy, appears to be best for both parties. The grass may not be greener for Busch on the other side, but not even checking to see what's on the other side of the fence seems like a worse option for a driver searching for any semblance of his past success.