Despite RCR struggle and Chevy domination, Kyle Busch “feels pretty good” about having a solid shot at Indianapolis 

Despite going through the longest winless streak of his racing career, Kyle Busch is optimistic about this coming Sunday’s Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Named Brickyard 400, the 160-lap event will mark Busch’s 22nd start of the season.

Kyle Busch has been quite strong at Indianapolis. The Las Vegas native owns two wins at the 2.5-mile oval, besides three top-fives and seven top-10s. Reflecting on his previous runs at Indianapolis, the two-time Cup Series champion said on The Pat McAfee Show (7:18),

“I love Indy. Coming to Indy is a lot of fun. I've really gotten pretty good over here over the years. I won the race in 2015, 2016; should have won in 2017, but we got wrecked out. I feel pretty good about me here at Indy.”

“The Chevy camp has been really fast here over the years as well too (with) Kyle (Larson) winning the race last year... I would think that our basis should be pretty close, that we can go out there, and we can have a good shot,” he added.

Kyle Busch is in his third season with Richard Childress Racing. His last victory came at World Wide Technology back in June 2023, marking his maiden season with the Chevy team. Last year, he snapped his 19-year streak of winning at least one race every season.

Busch sits 15th in the driver standings with 461 points to his name. While he currently ranks inside the top-16, a win will further corkscrew his spot in the playoffs. The driver has only a pair of top-fives and seven top-10 finishes so far.

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Budding NASCAR superstar says he doesn’t want a career like Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch is the winningest driver among the Cup Series regulars. He has 63 wins to his name in Cup alone and holds records in the Xfinity Series (102) and the Craftsman Truck Series (67). This makes his total winning tally hit an impressive 232 in all three NASCAR national series.

However, Connor Zilisch, an Xfinity Series newcomer and driver of the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, does not want a career like that. Zilisch does want to win races, but sticking to just one form of competitive motorsports is not for him.

“I’m not the guy who cares to win 250 races in NASCAR like a Kyle Busch or care to go for a win record," Zilisch said on the Stacking Pennies podcast. “I want to win a championship here and I want to be successful, but I want to experience different series and different cultures and what there is to explore in the world of motorsports."

Although not confirmed, Zilisch could be switching to a full-time Cup schedule next year. Rumors suggest that Trackhouse Racing could hire him to fill the spot that Daniel Suarez will vacate at the end of the 2025 season.