Kyle Busch maintains ice cool persona as playoff pressure continues to mount ahead of Daytona: "I'm not stressed out over it"

Kyle Busch, a legendary NASCAR driver, is facing the odds as he aims to qualify for the playoffs in the upcoming regular season race at Daytona. But he is maintaining a calm composure as he approaches every race as a must-win, and the team is focused on getting him into the position to win the race.

In 2025, Kyle Busch has had a rather mediocre run in contrast to his already exemplary career. With his reputation as one of the most successful drivers in the sport, Busch has found it difficult to establish consistency and has failed to win a race this year, making this his longest winless streak in his Cup career.

He has scored his two best finishes of fifth place to date, including one at the Circuit of the Americas and one at the Chicago Street Course. Outside these exceptions, his performance has been plagued with several problems in the form of a lack of grip, pit road penalties, and complications that have resulted in him being outside the playoff cutline for much of the season.

In response to a query by Speedway Digest about the pressure of winning coming into Daytona, Busch calmly said that they are looking to get the task done.

"I don’t think so, no. We just know time is running out, but I don’t think the pressure is any greater. It’s just a matter of being able to get it done and right now is the best time, you know, so you can go try to prepare for a championship."

He further added:

"I’m not stressed out over it. I think that we go to each and every single weekend with the mindset to try to go out there and win, and we haven’t put ourselves in that position to be able to score a victory. So, we need to. But I wouldn’t say that this weekend puts any added pressure on that."

Busch is in 16th place in the standings with 537 points, far behind the line to get into the postseason. Daytona is one of the most challenging tracks in NASCAR, but he currently has no other avenue in which to qualify.

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Kyle Busch critiques NASCAR's schedule as Richmond loses out and Vegas holds two dates

Although Las Vegas Motor Speedway is his home track, he believes it should not hold two race dates unless it consistently sells out its grandstands. Busch argues that other venues deserve the opportunity to host races to keep the sport thriving in different markets. To Frontstretch, he said:

“I have kind of said it for a few years that if you're not packing the grandstands and selling out every single time, then you only need one date, you know?”

“As much as I love Vegas and Vegas is my hometown, I don't think Vegas needs two dates. Definitely some other places that can utilize a date and have an opportunity to keep their places alive,” Kyle Busch added.

This opinion comes amid NASCAR's 2026 plans to consolidate Richmond's schedule alongside the introduction of new venues like Mexico City and a street race in San Diego, targeting a broader and more diverse fan base.