Kyle Busch reveals the secret to winning the Coca-Cola 600: "That’s when the money’s paid"

Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch says the key to winning the Coca-Cola 600 is all about being fast when it matters most, at night. As NASCAR gets ready for its longest race this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch shared how his team needs to focus on speed during the final stages of the 600-mile event.

Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, will be making his 37th career Cup start at Charlotte this Sunday. His most memorable win at the 1.5-mile oval came in 2018, when he dominated the Coca-Cola 600 by leading 377 of 400 laps and sweeping all three stages.

It remains his only points-paying Cup win at the track. He started from the pole that night and finished more than three seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr. The 40-year-old from Las Vegas has also won nine times in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and eight times in the Truck Series at the same track.

When asked during a media session if the qualifying position matters a lot in the Coca-Cola 600, Kyle Busch said (via Speedway Digest):

"No, it doesn't. It's a longer race, so you have more time from sunlight to nighttime, and typically you don't really worry about how your car is until you get to the nighttime because that's when the money's paid, so you want to be fast at that time of the day."

"There are so many little details that you can find (on the car). If you find 100 small, tiny details, then that's all going to add up. The guys at the shop have been doing a good job working on all of that, whether it's car build or little things in the setups," Busch added.

Busch has an extremely impressive record at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval. In the Cup Series alone, he’s earned 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. He has led nearly 1,500 laps and has average starting and finishing positions of 11.6 and 13.8, respectively.

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NASCAR insider hints at Kyle Busch's future with Richard Childress Racing

As the 2025 season has progressed, there have been many questions about whether Kyle Busch would return to Richard Childress Racing in 2026. His current contract ends this season, but a recent update from a NASCAR insider suggests a new deal may already be in the works.

On Thursday’s episode of the “Door Bumper Clear” podcast, NASCAR reporter Jordan Bianchi shared what he heard directly from the team. Bianchi said he spoke with RCR team president Mike Verlander, who gave a strong hint that Busch will stay.

"I talked to the team president a week ago, Mike Verlander, and I asked him about Kyle Busch… Is Kyle Busch likely to return in 2026? Mike told me, ‘I don’t see Kyle racing anywhere else.’ So, reading between the lines, it seems like Kyle is going to be returning there and that RCR is at least, at a minimum, going to pick up his option,” Bianchi said. (11:40 onwards)

Busch will also compete in the Truck Series race at Charlotte this weekend, marking his third of five planned Truck starts in 2025. While he’s had plenty of success at this track, the current Cup season has been a struggle.

He sits 17th in the points standings with 244 points, tied with Josh Berry for the final playoff spot. Busch hasn’t won a Cup race since June 4, 2023, at Gateway Motorsports Park. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start on Sunday, May 25, at 6:00 pm ET.

The race will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. This marks the first year of NASCAR’s new streaming deal with Prime, which will stream five races each season.