Kyle Busch’s ally rumored to exit RCR as the NASCAR champion suffers from a historic career low

Kyle Busch is perhaps in his worst career slump right now. He has not won a single race since June 2023 and missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Last year, he even snapped his 19-year record of winning at least one race each year.

Amid his misery, a rumor has surfaced that Randall Burnett, crew chief for Kyle Busch and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy, will part ways with the North Carolina-based race team following the completion of the 2025 season. Per sources, Burnett has been with RCR since 2017, before becoming Busch’s crew chief in 2023.

The rumor came to light through a recent post by NASCAR insider, Nascarrumornostalgia, on Instagram. It read,

“I'm being told that Randall Burnett is leaving RCR after the conclusion of the season.”

The news isn’t official, so the fans can rest easy for now. All eyes are currently on New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will host this Sunday’s Cup Series race. Named Mobil 1 301, the 301-lap event marks the 30th race of the season and the fourth of the 2025 playoffs.

Although Kyle Busch didn’t make the playoffs, he can still compete for a win. His teammate, Austin Dillon, was the only driver from the RCR camp who qualified for the playoffs this year. However, he didn’t advance past the first round.

---

Kyle Busch reacts to the rumored 3-3-4 NASCAR playoff format

NASCAR has been in constant discussions with its special playoffs committee to see if the playoff format can be revamped. A rumor suggests that NASCAR could switch to a 3-3-4 segment for the 2026 playoffs.

But Kyle Busch doesn’t really care about it. Regardless of the format, adapting is what matters the most to the two-time Cup Series champion. Busch explained his stance to Frontstretch.com in an interview at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I mean, I haven’t been in the playoffs in a few years, so it’d be nice to get back to the playoffs and have a shot to race for something of that nature. But, you know, whatever it is, everybody knows what it is going in, and you just got to figure out your best way through the system in order to bring you home a championship” (1:06 onwards).

“It doesn’t matter what system it is. Everybody wants to make such a big deal about what it is. If you know what it is going in, exploit it the way you need to exploit it for yourself to make a championship,” he added.

The 3-3-4 proposal will change the current playoff format to three races in the first round, three more in the second, and four races in the final championship round. That could take away from the “anything-can-happen” aspect of the championship race at Phoenix, and focus more on overall consistency.