June 4, 2023. That’s the last time Kyle Busch saw Victory Lane in a NASCAR Cup Series race. A driver with over 200 National Series wins to his name surely can’t stay winless for long, right? So when the Cup Series rolled into Mexico City for its highly anticipated global showdown after 67 years, many looked at Busch as one of the early favorites. He had something few others in the field did. The winning feeling at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Kyle Busch was the last driver to win a NASCAR race in Mexico City in the 2008 Xfinity Series, so the expectation for him to run well was high. However, as race day unfolded, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. What was shaping up to be a possible redemption story took a sudden left turn, literally. And when the dust settled, Busch didn’t just leave with a dented car. He left with something heavier. Guilt.
Kyle Busch owns up to Mexico race disaster
Lap 6, Turn 1. What should’ve just been another corner turned into a disaster zone. Mere minutes after the green flag waved again following an early caution for rain, Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet slid into mayhem. Running just outside the top 10, Busch was one of the drivers trying to push through the slick opening laps on a soaked Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. But as he approached Turn 1, things spiraled out of control.
“I don’t know, I went to the brakes and just… ice,” Busch explained. “So maybe it was a little bit too heavy of a brake spike. I just turned around backwards and spun out backwards.” In what quickly turned into a chain-reaction crash, Busch clipped Justin Haley’s No. 7, and in the process, collected heavyweights like Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, AJ Allmendinger, and Chase Briscoe. With visibility a little limited and grip almost non-existent, the wet conditions only made things worse.
Still, Kyle Busch didn’t dodge responsibility. “I mean, that was obviously purely my fault, so I don’t know what to have done differently.” With a tone of frustration and acceptance, he added, “I was in trouble for a good, you know, second or two. And then I was like, I’m gonna nail some people, so I better turn around backwards and at least try to soften the blow.” Still, the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet sustained too much damage, and Kyle Busch finished 39th (last), leading to a heartbreak for Kyle and his wife, Samantha Busch.
However, this incident reminded us of his infamous wreck during Lap 2 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2018. Back then, Kyle Busch drove for Joe Gibbs Racing and was as dominant as he has ever been. Leading the points standings entering Bristol that week, Busch was a favorite to win the race, having already swept the Bristol weekend across all National Series on two separate occasions (2010 and 2017). However, fate had something else in store.
On Lap 2, he bumped Ryan Blaney’s bumper, triggering a 15-car wreck that involved Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. among others. This was not the end, though. Unlike Mexico City, Busch’s car made it back to the racetrack and was running third until he clipped Martin Truex Jr., wrecking him, and eventually finishing 20th himself. “It just wasn’t meant for us this weekend, I guess,” said Busch in 2018, and that statement has become far too frequent in 2025.
Kyle Busch on his spin and wreck early in the race. pic.twitter.com/DBELM34si5
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 15, 2025
Kyle Busch’s moment at Mexico comes in a long line of misfortune he has faced in 2025. From riding over the bumps and spinning out at Texas while running in the top 10 to getting collected in a wreck at Kansas while working his way up the track, Busch has suffered a lot this season. The wet weather conditions at Mexico City also did not help him one bit, as he already struggles to adapt to the quirks of the Next-Gen car.
It was the kind of moment that encapsulated the mess that was Mexico’s rain-soaked chaos in the opening laps. But it also highlighted the pressure Kyle Busch is under. With this latest DNF, he now sits 50 points below the playoff cutline with just 10 regular-season races remaining. The worst part? His winless streak has now extended to 73. As the Cup Series now rolls into Pocono, the veteran is desperate to break his winless streak. Could this be the breaking point? Or just another storm to weather?
Can Pocono be the turning point for Kyle Busch’s 2025 season?
After a brutal outing in Mexico City, Kyle Busch faces mounting pressure as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway. This is a track where the two-time champion has historically thrived, but where redemption is far from guaranteed. With his winless streak now at 73 races and a playoff spot slipping further out of reach, Pocono looms as a crucial opportunity for Busch to reset his season, and Kyle Busch is no stranger to success at Pocono.
Across his Cup career, he has visited Victory Lane four times at the “Tricky Triangle,” with his most recent win coming in 2021. Additionally, he has several top-five and top-ten finishes at the track, making him one of the most consistent performers in Pocono history. But despite these strong numbers, Busch’s recent form at Pocono, too, has been a far cry from his usual standards. In the Next-Gen era, Kyle Busch has zero wins and has led just 63 laps with an average finish of 29.7.
But, statistics aside, Pocono could still be the perfect venue for a turnaround for Kyle Busch. The track’s long straights and technical corners reward experience and precision. This is something Busch has excelled in. Moreover, his Richard Childress Racing team has shown flashes of speed this year, particularly on intermediate and superspeedway-style circuits. If Busch can channel his frustration into focus and avoid the kind of mistakes that have plagued him lately, he has every chance to contend for the win.
Do you think Kyle Busch can turn his season around soon? Let us know in the comments!
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