From the outside looking in, it feels as if Kyle Busch shot himself in the foot by making a career call that landed him at the RCR camp. But the time has come that we really zoom out, and read things for what it is. The writing is all over the wall: Rowdy has now gone 100 races without a win. But the pressing question remains: is it RCR’s lack of speed or consistency, or Rowdy’s losing his racing edge? Although fans ran with the popular argument, dare I say, hear us out for a minute.

The 2023 Gateway race was the last time Busch found himself in the victory lane. And ever since then, he’s either drawn blanks or the team has failed to back him up with consistent speed. Yet, in 2024 and 2025, he came close to winning not just one but multiple races.

Daytona fall race, just ahead of the regular season finale, Busch was in the right place at the right time. Leading the pack in a double overtime finish, all he needed was a push from a fellow Chevy, but he was left stranded. He had the speed, but not the support, and this script continued again at the Southern 500.

Reeling from a runner-up finish, the No. 8 team rolled the dice for the final time at Darlington in hopes of making it into the playoffs. But this time around, it was Chase Briscoe who secured a memorable win for the outgoing Stewart-Haas Racing team, and this was another race win that got away from Busch and RCR. So, they had their moments to save the sinking ship in 2024, but it just wasn’t enough. At least, that was the case for one of the RCR cars.

Talk about speed, when the No. 8 car failed to grab the checkered flag, Austin Dillon won thrice at the Richmond Raceway. Although the 2024 spring race victory is up for debate. The point being, RCR had the speed; they knew how to compete for a race win with both the No. 8 and the No. 3 teams, but for some reason, it never clicked with Busch. And now he’s reached a point where his legacy is starting to fade against a record he never hoped to achieve.

To any of those who argue that veteran drivers shifting from the Gen-6 to the Gen-7 era have always had it rough, take a look at Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. Harvick single-handedly led the declining SHR team, and he won two races in the Next Gen era. Meanwhile, Hamlin is only getting better, despite being the oldest active Cup driver.

Now, for those who’ve been a part of the Rowdy Nation bandwagon, this reality check hits hard, and they weren’t able to comprehend how sharp Busch’s decline has been with RCR.

Fans point fingers at RCR

“It pains me to see him run this bad every week,” a fan expressed on social media. Even the ones who haven’t been fans of ‘Rowdy’ over the years can see Busch suffering the wrath of the poorly performing car: “It’s sad to see the greats decline. Was never a Kyle fan to say the least, but man this sucks,” another fan said.

Understandably, this has been a tough few seasons for Busch and his entire fanbase. Many also feel that he should move to a different team, considering how well he might perform with them. Also, it worth noting that he’s in a contract year with RCR. “I just want to see him give it one more shot with a different team in 2027. If he doesn’t have it anymore, then so be it,” said a NASCAR fan. His runs with Spire back this sentiment strongly, but again, that was the Truck Series.

Even though Kyle Busch has been racing for a long time now, and it would be natural for his age to take over him gradually, many still point fingers at RCR: “Worse in a way knowing your guy still has it, but just doesn’t have the cars to make anything happen,” a fan remarked.

When his stint with RCR started in 2023, there were huge positives, but it did not last for too long. “After the win at Gateway in his first season with rcr I thought for sure he would win 3 times at least a season. Didn’t think it would go downhill from there,” a fan opined.

Another fan, expressing their disappointment, drew a comparison to Lightning McQueen’s character in Disney Pixar’s Cars: 3, “You know, when I was a kid, I never thought I’d see Cars 3 happen in real life right in front of my eyes, but here we are. Kyle’s fading fast, I guess.”

Will Busch ever consider changing teams? He has expressed disappointment after the recent run of races, but there is no clear indication whether he will move teams at this stage of his career. While the fans miss seeing him in the Victory Lane, his goal will be to get back there soon, and even though there are problems with RCR, the wider NASCAR community still hopes to see him do well on the racetrack.