Kyle Busch hasn’t won on a road course since 2015, when he conquered Sonoma for the second time in his career. Back then, he was the undisputed king of the twisty layouts, with two wins apiece at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, showcasing a mix of raw speed and calculated precision that few could match. Those victories, spread across the late 2000s and mid-2010s, built his reputation as one of NASCAR’s most complete drivers. But in the years since, the sport has changed, road-course specialists like Shane van Gisbergen have evolved into full-time threats, and Busch’s once-fearsome grip on these events has gradually loosened.
Now, the drought stretches over 79 races without a single road-course triumph, bleeding into the 2025 season. There were glimpses of hope like solid runs earlier in the year—but they’ve slipped away before the checkered flag. The most painful blow came at Iowa, where Busch slammed hard into the Turn 1 wall during practice, destroying his primary car and forcing him into a backup ride starting at the rear. That crash not only wrecked his weekend but symbolized how elusive that next win has become. At some point in every athlete’s life, they start to slow down, and younger challengers seize the moment. And Kyle Busch is the latest among those to feel the effect of this change.
Kyle Busch opens up on NASCAR’s changing road-course battlefield
Kyle Busch sounded almost resigned in a Frontstretch interview posted on X, reflecting on how the road-course landscape has shifted. “Years ago you used to have the road course ringers… they would never really fare very well,” Busch admitted. “Now you have road course regulars that are super good at the road courses, and they also run full-time… those are the guys that legit have a great shot at being able to come out here and score the victory.” His tone was less defiant than in his prime, more like a competitor recognizing the reality that the field around him has evolved.
When the Richard Childress Racing driver said, “I mean I’ve won here before the road course dogs were here, you know…” there was a hint of both pride and dejection in his voice. He was looking back to an era when his mastery on road courses, twice at Sonoma (2008, 2015) and twice at Watkins Glen (2008, 2013), made him one of the most feared names in the field. Back then, “road course dogs” weren’t a thing; part-time ringers showed up, but rarely had the equipment or track time to challenge the Cup regulars. Today, that landscape has changed completely.
Giving credit where it’s due: @KyleBusch says it’s harder to win a road course today than it was when he was winning them. pic.twitter.com/bUtEF9du1r
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 9, 2025
However, the “road course dogs” he referred to aren’t one-off specialists; they’re Cup Series regulars who have grown up mastering left-and-right circuits, along with crossover talents shaking up the field. Names like Tyler Reddick, who has multiple road-course wins since 2022, Christopher Bell, the 2022 Charlotte Roval winner, and Michael McDowell, a consistent top-five threat on twisty tracks, fit the bill. And add the king of road courses, Shane van Gisbergen, the New Zealand Supercars ace who stunned the NASCAR world by winning on debut at the 2023 Chicago Street Course, and you have a new layer of competition. This is the new generation Busch is up against: drivers combining youth, adaptability, and data-driven precision to challenge veterans on any given Sunday.
“I give them a lot of credit for the skill that they have,” Busch continued, “but, you know, would love to have an opportunity to be close and see them in the closing laps.” That wistful note hinted at the gap he feels, once the hunter, now the hunted. With his last road-course win coming a decade ago, Busch knows the challenge is no longer about fending off part-time ringers. It’s about surviving in a full-time field stacked with drivers who’ve been sharpening their right-turn craft since their earliest laps.
The “SVG Effect” on road courses is here to stay
Shane van Gisbergen isn’t a one-season wonder. 2025 has cemented him as a dominant force in NASCAR’s road-course scene. He recently secured a multi-year extension with Trackhouse Racing, rewarding a breakout Cup Series rookie season featuring wins in Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and now at Watkins Glen. Team owner Justin Marks highlighted how rapidly van Gisbergen has adapted, not only dominating road courses but also showing promising progress on ovals. “We think he’s got an oval win in him in the Cup Series… Things are just coming together and really starting to gel,” Marks said.
That contract is backed by performance. In just 24 Cup starts this year, SVG has already claimed four victories, becoming the fastest driver to reach four wins since Parnelli Jones in 1967. At Sonoma, he delivered a clutch win from the pole, holding off fierce challenges in the closing laps while others compared racing against him to going up against Michael Jordan in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Kyle Busch’s home, has underwhelmed. In 2025, the No. 8 team has managed only two top-5 finishes, both by Busch himself. Despite some early promise, including three top-10s in the first four races, RCR’s consistency and win tally remain tarnished by a long drought.
After a long dry spell, with crashes and bad luck stacking up, Kyle’s still fighting, but with the playoffs closer and the winless frustration building up, the wins just won’t come easy anymore.
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