With Kyle Busch's Cup Series win streak now reaching triple digits, his contract year is likely to end as he misses the win for the third consecutive season. With Richard Childress's departure from Racing feeling inevitable, it appears the future Hall of Famer may discover in NASCAR's silly season that he has no better options.
on the latest episode of teardownJordan Bianchi of The Athletic said that Busch will have to settle for the same situation he is in now as he will not have the opportunity to join one of NASCAR's four best teams.
"Let's say he decides to go somewhere else and you look at the landscape. He's not going to a big team. He's not going to Hendrick Motorsports, he's not going to 23XI, he's not going to go back to Joe Gibbs Racing. Like, what are his options? You start to look at where the landscape is and it's going to be a similar situation where it's a team where, yes, they have some potential and promise, but they also Is there something uncle?”
The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi on Kyle Busch's team options for next season
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Let's start with 23XI Racing. Bubba Wallace, who is eighth in points, is already under contract for the 2027 season in the No. 23 car. Meanwhile, reporting has indicated that top prospect Corey Haim will replace Riley Herbst in the No. 35 car next season. As for Tyler Reddick, who has won five times in nine races this season, co-owner Denny Hamlin has made it clear that a contract extension is coming, even if it's an expensive one.
As far as Joe Gibbs Racing is concerned, they are very pleased with the results delivered by Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs. While a plan will need to be made as to who drives the No. 11 car after Hamlin retires after the 2027 season, all signs point to it being Brent Cruz.
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Busch won't be moving to Team Penske, which has had its own issues of inconsistency this season, and Hendrick wants a long-term option for the No. 48 car if he's going to replace Alex Bowman. Due to this the top four teams were out of the table.
Spire Motorsports seemed the most logical choice for Busch coming into the season. However, Carson Hocevar is the future face of the team, and Daniel Suarez is exceeding expectations for them by driving the No. 7 car this year.
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It's also worth noting that teammate Austin Dillon has outperformed Busch this season, and the No. 3 car is the only one to drive a win for RCR in the last few years. So, while he almost certainly won't be behind the wheel of the No. 8 car in 2027, Busch could end up joining a team where the results will be exactly the same. If this happens, the conversation may focus on whether or not it is time for them to retire.
