Many Cup Series pros take up a few dirt races simultaneously along with the hectic Cup Schedule to maybe blow off some steam. And in case they have had a rough weekend in NASCAR, connecting with their roots can be a great distraction. And many felt Kyle Busch needed that time off after a series of disappointments recently. Busch’s 2025 season kicked off great; from Atlanta to Phoenix, he got three top-10s. He was even in contention to win COTA. But then, Las Vegas was a P33 finish, followed by another one outside the top 20 at Homestead Miami. And before he kicked off the next one in Martinsville, he made a detour to the dirt track. But the reason for that was not to get some time off.

The veteran came to Millbridge Speedway for one reason and one reason only: to live out his dream of racing his son. And this was the first time the Busch men went to do this! Brexton is finally old enough and, we’d say, experienced enough to race in the same division as Busch. And it also happens to be Brexton’s first micro sprints A-class at Millbridge. All in all, at the end of it, all Kyle Busch had was fun! And that’s the extent of it.

Dirt racing doesn’t help Kyle Busch in the Cup Series

Kyle Busch created this whole hype for his race against Brexton. Remember his X post which said, “18:51 news tomorrow.” Well, it was about the #18 of Brexton going up against the #51 of Kyle. And since the announcement, they have had a heartfelt banter on social media, trying to get under each other’s skin ahead of the race. To try and come out at the top! Well, we love father-son battles, and it’s fair to say that Brexton is yet to match the winningest active NASCAR driver’s prowess. Rowdy ended the race in P3, while Brexton finished in 6th place.

But the results don’t matter here, this one was just to have fun. It accomplished that task! And that’s what Busch wrote on X post the race. He’s a proud papa, and a satisfied competitor.  “[He] almost had me but finished sixth in his debut race here at Millbridge in the A-Class car. Proud of you and all the things that you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished.” But many in the NASCAR community assumed this was a way for Kyle Busch to get some fresh air after his Cup Series disappointments. But according to the #8, these two things are completely separate for him.

In a recent interview, he said, “It doesn’t do anything for our race for Sunday. It doesn’t give you any prep. Nothing. Just out here to have fun, let loose, get the heart rate up, do that sort of stuff. Just as far as dirt racing and NASCAR racing, there is really no correlation.” And yes, Busch has been struggling for quite some time now in the Cup Series. The year 2024 was the worst season of his Cup career. No wins, barely any top 5s, and did not even make the playoffs. But no one can forget, the two-time champion has racked up 63 wins in the series so far. And he doesn’t let setbacks affect him that much anymore.

Rather, there is no time to dwell on setbacks in NASCAR…as the schedule is so fast-paced. “I mean yeah. I try forgetting about Sundays as soon as Sundays over. But it’s kinda hard, you gotta go through Monday meetings and sometimes Tuesday meetings to kind of dissect everything about your car, the weekend, and how you can improve and make it better. And so Wednesday we are already on the next week. Trying to prepare for the next one,” Busch added.

And next up is Martinsville, and this might not be very encouraging for Rowdy fans. He has not had great runs there since the next-gen era kicked off. In fact, he’s only once got a finish in the top 20. In the spring race last season, when he finished 16th. But regardless, Busch needs a win, and not just for himself but for RCR too.

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Kyle Busch needs to win in 2025!

The whole reason Richard Childress signed Busch was to get back in championship-winning form. The one they had with Dale Earnhardt Sr., back in the day. However, Busch has failed to deliver so far. Their first season together was decent; Busch got 3 wins in 2023. But again, he only made it to round one of the playoffs. And then, in 2024, he finished winless and 20th. He couldn’t even point his way into the playoffs.

Look at one point in NASCAR: RCR used to be one of the top dogs, like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or even Team Penske. But that’s not been the case for a long time now. And it’s not like RCR is always in contention for a win or always has top-5 speed in a race. They don’t have the consistency that one of the big three has to get enough points to still make the playoffs without a win.

And NASCAR Journalist Jordan Bianchi agrees to this: “RCR is not Joe Gibbs, They’re not a Hendrick. They’re not week in and week out, regardless of the racetrack, you know they’re going to be good. That’s not who RCR is right now and so I don’t feel like they can point their way in.” And so, winning their way in might be the only option for them. Look, Busch was almost about to win COTA; he was leading the race but failed to keep Christopher Bell at bay.

Of course, Rowdy’s still got the racing prowess, but these opportunities where he’s contending for wins are few. And RCR is not really giving him the fastest car on the track week in and week out. So he’s got to make the most out of such opportunities when they arise. And Bianchi thinks the veteran can still get a win. “But Kyle is still a good enough driver to figure out a way to win a race. He almost did it at Darlington last year. He almost did it at Atlanta. And they need to focus on that. They need to get speed into the racecars. If you give Kyle Busch a fast racecar, I think he can go do something with it.”

And if not this season, maybe it can come in the next one. His contract with RCR would run up at the end of the 2025 season. Maybe Busch can move to a new team and get back in his winning form. What do you think? Can Kyle Busch get a win in 2025? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.