NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass has predicted Kyle Busch will win his first Cup Series race since 2023 in the upcoming Ambetter Health 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also mentioned other drivers that might make for the top five in the race taking place on Sunday, February 23.
The Cup Series is preparing for its second round of the 2025 season. With qualifying over, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric are set to lead the field to the green flag, followed by Josh Berry and Joey Logano on the second row, and Todd Gilliland with Kyle Busch will mark the first three rows.
With the predictions coming in, Bob Pockrass of FOX also dropped his top five guesses of the race, leading with Kyle Busch as the winner.
"My pick for Cup race at Atlanta: Busch ... top-5: Busch Blaney Suarez Cindric Buescher ... longshot: Berry," Pockrass wrote on X.
Notably, Busch did not win a single race in 2024 despite coming close to victory several times throughout the season's run. This was the first time in 19 consecutive seasons that he did not win a race, ending one of the longest winning streaks of the sport.
The 2025 season holds up new goals and expectations for him and Richard Childress Racing. His teammate Austin Dillon recently mentioned what the team needs to do to help Busch win.
Austin Dillon feels Richard Childress Racing needs to put in "maximum effort" to help Kyle Busch win in 2025
The 2024 was a tough season for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series. As mentioned, Busch did not win a single race. While Austin Dillon did manage to bring his #3 Chevy into victory lane, he was not given a playoff spot as he wrecked two cars on the final lap of the race to clinch the victory.
Looking ahead at the 2025 season, Dillon feels that the team would have to put in "maximum efforts" in the race and help Kyle Busch win his 64th race.
"For us at RCR, we just have to put maximum effort in every week to deliver the best product, and that’s the best we can do. Try and give maximum effort every weekend, put him in the best position we can, and we’ll see where all the chips fall at the end. But I think he’s enjoyed his time at RCR and wants to be at this organization to the end, I hope," Dillon said via Bob Pockrass on FOX Sports (2:17 onwards).
Dillon is set to start Atlanta in fifteenth place and Busch will be up in sixth place as the lights go green.
Earlier this week, Busch took the chequered flag in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta, piloting the #7 truck under Spire Motorsports. This was his first race of the series in his part-time quota.
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