“That’s more important”: NASCAR veteran points to Kyle Busch’s ‘elite’ mentality

NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty pointed out an 'elite' mentality Kyle Busch possesses, competing in the Cup Series. Petty believes that Busch wants to win races not just to make the playoffs, but to earn a shot at bringing home the championship.

Busch has been racing in the premier series for two decades now. The 39-year-old Las Vegas native won two championships in 2015 and 2019. However, he has yet to find his form driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing.

In an interview with PRN, Kyle Petty, the son of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, highlighted Busch's desire to win, saying:

"Kyle Busch wants to win races and contend for a championship. Just to win a race to get in the playoffs... that's ho-hum for Kyle Busch." (0:01)

"But for some of these drivers, it's like, 'Yeah, I'm in.' And that's all they care about," he added. (0:13)

Speaking about an elite group the RCR driver belongs in, the NASCAR veteran stated:

"But there's that elite group that Kyle Busch belongs to that, 'Yeah, I want to be in the playoffs but when I get to the playoffs, I want to have a shot at winning the playoffs.' And that's more important than even getting to the playoffs... is having that shot to be able to win." (0:18)

The interview with Kyle Petty follows the race weekend at Circuit of the Americas, wherein Kyle Busch was in a good position to win. Starting eighth on the grid, Busch collected stage points after finishing seventh in the first two stages.

The 39-year-old dominated the early laps of stage three until Christopher Bell challenged him for the lead. He was overtaken by Bell in the final corner before giving up the position in the heavy braking zone of turn one.

With five laps remaining, the No. 8 car started to fall off and eventually finished fifth.

Kyle Busch driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro at COTA - Source: Imagn

Considering Busch failed to convert the strong stage three outing to victory, his winless streak extended to 60 races. He finished 34th and seventh in the first two races of the 2025 season (Daytona and Atlanta).

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"It won't be long": Kyle Busch remains optimistic following P5 finish at COTA

Despite leading the most laps (42 laps) but coming short of a win at Circuit of the Americas, Kyle Busch believes he can snap the winless streak soon. He argued that it won't be long until he is parking his car in the victory lane, given that the No. 8 team stays consistent throughout the season.

The 63-time Cup race winner took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA.

"Led the most laps, and had the best car all day. #RowdyNation deserved that one. If we keep doing what we’re doing, it won’t be long," Busch wrote.

The 95-lap road course showdown in Austin, Texas is only the third stop of this year's 36-race schedule. Busch and the rest of the NASCAR grid are gearing up for the next race weekend at Phoenix Raceway.