NASCAR star Kyle Busch vows to "keep putting in the work" as 2026 nightmare continues

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has vowed to continue putting in the work to turn around his torrid form at Richard Childress Racing.

2026 has proven to be a nightmare for Busch and his No. 8 crew so far, struggling for pace in their car and consequently failing to achieve the results that they want.

Of course, things started brightly when Busch won the pole at the Daytona 500, but it has all been downhill since then.

Eight races in, the two-time champion has yet to achieve a top-10 finish, and the last four races have ended in 28th, 21st, 24th, and 25th-place finishes, the latter of which came at Bristol on Sunday.

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Kyle Busch reacts to Bristol nightmare

During the race, Busch, his crew chief Jim Pohlman, and spotter Derek Kneeland all aired their frustration over the radio in some tense exchanges.

Post-race, however, Busch was looking ahead and much more positive, vowing to keep working on it with his team to improve their pace and results.

“Not the finish any of us wanted for the No. 8 Bank OZK Chevrolet here this afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway," Busch explained post-race.

"We battled the rear of the car the entire race, and despite the best efforts of the team, we got a lap down in the third stage and were never able to get back that track position.

"We’re going to keep putting in the work, and hopefully that begins to translate next weekend in Kansas.”

Kyle Busch 24th in Cup Series standings

Following Bristol and the poor run of form he's on, Busch currently sits 24th in the latest Cup Series standings.

The two-time champion heads to Kansas sitting on 131 points - 46 points shy of Shane van Gisbergen in 16th, who occupies the final Chase spot at present.

There is still plenty of time to turn things around this season, but with races coming thick and fast, and a contract that expires at the end of the year, Busch has some big weeks and difficult decisions ahead.