Just when you thought it was going to be another disappointing week for Kyle Busch, he sneaks up on you and gets his best finish of the season. P10 for Busch and the RCR No. 8 team. They have had a lot of criticism and prognosticating at their expense this year, but today they can be satisfied.
When your team is struggling as hard as the No. 8 has this season, you take the small victories. Even if you have to will it, momentum is a real thing, and Busch is going to take this top-10 finish as a positive move.
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“First T10 of the year,” Busch posted on social media. “Fought all day and snuck through at the end. No quit in this [Cheddar’s Kitchen No. 8] team.”
Kyle Busch during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images
For Kyle Busch, the last two seasons going on three have been pretty difficult. His last win was at Gateway in June 2023. Busch alluded to NASCAR telling Richard Childress Racing they had to stop doing something they were doing to their cars to find speed. It wasn’t illegal, exactly, but RCR was told to stop. Ever since, the team has struggled.
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This is the first top-10 for RCR this season. It feels like something has finally gone right for this organization, and they finally caught a break as Busch made his way through the late wreck at the finish line to earn his finish. We’ll see if that luck and momentum last.
Carson Hocevar was the big winner. He gets his first victory ever in the Cup Series and it comes at Talladega. Hurricane Hocevar at Dega feels right. Next up on the schedule is Texas Motor Speedway. Hocevar has won at Texas in the Truck Series and won the Cup Series pole there a year ago.
For Kyle Busch, Texas has been an up and down track. He has four wins there, but it hasn’t been so great for him in the Next Gen era. Perhaps he has the momentum he needs to start earning those top-10 finishes regularly.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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