Kyle Busch last won a NASCAR Cup Series race on June 4, 2023, in the Enjoy Illinois 300. One of the best NASCAR drivers of the modern era seemed to be on pace to be one of the all-time greats, but he now finds himself in the midst of a three-year drought without a trip to victory lane in the Cup Series.
With the winless streak now at 100 consecutive races, we’re going to look at a few of the things that were happening the last time Busch won Cup Series race and noting a few things that have happened during the streak.
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24 Different Drivers Won a Cup Series Points Race
Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Kyle Busch won three races in the first half of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, with his victory at Gateway seeming to signal that he would be competing for a championship and might, at a minimum, tie his win totals from the 2019 season (five). Instead, he’s had to watch as 24 drivers have gone to victory lane during his 100-race winless streak. That doesn’t just include one-time winners like Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry, but also guys like Tyler Reddick (eight wins), Christopher Bell (nine wins) and Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson (11 wins) easily outclassing him.
Related: NASCAR Cup Series All-Time Wins List, including Kyle Busch
Connor Zilisch, 16, Was Preparing for First ARCA Race
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Connor Zilisch was just 16 years old the last time Kyle Busch won a Cup Series race, and the thought of racing against the future Hall of Famer only seemed like a dream. It wouldn’t even be until two months later that it was announced Zilisch would make his ARCA Menards Series debut, with his first race in NASCAR not coming until the 2024 season. Fast forward to 2026; Zilisch is coming off a 10-win season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and there’s a chance the road-course maestro could get his first Cup win in 2026 before Busch makes it back to victory lane.
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Related: Early NASCAR Silly Season Predictions 2026, including Kyle Busch
Shane Van Gisbergen Hadn’t Made Cup Series Debut Yet
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Just a few weeks before Kyle Busch’s last Cup win, it was announced that Shane van Gisbergen would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course. He went on to win that race and won five in 2025, meaning he’s won as many races (six) since June 2023 as Busch has from 2021 through 2026. Most surprising, SVG’s improvement this season suggests that he might win a race on an oval before Busch does.
Denny Hamlin Had 50 Career Cup Wins
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As highlighted by NASCAR data wiz Daniel Cespedes, Denny Hamlin had 50 career wins when Busch was celebrating in victory lane at the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300. While Hamlin’s win total ensured he’d be a future Hall of Famer, he at one point trailed Busch by 22 career Cup Series wins (55-33) and he still had 12 fewer than his former teammate after that victory. Following his first victory of 2026 at Las Vegas, Hamlin now only trails Busch by two wins in the Cup Series (63-61). Given how things have gone for the No. 8 car with Richard Childress Racing, it’s fair to think Hamlin passes him this season.
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Related: Denny Hamlin Credits Kyle Busch for Career Development
The PAC-12 Conference Still Had Life
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Did Kyle Busch’s winless drought kill the Pac-12 Conference? Maybe not, but the demise of the iconic conference in college football can be tied to the same time as Busch’s last victory. Just two months after Busch was celebrating his third victory of the year, the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies announced they had finalized deals on Aug. 4, 2023, to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference. It was the proverbial final nail in the coffin for an iconic conference and, like Busch, glory has never returned.
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OceanGate’s Titan Submersible Implodes
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Just two weeks after Busch’s win, the Titan submersible slipped into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for an expedition of the Titanic wreckage on June 18. The submersible imploded two hours into its descent, with all five souls on board losing their lives.
‘Barbenheimer’ Phenomenon Hits in Summer of 2024
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There was plenty of anticipation in June 2023 for the simultaneous release of the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer, but no one knew at the time just how crazy things would get. Both movies released in July 2023 and they instantly became box-office hits. In the nearly three years since, the movies have crossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide at the box office.
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