Kyle Busch continues to struggle in the Cup Series. The No. 8 driver for RCR secured 34th place in qualifying at Martinsville, which is his lowest starting spot this season.

After the qualifying session, Busch was seen speaking to reporters, and he clearly looked upset with the result and his car’s performance.

When asked about his qualifying lap, he stated the car was undrivable, and the lack of traction didn’t help. His response was limited to three words: “Sideways, Undrivable, Loose.”

When the reporter asked whether his car could be fixed ahead of the race, he simply said, “No telling.”

He was also asked about his relationship with crew chief Jim Pohlman, who replaced Randall Burnett in 2026. Pohlman’s hiring was seen as a bold move by many, as his Cup Series experience pales in comparison to his Xfinity Series experience, where he worked with Justin Allgaier.

While Busch spoke positively of his crew chief, he remained tight-lipped about the team setup and whether recent changes have helped performance.

He finished the press session by stating he would need an early caution to preserve his tires.

“I would need a caution between 30 and 40, because my tires will be smoked by then,” he concluded.

They Don’t Have 30th-place Pace

Busch has been in a winless streak since 2023, and in this season, he has not finished in the Top 11 even once. After the Darlington race, fans were quick to blame RCR, but Denny Hamlin disagreed.

On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said the team shouldn’t take all the blame and that Busch shares some responsibility, adding that the car is better than RCR’s recent results.

He argued that a driver of Busch's caliber should be running near 8th place and suggested Busch is still searching for performance, meaning the blame is not entirely on RCR.

He added that while the team isn’t at a race-winning level, it also isn’t a 30th-place team, and both the driver and team share responsibility.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh