There is little debate about which Busch brother is better.
Kyle Busch has the lead in championships, wins, top fives, top 10s, you name it.
Kurt Busch has always been regarded as a very good talent, but not quite as elite as “little brother.”
However, in some important and increasingly relevant ways, Kurt’s record stacks up even better than Kyle’s – contrary to popular opinion.
As Rowdy’s winless streak continues to grow, I’m starting to wonder if he’ll ever win a NASCAR Cup Series race again. If he doesn’t, it will only strengthen the case that Kurt might’ve been equally talented over the span of their careers. At their peaks, there is no question. Kurt doesn’t have the huge win totals Kyle has. But Kurt did some things Kyle is beginning to appear unable to do, and it’s time someone recognizes it.
The younger Busch brother moved from powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing to legendary-yet-lacking Richard Childress Racing in 2023. The three wins he compiled that year made him seem invincible. A downgrade in team and equipment simply could not hold back the elite talent that was Kyle “Rowdy” Busch.
However, Kyle hasn’t won a Cup race since 2023, and lately, he’s seemed kind of like a non-factor. His winless streak now stands at 64 races. Through the first seven races of 2025, he’s led 58 laps. Forty-two of those came at Circuit of the Americas, where he went on to finish fifth, his best finish of the year and his only top-five result.
Kurt Busch, meanwhile, has been out of the mix since his career-ending crash in qualifying at Pocono Raceway for the 21st race of the 2022 season. Kurt won’t get the accolades Kyle is sure to be remembered for, but Kurt elevated the teams he was with and did more with less, consistently.
His tenures with Phoenix Racing, Furniture Row Racing, a brand-new fourth team at Stewart-Haas, Chip Ganassi Racing and a brand-new second team at 23XI Racing made it abundantly clear that Kurt could win with teams that had the deck stacked against them. It’s beginning to look like Kyle cannot do the same at RCR.
When the elder Busch’s career came to an end, he exited a No. 45 car that was primed to compete in the NASCAR playoffs for the first time in team history. Eight weeks before the career-ending incident, he won at Kansas Speedway. He was 43 years old in 2022, and it was his ninth season in a row with at least one victory. From 2019 to 2021, Kurt won a race and made the playoffs each year driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Kyle now finds himself in a similar position to where Kurt was in 2019.
40-years old and driving for a team that doesn’t quite have the best stuff. Kurt’s win in 2019? It came at Kentucky Speedway in a classic battle with — who else — his brother. Kurt was able to utilize the high line and beat his brother in a photo finish after a late restart.
I’m not quite ready to say Kyle definitely won’t win a Cup race again, but with each passing week, that possibility seems to creep up ever-so-slightly. Runs like the one we saw at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he was a complete non-factor and bordering on backmarker status, seem to be happening with increasing frequency.
He’s still outrunning his RCR teammate, Austin Dillon, most of the time.
We know Rowdy can still drive, but the combination of age-based-decline and a less-than-stellar team behind him has proven difficult to overcome. On the other hand, runs like COTA show he can still lead laps despite the perceived disadvantages. Leading laps and closing the deal on a race win are two completely different animals, and it seems every time Kyle is in a position to compete for a win, something happens that derails the effort.
It’s reminiscent of Jimmie Johnson’s 2020 season, which ended without a playoff appearance and marked the end of his full-time NASCAR career. Does that comparison sound overblown? Take a look at Johnson’s 2020 season and compare it to Kyle’s 2024.
Busch led more laps, but they had an equal amount of top five (5) and top 10s (10). Johnson actually had a slightly better average finish and a better final ranking in the points. Granted, Johnson was still driving for Hendrick Motorsports at that time.
The decline of Kyle Busch certainly isn’t solely skill- and age-related, but it’s clearly measurable. There is still time to turn it around. Bristol Motor Speedway is only two weeks away, a place Busch has won an astounding eight Cup races at. But last season, he ran 25th in both Bristol races, which begs the question of whether he can still run competitively at his best track. If he can’t run well there, then we have to start scratching our heads to determine the most likely place for his next win.
Kurt Busch never really fell off in his “golden years” like we’re seeing right now with Kyle. His peak wasn’t as strong, but his longevity and ability to improve the teams he drove for was what he hung his hat on in the second half of his career until the very end. From Phoenix Racing to Furniture Row Racing to SHR to Ganassi to 23XI, Kurt was always lifting up the performance of those teams, getting them into victory lane and the playoffs.
If I’ve got the best car in the field and want to flat-out dominate, give me Kyle. But if I’m a mid-level team trying to catch up to the best and give my sponsors an annual trip to victory lane and the playoffs, I’ll take Kurt every time.
Both drivers will go down in history as phenomenal talents, and Kyle will undoubtedly have the stronger resume. But he’s got some ground to make up when it comes to elevating his team and, eventually, going out at the top of his game.
Steve Leffew joined Frontstretch in 2023 and covers the Xfinity Series. He has served honorably in the United States Air Force and and lives in Wisconsin.