Friday Faceoff: When Will Kyle Larson End His Cup Series Winless Streak?

1) Which intentional wreck from the Cup race at Texas was more egregious: Ryan Preece to Ty Gibbs or Kyle Busch to John Hunter Nemechek?

Jeffrey Boswell: NASCAR fined Ryan Preece, and not Kyle Busch, for one simple and totally understandable reason: because Preece called his shot over the team radio. That radio chatter makes Preece’s transgression more serious. Busch, a savvy veteran, wisely did not hint of any idea of retaliation over any means of communication. When deciding punishment for whatever act, criminal or otherwise, premeditation raises the stakes. NASCAR caught Preece in the act of planning his crime.

Christopher Hansen: Preece to Ty Gibbs. While it certainly seemed like Busch meant to deliver some sort of payback to John Hunter Nemechek, Preece getting into the back of Gibbs early in the race has more concrete evidence. You may remember Gibbs made a three-wide move early in the race, which Preece expressed his displeasure with to his team over the radio. A short time later, with the two running bumper to bumper on track, Preece got into the back of Gibbs, sending the No. 54 into the wall and ending his afternoon. Preece’s radio transmission between himself and his crew only added momentum to the incident between himself and Gibbs.

Thomas Dunn: Despite the difference in terms of discipline, it’s the Busch sequence. Busch’s history is what tipped the scales for me, as I believe he sent the No. 42 in the wall irrespective of the damage incurred from the backstretch incident. It was quick, in the moment and at a crucial time when it comes to the race, really looking worse in the eye test. While acknowledging Preece’s radio transmission and subsequent actions, Busch’s fast thoughts are the types of situations that could have grave consequences if it occurs in a bad spot.

Gabriel Goodman: Busch wrecking Nemechek was more egregious. Busch went out of his way to sideswipe Nemechek, whereas Preece maintained his line and drove through Gibbs, a move that has been done accidentally for years. Even though both looked intentional (and likely were), after the race, Preece maintained that he didn’t want to wreck Gibbs. Busch, however, hasn’t denied it, and his social media comments certainly didn’t help.

2) When will Kyle Larson end his NASCAR Cup Series winless streak?

Michael Bellifemini: Kyle Larson’s next best chance is the Coca-Cola 600 as he is a former winner of that race, and he usually is a front runner on that type of track. After that race, I would look at Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway as races for potential winning speed for the No. 5 team.

Hansen: In a few weeks, at the Coca-Cola 600. Yes, Larson has won at Watkins Glen International before back in 2022, but the 2025 race at the Glen was one to forget for him, as he finished in 39th after going behind the wall in the race’s early laps due to brake issues. Charlotte Motor Speedway, a track similar to both Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, marks the best opportunity for the two-time Cup champion to return to victory lane. The pressure of the Memorial Day Double won’t be an issue, as Larson can solely focus on his Cup car that weekend.

Goodman: Based on his performance at intermediates, Larson will break his Cup winless streak at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He always runs well at Charlotte, and he has a points win there, along with an All-Star Race win. If he does it at Charlotte, that will be exactly 36 races between then and his last win at Kansas Speedway.

Dunn: Larson is very clearly a tier-two road-course driver and has had rotten luck in the Coca Cola 600, so give me Music City as the place where Larson gets things back in gear. Hendrick Motorsports has had solid speed there over the years, and he was in contention last year before all the fuel mileage tomfoolery took place. If he doesn’t get it there, he may be waiting until Chicagoland Speedway to get to victory lane. 

3) Which driver running all three series at Watkins Glen will have the best weekend?

Bellifemini: It’s hard to pick against Shane van Gisbergen. He is the most skilled and experienced of any road course racer in NASCAR. I’m sure his young phenom teammate Connor Zilisch will hold strong against van Gisbergen, but I’ll give the edge to the veteran driver.

Boswell: The easy answer here is van Gisbergen, and there’s no reason to stray from the easy answer. Van Gisbergen dominated with five Cup road-course victories in 2025, and he owns five road-course wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from 2024 to 2026. He’s the favorite in both series at Watkins Glen. This will only be his second start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, so his experience in a truck is limited. But if it has tires, an engine and a steering wheel, van Gisbergen should be able to figure out how to drive it fast on a road course.

Goodman: It is going to be hard to have a better weekend than van Gisbergen. Zilisch may do well in the Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but he still has a steep learning curve in the Cup car. Ross Chastain will do well in the Cup and Truck series, but unlike the other two, he will not race for JR Motorsports in the O’Reilly race. JR Motorsports has won each of the last 10 road-course races in the series, so it is going to be difficult for Chastain to win in O’Reilly this weekend driving for another team.

Hansen: Van Gisbergen. The Auckland, New Zealand, native’s bread and butter in NASCAR racing has always been on road courses, and I expect van Gisbergen to be a threat for the victory in all three NASCAR touring series races. No question the spotlight will shine brightest on the battle between van Gisbergen and his Trackhouse Racing teammate Zilisch, with Zilisch also competing in all three series this weekend. Regardless of the outcome, expect van Gisbergen to be in the mix when the trophy is on the line.

4) Just two of the first seven Truck races have been won by full-time drivers. Is this a problem for the series? 

Dunn: Despite the cutoff when Chase time comes around regarding Cup drivers in the lower-division series, we may still be entering an era of Truckwhacking. I don’t find this to help the series, especially in terms of getting to know the new faces on the block and those who are looking to become up-and-coming stars. At the same time, I don’t know how NASCAR polices this further given some of the other restrictions in place, because some drivers do just want a little extra track time. It does feel like an inflection point where we may be entering that aforementioned Truckwhacking era, so I’ll be intrigued to see how the winning splits take shape not only for the rest of 2026 but for 2027 as well.

Boswell: It’s not a problem for the Truck Series, it’s a problem for Truck regulars. And if they have a problem with that, they should solve it by beating non-regular entrants in the Truck Series. Of course, there is motivation for non-regulars to win in the Truck Series; there should be more motivation to win when the likes of Busch, Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar invade the series to pad their resumes.

Bellifemini: It’s not a problem. Cup and O’Reilly drivers coming down and competing is a good way for the full-time Truck drivers to be tested. If a Truck driver outruns a driver in a higher series, it could be a potentially career-altering race for them. Iron sharpens iron at the end of the day.