Kyle Busch given shock playoff chance as NASCAR insider issues Daytona verdict

A NASCAR insider has claimed that two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch still has a chance of making the playoffs.

Winless so far in 2025, until recently, Busch hoped to point his way into the postseason. However, that is now mathematically impossible, with the Richard Childress Racing star 148 points below the cut line after another rough outing at Richmond Raceway on Saturday.

Busch's teammate, Austin Dillon, won the race in Virginia, locking himself and the team's No. 3 car into the postseason, and only the same result at Daytona this weekend will see Busch and his No. 8 crew do the same.

And, whilst The Athletic's Jeff Gluck wasn't exactly complimentary about Busch's race at Richmond, he isn't writing off the 40-year-old just yet.

"We talked about how it's a great night for RCR. Kyle Bush had, like, I don't know what was going on," Gluck said on The Teardown podcast.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Tyler Reddick suffers major setback as multiple Cup Series penalties confirmed

Busch 'will have a chance' at Daytona

Gluck continued: “I mean, he started off the race and he was immediately like, ‘You guys got this thing wrong and it feels broken and it wants to spin out' and then he was like a wrecking ball.

"I mean, he was hitting people left and right. He took out both Chases, he took out Briscoe, and then the same wreck he took out Chase Elliott.

"Then he had the moment there where he sped on pit road from sections one through 10. Like every section. It was just like, dude, and then his teammate wins."

"But you know, I still feel like he'll have a chance next week," Gluck added.

“Wouldn’t it be something if RCR got both cars into the playoffs. After the year they’ve had, RCR gets both cars in, eliminating a Hendrick car [Bowman] or a 23XI car [Reddick].”

READ MORE: NASCAR seizes three cars for further inspection post-Richmond

Dillon to help Busch

The NASCAR regular season concludes at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 23, and a win for Busch would see him make the cut.

The two-time champion will also have his teammate on his side now that he is locked in, too.

“We have to help our guy out in the [No.] 8," Dillon said post-race at Richmond. "Try to support him as much as we can, get another RCR teammate in there.

“He’s really good at Daytona. [I have to] do what I can, maybe try to get us bonus points, stages, and stuff. The focus probably goes to the [No.] 8 now.”

READ MORE: NASCAR star officially OUT of playoffs after horror wreck

Related