“I watched this place being built from the ground up.” Kyle Busch said these words after winning a 2009 NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Indeed, LVMS was opened in 1996 – a whole eight years before Rowdy, a Nevada native, debuted at the sport’s premier level. So, as we keep debating about Busch’s 61-race-long winless skid, the upcoming race in Sin City bumps up our hopes as fate seems to have something in store for Busch.
NASCAR heads to the Pennzoil 400 at LVMS in the upcoming weekend. Recent winners at the track include Joey Logano during the 2024 playoffs and Kyle Larson in the previous two races at the track. However, using a helicopter and some golf balls, the LVMS track officials have chosen their winner for the race, and we couldn’t agree more.
Well, it is not entirely luck, though. Rowdy has already won at the 1.5-mile Sin City oval racetrack. Besides his lone 2009 Cup Series win, Kyle Busch has won two Xfinity races (2016, 2019) and four Craftsman Truck Series races (2018-2020, 2023). Las Vegas is Busch’s hometown, so do not be surprised if he feels totally comfortable this weekend. What is more? The Richard Childress Racing driver is showing a lot of improvement in 2025. Across four races, he has picked up three top-ten finishes already. During the COTA race, Busch would have won if not for a late caution that swiped his 2 second lead over the pack.
So what are the chances of Kyle Busch winning the 2025 Pennzoil 400? Huge, according to a unique prediction model introduced by Las Vegas Motor Speedway track officials. In collaboration with Maverick Helicopters, LVMS track officials undertook a golf ball test. They dropped a bunch of golf balls marked with Cup Series drivers’ numbers from a flying helicopter overhead onto a grassy patch marked with a circular target. “Closest one to the target will be our prediction for the Pennzoil 400.”
After 14 minutes of flying over the Las Vegas strip and letting the balls settle, the LVMS official descended to check. One white golf ball was the closest to the target, and you can guess already. “And we have a winner, No. 8 Kyle Busch will be the winner of the Pennzoil 400.” This fun exercise was a hearty deviation from serious prediction models – but Rowdy took it seriously. Busch reposted the video on his Instagram story and delivered a bold 6-word response: “The golf ball knows what’s up 😎”
The last time Kyle Busch visited Victory Lane in Las Vegas, he was just 23 years old. He rebounded from a lot of engine problems that plagued other drivers during the 2009 Shelby 427 race. At the end of it, he was as excited as a child – dropping to the pavement and kissing it. Busch said back then: “Coming to the white flag, I had knots in my stomach. I didn’t know what it would mean to win here until now. This is probably as big as the Daytona 500 – I said it wasn’t going to be, but it was.” Who knows, maybe Busch will get those knots again in 2025. Winning at your home track is always a special feeling, but for Busch to snap his longest-ever winless streak on the track would be a storyline for the ages.
However, some concerning factors remain in Kyle Busch’s way. This is even though snapping his winless misery seems closer than ever.
When Kyle Busch was in his prime, he was at the top of the NASCAR world. From 2008 to 2019, Rowdy won at least four races nine times. He cracked the Championship 4 race in five straight years and won two titles. However, since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Busch won just 7 races over 5-plus years – totally opposite from his legendary standard. The reasons behind this drastic downfall are clear but seldom visible.
Firstly, NASCAR greatly reduced practice time due to the pandemic. This affected Kyle Busch’s tendency to diagnose a car’s handling over a weekend. Secondly, the Next-Gen car, which debuted in 2022, also does not suit Busch’s skill base. Thirdly, NASCAR implemented the ‘Kyle Busch’ rule to cap the number of races drivers can compete in lower-tier races. This affected Busch’s extra seat time and also stopped his glorious streak in Xfinity and Trucks, where he holds the record for the most wins in each of the two series, and across all three series, nobody comes close to his 231 wins.
Kyle Busch himself admitted to these factors affecting his runs. “You have to agree with it because those are the things that have changed. The schedule of the race weekends and not having as much practice time, the schedule of not being able to participate as much in the Xfinity and the Truck Series races. Maybe I’m a creature of habit, and I just like being out there and doing all of that.”
So when will we see Kyle Busch soar to victory again? Hopefully, it will happen soon, as even Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are crossing their fingers. Do you think Rowdy can end his misery at his home track? Let us know in the comments!
