Kyle Busch, the Richard Childress Racing driver, heads into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season opener at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with a warning about tire wear and strategy. Following a tire-related setback at the same Texas road course last year, Busch stressed that tire management could again influence the race outcome this weekend.
For the DuraMAX Grand Prix event, Goodyear is supplying the same Racing Eagle tire package introduced at COTA last season, which has since been used across all road-course races. According to Goodyear’s Director of Racing, Justin Fantozzi, this consistency helps teams adapt to the challenges of longer runs and fluctuating track grip.
Busch highlighted how crucial tire condition became during the previous race at COTA, where a minor difference in tire age ultimately affected the closing laps and final positions.
“Looking forward to COTA, I always love going there,” Kyle Busch said via Speedway Media. “We really had a good car last year at COTA. We were on the right side of strategy and coming to pit road when we did. We had a four second gap to the next guy behind us for the last couple laps of the race, and I don’t think they would have caught us.”
“Unfortunately, a yellow came out, and I had to try to race it out through a couple of restarts. Our two-lap older tires were just enough that Christopher Bell was able to get us, so we gracefully faded to fifth,” he continued.
Reflection on Last Year’s Tire Strategy and Its Impact
During last year’s race, Busch admitted he misjudged the closing laps, which played a part in losing the lead. He pitted on Lap 69, while Christopher Bell delayed his pit stop until Lap 71, leaving Bell with fresher tires during the crucial restart segment. Busch described himself as a “butthead” for the mistake when analyzing the finish.
He believes tire wear will again play a significant role in this weekend’s event, with even greater degradation expected than in previous years.
“I think there will be a good amount of tire falloff and more than what we’ve seen in years past,” Busch explained. “Last year, we saw a good bit of tire falloff. I just mentioned how we only had two lap older tires than Christopher Bell, and he was able to outrace me at the end of the race.”
“Tires are going to be more paramount this weekend. You might see guys, if there’s a late caution with 10 to go, that got three or four lap old tires might come, pit, and try to drive back through the field and hope that the front guys burn their stuff up. Fresher tires more times than not, especially with more horsepower, you’re going to want them,” he added.
This warning reflects Busch’s hard-earned experience and underscores the importance of tire management at COTA, where he has performed well historically, recording four top-10 finishes in five Cup starts, including second place in 2023.
Kyle Busch Seeks to Bounce Back After Losing the Lead to Christopher Bell
Kyle Busch seemed dominant throughout much of last year’s Cup Series race at COTA, leading 42 of the 95 laps and controlling the race pace during several stretches. With 17 laps remaining, he created a commanding lead of more than six seconds over the field.
This advantage should have allowed Busch to conserve his tires and maintain a comfortable pace. However, a crash on Lap 78 caused a late caution, erasing his lead and forcing a restart that put him directly under threat from Christopher Bell.
Busch initially held off Bell but the competitor’s fresher tires began to show their superiority. On Lap 89, Bell executed the pass for the lead. During this move, contact between the two drivers damaged Busch’s right rear tire, degrading his car’s handling and making defense much harder.
As a result, William Byron and Tyler Reddick moved past Busch in the closing laps, pushing the No. 8 driver back to a fifth-place finish. Given Busch’s slow start to the 2026 season, the upcoming road course race offers a critical chance to regain momentum for both him and his team.
