Kyle Busch is pondering the unthinkable -- what if he doesn't make the Chase?

"I've thought about it," the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said. "You know, if you don't make the Chase, then ultimately you run the rest of the year for nothing. I guess it's a building block for next year, but that's about it."

Busch has won three times this season on the Cup tour, but a spate of mediocre finishes -- he's placed in the top 10 just once in his last nine starts -- have him on the outside looking in with five races remaining until the playoff field is determined. What a contrast that is to this time last year, when Busch went to Watkins Glen International and recorded his eighth victory of the season, clearly asserting himself as the driver to beat for the championship. Parts failures and engine trouble derailed that effort almost as soon as the Chase began.

Now Busch comes back to Watkins Glen, where he completed a 2008 road course sweep, clearly in need of momentum. He's currently 101 points behind Greg Biffle for the 12th and final playoff spot. Does he think he can get in?

"I'm hoping so, but I'm not going to say we are," Busch told reporters following a Goodyear tire test at Dover International Speedway on Tuesday. "But we are really working hard to be in the Chase. If we turn things around and start running better, then yeah, we're going to be in the Chase. If we keep running the way we have been this year, then no, we will not be there. It all comes down to performance and how you finish on Sunday and the points you get."

It's been a challenging year for Busch, in more ways than one. His uncharacteristic on-track troubles have led to some soul-searching, and the admission at Indianapolis Motor Speedway two weeks ago that he needed to become a better person and team leader. He's still working toward that end.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, but we're working on making progress and making some changes," he said. "But the biggest thing is, and I think a lot of it is, I fight myself throughout a race instead of more so fighting the car. When you explain things to the crew chief instead of just saying, 'Man, this thing is junk,' well they don't know how to fix junk.

"They can fix loose and tighten it in the center, they can fix whatever you explain, so it's progress of not getting frustrated on the radio or whatever, because it's so easy for me to do. Because we always like to be the guy going forward, and lately I'm the guy going backward. Man, it's not much fun. So it's a struggle for me, and ultimately me becoming a better leader to help take the team to the next level. So there's a struggle in the rest of the day to try and work towards something and gather a better day out of a bad day."

One thing Busch seems reluctant to change is his habit of running in as many NASCAR national series events as possible, something that even his older brother Kurt intimated could be hampering his Cup effort (read more). So far this season, Busch has competed in all 21 Nationwide events, and made eight Camping World Truck starts in addition to a full Cup schedule. Busch said the latest he's gotten back after a Nationwide or Truck event is 1:30 a.m., and that his Sprint Cup sponsors have tinkered with his race-morning hospitality duties to allow him to sleep in.

“

I think a lot of it is, I fight myself throughout a race instead of more so fighting the car. When you explain things to the crew chief instead of just saying, 'Man, this thing is junk,' well they don’t know how to fix junk.

”

-- KYLE BUSCH

"I don't think it would be worth giving up a Nationwide championship to just walk yourself into the Chase," Busch said. "I mean, for M&Ms and the sponsors on the Cup car, yeah, they would certainly say it would be beneficial to be in the Chase rather than gain a Nationwide championship. But when you look at the sponsors that are funding the Nationwide side, you've already committed [to them], too. You can't just fall out of the deal. So it's a tough balancing act, and you know I don't feel like our Cup effort has diminished any because of my Nationwide Series stuff. You can battle that all day long.

"I've learned so much more when I'm out there on the race track than just sitting in the motor home not doing anything. I'd rather be out there and working hard and trying to win races and learning about different things. The only thing that lacks is my time to communicate with [crew chief] Steve [Addington] after practice. You know, to just sit there and digest and cut apart practice, just look at what we did, what changes we made.

"We text all the time when I'm on the planes and traveling back and forth anyway. I call him race morning sometimes to see what he's up to and to see what our changes are going to be. Other than that I don't really see how we can make our Cup cars better at the race track. I mean, a lot of the work has just got to come out of the shop."

But clearly, not winning is taking its toll. In addition to Busch's struggles on the Cup side, he's finished second in six of his last eight Nationwide events. At NASCAR's highest levels, there's always pressure on top drivers to win. As Busch will admit, he puts a lot of that pressure on himself.

"Sometimes I joke around with other team guys that I've worked with in the past and they're like, 'Man why are you so down on yourself?' or 'Why are you always so upset after the race?' And I'm like, you know, I'm Kyle Busch, I'm supposed to win races, that's what I'm here to do," he said. "I'm supposed to be the guy that's hardest to beat out there. But you know, essentially you got to have a good handle on race cars, too. The cars are a big part of the game. You have to have good leadership skills within yourself, good leadership skills within your crew chief, and good race cars and everything. For me, I put a lot of pressure on myself to go out there and be the best. I want to be the guy that everyone says, 'We've got to beat Kyle Busch,' and that's the guy we've got to beat week in, and week out, whatever series it is."