Kyle Busch has won a lot of races in his 20-plus-year NASCAR Cup Series career. However, there is still one race he doesn't have in his collection. That race is the crown jewel of them all: the Daytona 500.
As Busch enters his third season with Richard Childress Racing, a lot of his focus has been on finally checking off the one thing not yet on his resume. The two-time Cup Series champion will be making his 20th start in the "Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway this coming Sunday afternoon.
Sure, he's had plenty of chances, only to have a wreck or even a teammate win the race over him. This year, however, feels different.
Close calls throughout Kyle Busch's career
Busch had a rough start in his first three Daytona 500 starts, posting a best finish of 24th place. That changed drastically when he moved to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, as he finished fourth. Since then, more often than not, he has been caught up in somebody else's mess.
After missing the race because of injury in 2015, Busch returned to the site of his injury at Daytona Beach, Florida in 2016, and with a car that could've won the race.
Teammate Denny Hamlin won that day, with Busch settling for third place. His best finish in the Daytona 500 came in 2019, as he finished in the runner-up spot – once again, behind Hamlin.
Since moving to Richard Childress Racing, Busch has really performed well at the superspeedways. He won at Talladega in 2023, and he also grabbed a runner-up finish last July at Daytona. He's been right at the front of the field in the closing laps in two of the last three Daytona 500s. This year feels like the perfect time to end those close calls.
20 years of trying; is history repeating itself?
Team owner Richard Childress knows all about waiting to win the Daytona 500. His most legendary driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr., tried and tried for 20 years before he captured a "Great American Race" victory in 1998.
As Fox Sports lead announcer Mike Joy famously said:
"20 years of trying, 20 years of effort, Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500."Mike Joy, via CBS Broadcast in 1998
Busch had a winless season in 2024 to end a 19-year winning streak, much like Earnhardt did in 1997 to end a 15-year streak. What happened the next year? Earnhardt won the Daytona 500. It sure seems like Busch is set up to finally win his first Daytona 500 in his 20th try as well, and he is actually the betting favorite to do so.