Kyle Busch is getting ready for his 20th Daytona 500 start this year and comparisons are inevitably being drawn to Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr., but for different reasons. The discussions stem from the Richard Childress Racing driver not winning a single race in 2024. This broke Busch’s streak of winning at least one Cup Series race every year since his full-time debut in the sport’s top tier.
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Discussing the Las Vegas native’s misfortune from last season, fans on social media argued why Johnson’s reasons for not winning during his last few years in the sport were different from Busch’s reasons today. “Jimmie Johnson drove Hendrick equipment and went 3 1/2 years winless. Big difference,” said one follower, commenting on a thread that seemingly wrote to write Busch’s future off completely.
Elaborating specifically on what the differentiator between the two champions of the sport is, one fan explained, “Difference was Jimmie was at Hendrick Kyle is at RCR. It’s very reasonable to say his decline stemmed from the lack of equipment rather than talent. On a superspeedway where equipment maters less he could definitely win, he almost won the last race we had at Daytona.”
Although Busch‘s initial transition to Richard Childress Racing in 2023 seemed promising, with three wins during the regular season, the momentum stalled post-2023 playoffs. The #8 RCR driver hasn’t clinched a victory since, despite several near misses last season. This has been down to a lack of car performance from his team.
If anyone’s on their jimmie arc, it’s hamlin, not busch
— Bodacious Cowboy (CHASE WON IT LFG) (@Thechungo4814) January 18, 2025
“Kyle 100% still has wins in him, not his fault RCR fell off a cliff compared to last season,” said one fan, seemingly a Busch die-hard. The sentiment was echoed by another fan who drew parallels with the NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt Sr., asserting, “Not trying to compare Kyle and Dale sr, but Dale did go winless in 1997 before winning his 500. Kyle could do the same.”
While some compared Busch’s career graph with Johnson’s and how the reasons for both not winning were different, a few argued that even ‘The Intimidator’ went winless in 1997 before he clinched his first and only Daytona 500 victory on his 20th attempt in 1998.
Can Busch replicate what Dale Sr. achieved in 1998?
Busch, with 19 starts at Daytona, has secured a spot in the top-5 three times. In contrast, Dale Sr., across 23 Daytona starts, notched 11 top-5 finishes and consistently landed in the top 10 in his last 11 Daytona 500 races before his victory.
Elaborating on his drive and determination to win the famed event, Busch discussed his aspirations in a conversation with Jeff Gluck last year. When asked to rank his career priorities among a Daytona 500 win, more Cup titles, achieving 85 Cup Series victories, and earning the title of Most Popular Driver, Busch replied, “They’re [already] in order.”
He elaborated, “I’ve won a championship; I have won two [championships]. I’ve won tons of races… So to me, winning the Daytona 500 is something I haven’t done and really want to do.”
For Busch, winning the elusive Daytona 500 would fulfill a long-standing career goal and deliver a big boost to his legacy, potentially matching the historic euphoria that surrounded Dale Sr.’s win back in the day.
