Following Connor Zilisch’s underwhelming finish in his debut Cup race, Kyle Busch offered the young driver some words of encouragement. Busch, who has bagged 63 NASCAR Cup race victories and two Cup championships, also didn’t have an auspicious start to his career in the top tier. He identified with what Zilisch was going through after the race at COTA last weekend.
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Zilisch had lamented on X that his car had impressive speed and he was driving well when he crashed in Stage 3 through no fault of his. Busch re-shared the post with a reassuring comment: “Your future’s bright,” and added a personal anecdote to act as encouragement for the 18-year-old driver. “I finished last in my Cup debut too.”
Busch’s debut at Las Vegas in 2004 was notably brief and tumultuous. It lasted just 11 laps, during which he famously hit the wall twice coming off Turn 4, sustaining too much damage to continue. He finished 41st, just ahead of two start-and-park cars but as the last among the competitors who raced.
Fans were quick to join Busch in offering Zilisch support. “I’d argue it was likely better to happen this way. Get the lesson of ‘this stuff is hard’ out of the way real quick. Now he has raw talent and will be more vigilant. Connor is gonna be a problem for the field for many years to come,” commented a fan.
“The has spoken — you have a great future ahead,” wrote another.
One fan, lauding Busch‘s career, commented, “Well that worked out pretty dam well for you didn’t it KB!” Another X user highlighted Busch’s achievements with a dash of humor, writing “Sh*t!!!! Does that mean he’s going to dominate the top three series for the next two decades?”
What Busch spoke about is indeed true. Debuting in the top tier is a daunting moment in a racer’s career. And very rarely does anyone make a big splash in their first ever Cup race.
Where did the Cup champions of the past decade finish in debut race?
Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Cup championships in 2015 and 2019. He is among seven drivers who have dominated the past 10 years in the NASCAR Cup Series championships. Interestingly, the debut races for these champions were less than stellar.
According to statistics released by NASCAR Classics on their official X handle, three-time Cup champion Joey Logano kicked off his Cup career in 2008 with a 32nd-place finish.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup champion, Ryan Blaney, debuted in the premier division of NASCAR in 2014, finishing 27th. Kyle Larson, who took home the 2021 Cup championship, began his Cup journey in 2013, landing in 37th place in his inaugural race.
Chase Elliott, one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers and the 2020 champion, commenced his championship journey with a 38th-place finish, while Busch started his career in 41st place.
Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 Cup champion who retired last year, debuted at 37th place. Meanwhile, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson debuted in 39th place during his first NASCAR Cup start in 2001.
Responding to this pattern, Zilisch, who finished 37th in his Cup debut at COTA, wrote on X, “Makes me feel not as bad about yesterday.”
He seems to have taken solace by aligning his initial performance with those of the past seven Cup champions. However, only time will reveal whether he can emulate the success and stature of these esteemed drivers.
