Kyle Busch has bagged nearly every accolade in NASCAR, including two Cup championships, two regular season championships, an Xfinity championship, and multiple race wins. But the only race that has eluded him so far is the prestigious Daytona 500. In his 21-year NASCAR Cup career, he has repeatedly been close to winning at Daytona in February, yet has not been able to convert them.
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Merely five days before the 2025 Daytona 500, Busch shared his longing to claim the elusive title during a pre-race interview. He expressed, “Yeah, I mean, winning the Daytona 500 would be the ultimate. I’ve pretty much-done everything else there is to do in our sport. That’s the only thing left. I’ve won at Daytona in a summer race, but I have not won there in the Daytona 500 in February.”
He elaborated further, “I’m looking forward to it. One of these days, I sure hope it comes true, I want it to come true, to become a Daytona 500 champion.” Busch is ready to make his 20th Daytona 500 appearance this season, following a P12 finish last year and P19 in 2023.
Should he manage to orchestrate a resurgence this season following a year that went winless, his trajectory would resemble that of Dale Earnhardt’s when he won his first Daytona 500 race.
After his win at Atlanta in 1996, Earnhardt encountered a drought spanning 59 races without a win. His return to the winner’s circle occurred at the 1998 Daytona 500, marking his first victory in that prestigious race. Currently, with fans drawing parallels between their careers, Busch is seen as a potential candidate to emulate Earnhardt’s comeback.
Having last tasted victory at Watkins Glen in 2023, Busch now faces a winless streak of 57 races, further intensifying the anticipation for a possible historic win at Daytona.
Busch’s close finishes at the Daytona 500 race
Kyle’s brush with victory at the Daytona 500 peaked in 2019 while racing under the banner of Joe Gibbs Racing in their #18 Toyota. On his 14th endeavor to master the race, Busch came extremely close, probably the best chance to secure a win, yet he finished just one position short of steering his JGR vehicle into victory lane.
Sandwiched between his teammates, Busch settled for the second place, with Denny Hamlin leading the pack and Erik Jones rounding out the trio. His performance surpassed his previous best at the Daytona 500, where he finished P3 in 2016.
Moreover, his 2023 Daytona 500 outing was notable as Busch led laps 197-202 in a race initially set to conclude at lap 200. That year’s race stretched to an unprecedented 212 laps due to two overtime extensions.
In the final overtime, Busch charged from P5 to P2 in the outside lane, aggressively tailing Joey Logano into Turn 1 in a bid for the lead. However, chaos ensued in Turn 2, and before Busch could execute a winning maneuver, he was clipped in the left-rear quarter panel, sending his car spinning into the outside SAFER barrier.
This year, Busch is determined to triumph, aiming to start his season with a resounding success at Daytona.
