Everything Kyle Busch did over the last two years, from selling Kyle Busch Motorsports to focusing on his son’s rising career, was seen as a sign of an impending retirement. The notion was fueled by his struggle to live up to the high standards he set for himself throughout his career. And all the loud rumors have forced him to clarify his plans to the public now.
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Busch turns 40 years old in May. This is an age where every driver starts thinking about hanging up the boots. But he has no plans of doing so in the near future.
He said in an interview with TODAY when asked if he was going to retire soon, “I have heard plenty of the talk. Absolutely, no.”
“I am turning 40. I know Denny Hamlin is out there at 44,45 winning races. I’m still right there. I still got plenty in the tank. I’m ready to go.” This is a welcome relief for his fans.
However, if the plan is to stay, he needs to start winning races again. His career reached its lowest point in 2024 after he failed to qualify for the playoffs.
He hasn’t won a race yet this season either, extending his winless streak to 66 races. Surely, he doesn’t want to hang around as a dead weight like many notable drivers did towards the end of their careers. It would only tarnish his otherwise perfect picture in the sport. Optimistically, he went on to express confidence that he can pick himself up again from the rut.
He said, “We are working with RCR this year. We race at Talladega this weekend. We won there a couple of years ago and are looking forward to doing that again this weekend.” All that’s left to do is wait and see if the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro can weave some speed and magic on Sunday.
Could Busch end up like Jimmie Johnson or Richard Petty?
Falling from grace late in a career is not new in motorsports. After winning his seventh Cup Series championship in 2016, Jimmie Johnson was never a strong contender again.
After winning at Dover in June 2017, he never won a race again. His performances weakened with age, and he retired after failing to win in his last 143 Cup Series starts.
Richard Petty, for all the legend that he is, did not win a race in his final 241 starts. Three-time champion Darrell Waltrip went winless in his last 251 races. The one thing in common between these three drivers is that they have stuck around for too long. It is easy to suspect that Busch might end up traversing this path.
If things don’t get better for him this year, it would be a wise choice to opt for retirement. Furthermore, his three-year contract with Richard Childress Racing is yet to be renewed. If the team doesn’t renew the papers, where does he go from here if he wants to continue racing? We will know in time.
