“20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration,” said Dale Earnhardt Sr. after his 1998 triumph at the Daytona 500. By then, ‘The Intimidator’ had won almost everything that the NASCAR world had to offer, however, conquering ‘The Great American Race’ took him two decades. Kyle Busch was also in a similar situation going into this year’s season opener. Rowdy had not won the crown jewel event in his twenty-year-long career, and the comparisons between the two racers were inevitable as Dale Earnhardt was also coming off a winless season in 1998, just like Busch!

However, lady luck was not on his side at the ‘World Center of Racing’. Despite an impressive run at the 2.5-mile oval, Busch’s attempt to win the Daytona 500 came to an unsatisfying end due to an on-track incident.

Kyle Busch caught in the crossfire at Daytona

Drama at Daytona International Speedway! After a long delay due to rain, the Cup Series action was finally underway at the iconic track. Even though the first stage ended with little controversy, the same can’t be said about a ‘big one’ that occurred just seconds after drivers took the green flag to begin Stage 2. Reigning champ Joey Logano resumed his dominance at NASCAR’s highest level in the opening 65 laps, but his No. 22 Ford was the reason for the multi-car wreck on Lap 71.

The Team Penske racer failed to take off during the restart while at the front of the pack, causing somewhat of a domino effect until the end of the grid. The incident resulted in a multi-car wreck, including the likes of Allgaier, Castroneves, Briscoe, Johnson, Herbst, Chastain, Nemechek, Truex, Dillon, Busch, Custer, and Busch. Rowdy, who was running in third place at that time, suffered a major blow in trying to emulate Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s achievement.

The wreck occurred when Joey Logano started out front in Stage 2 when his No. 22 Ford malfunctioned, which slowed him down. As a result, there was a subsequent pileup behind him with Ross Chastain slamming into the fence, collecting IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves on the way. Kyle Busch was also sent spinning, incurring damage to his No. 8 Chevy. Kevin Harvick went on to say, “I think a lot of ‘em just took evasive action and wound up spun out and in the grass.”

To make matters worse, Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were involved in another incident on Lap 186, which proved to be the final straw for Kyle Busch. Despite needing minor repairs, ‘Rowdy’ was not allowed back on the track because of NASCAR’s protocols, forcing him to retire early, finishing the race in 34th place. It wasn’t the start the Richard Childress Racing driver wanted, particularly after showing impressive speed and consistency at the Daytona 500. However, breaking his winless streak at the 2025 Daytona 500 simply wasn’t meant to be.

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Busch calls out Joey Logano for Daytona wreck

Kyle Busch wasn’t happy and understandably so. The Nevada native was forced to retire early, the worst possible outcome he could have hoped for to begin his 2025 campaign. To make matters worse, ‘Rowdy’ looked posed for a top-five result at the Daytona 500 until reigning champion Joey Logano and NASCAR’s questionable protocols affected his race’s outcome. As expected, the two-time Cup Series winner didn’t hold back in the post-race interview, and called out his Team Penske rival for his actions.

Speaking to FOX after the race, Busch said, “Looks like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck. Logano was by far the fastest car today. Saw a lot of laps led and he could do about anything. The Penske cars were very strong. We still got 20 laps to go and he’s trying to go through the middle and make a hole that isn’t there. Just created chaos.” The Richard Childress Racing driver went on to say, “Hate it for all of our guys on the Zone Chevrolet.”

It might not have been the result he wanted, but Kyle Busch can take plenty of positives from the race. His No. 8 Chevy was lightning-fast at Daytona International Speedway, but lady luck wasn’t on his side. However, the upcoming race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will present another opportunity for the 39-year-old to break his winless streak, and ease the pressure off his shoulders by claiming a playoff spot at the 2025 Ambetter Health 400. However, he certainly wouldn’t want a repeat of 2024, where he came third by 0.007 seconds in a three-wide finish with Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney. Do you think Busch can break his winless streak at Atlanta? Let us know in the comments!