Dissatisfied by His NASCAR Domination, Kyle Busch Makes an Unfinished Business Claim

Dec 3, 2023 | 12:31 PM EST

Link Copied!

There are few feelings greater for a NASCAR driver than winning the Daytona 500, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr got to experience just that in 2023. But it was no ordinary finish. A late caution unleashed the mayhem, amidst which Stenhouse Jr came out on top. Whilst the JTG Daugherty driver was ecstatic at his achievement, the Daytona 500 had slipped from Kyle Busch’s grasp once again!

But the driver who holds the record for the most laps led in the Great American Race without ever winning could never give up on the ultimate dream. Losing out to last-minute chaos ever so frequently, Kyle Busch aims to secure the one NASCAR prize that’s always evaded him.

Kyle Busch is desperate to check one final box off his NASCAR legacy

Earlier this season, Kyle Busch was asked in an interview in The Athletic about how he would rank the following feats in terms of importance – winning the Daytona 500, winning two more Cup Titles, reaching 85 Cup Series wins, or winning the Most Popular Driver. Busch’s answer? The ranking was already in order!

Yes, that’s how important the Daytona 500 is for the man who once dominated the sport’s most beloved racers. Busch pointed out that he had won two championships, and scores of races. He is even a part of the top ten list of all-time Cup Series race winners at ninth. But while Busch did lead lap 200 in the 2023 edition of the race, his ill-fated Daytona streak keeps piling up.

Fast-forward to the Most Popular Driver award and the story is yet to reach its climax according to Kyle Busch. Speaking to Peter Stratta, Busch revealed that NASCAR told him that he was the runner-up to Chase Elliott for the MPD award this year. The No. 8 driver also believed his parents’ constant guidance with everything automotive was the key to his success.

Reflecting on the popularity competition gap closing, Busch shared, “Yeah no, it certainly has been. And (I’m) grateful for mom and dad, that got us to this point and pressed us as hard as they did when we were growing up. And getting us to learn everything that we do about the cars and having a good car sense and stuff like that.”

But there’s one thing that Busch’s dedication and passion for the sport has yet to pay off, “I’d like to think that I’m not done yet. That there’s a few more things out there for me that I can do. I’d love nothing more than to bring a championship back to RCR again and, of course, I got a box to check off that Daytona trophy.“

If the journey to achieve Daytona glory continues any longer than a few seasons, Kyle Busch might just achieve more than what he bargained for.

Could Busch become the most experienced driver in NASCAR history?

Currently, the driver with the most starts in NASCAR’s history across all three series is none other than Kevin Harvick. Over a 22-year career, Harvick has featured on the starting lineup for a whopping 1,299 races – 826 in the Cup Series, 349 in the Xfinity Series, and 124 in the Truck Series.

Whilst Harvick put himself in front of the likes of Richard Petty, Mark Martin, and Michael Waltrip, there’s only one man on that list with an asterisk next to his name. Kyle Busch is actively adding to a tally of 1,215 appearances across the three-tier series and could surpass Harvick’s record even before achieving that elusive Daytona win.

Whether you love him or hate him, Kyle Busch’s iron will to achieve the one accolade that’s eluded him for decades speaks volumes of the kind of legend he is. He will also be running in the Truck series for five races with Spire Motorsports, in a second truck that will be shared between multiple drivers. This could only help catapult Busch to becoming the most experienced driver in the history of NASCAR.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kurt Busch’s unintentional sabotage of Tony Stewart’s Daytona 500 dream

If Busch finally scores that Daytona finish as well, the record for most race starts in NASCAR will just be the icing on the cake.