“Finally got that monkey off my back!”Dale Earnhardt said as he sat down for the winner’s interview, pulled a stuffed monkey from his shoulder, and tossed it afar. Earnhardt’s victory at the Daytona 500, in 1998, was an enormous sigh of relief for himself, the team, and even for his crew chiefs. To see a legend like him go two decades without a Daytona win was frustrating. Echoing the same emotions, another Richard Childress Racing driver finds himself at a similar crossroads.

This is the 20th year that Kyle Busch has entered the Daytona 500 without a win. Will he be able to repeat what Earnhardt did 27 years ago?

Will Childress get ecstatic about Busch’s win yet again

For two decades, the Daytona 500 remained a prize that slipped through Dale Earnhardt’s fingers. He had conquered every other challenge, dominating at Daytona’s 2.5-mile track in countless races. But in 1998, everything changed. Earnhardt led 107 of the 200 laps. It was evident through the drive that he wasn’t the one to give up this time. As he crossed the finish line, sealing his long-awaited victory, the pit road erupted. Crew members from every team lined up to shake his hand. The sight was indeed a rare and powerful tribute to a legend finally claiming what was rightfully his.

After Earnhardt had sealed the deal, an ecstatic Richard Childress had said, “But I don’t think he ever believed he’d never win the 500. He’d won enough other races down here to know he could win the 500, but there was always something that got in his way.” Similar to how Earnhardt ended his winless streak at the Daytona 500, after two long decades, hopes have not ended for Kyle Busch as of yet. Speaking on the same, he said, “Yeah, it’s been I guess 20 years trying now here this year. Another guy at RCR once upon a time had 20 years of trying and was able to capitalize on that. Hopefully, this year is our year for being able to do that.”

Busch has shown a similar trajectory where he had come close to Daytona 500 wins, but luck just didn’t seem to side with him. Busch is one of the few drivers to have the maximum number of starts without a Daytona 500 win. Speaking of his chances so far, Busch added, “Last couple of years we have been really strong in that race. We’ve been there late in the goings, had opportunities on restarts and what not, so we want to be able to have the same chances this time around and bring home the checkered flag.”

In 2024, he came close to a win but ended the race with a P8. That’s not all! Busch was a strong contender in both 2007 and 2008, with his hopes ending in a last-lap crash in 2007 and getting stuck in traffic during the last stretch in 2008. In 2009, he dominated by leading 88 laps in a rain-shortened Daytona 500 but crashed out roughly 30 laps before the race was called.

He also secured a third-place finish in 2016 and came agonizingly close to victory with a runner-up finish in 2019. Do you think he will reattempt Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s moves and give his career the much-needed Daytona 500 break? 

Kyle Busch makes his feelings known about the OEP 

NASCAR had recently laid out the OEP or the Open Exemption Provisional policy. It stated that to improve the appeal of NASCAR, it is going to allow an exemption to one driver and grant him a direct seat in the Daytona 500 main event. This position would be granted even if the driver fails to make it on speed during the qualifiers. This year it was Helio Castroneves, a Brazilian racer. 

However, the decision met with some resentment, given that it did not grant either Jimmie Johnson or Martin Truex Jr, the two pioneers of NASCAR, an open position. Kyle Busch recently made his feelings known on the same. He said, “We talked about the 41st rule…and I listened to a couple of other drivers. Hearing their take on it, I have a different stance in which you are opening up a spot for someone from outside our realm to be able to get in a show. Jimmie Johnson or Martin Truex (Jr.) would probably still wanna be in the race regardless if they were making bank or not. If they don’t make it through a Duel, automatically Castroneves gets it. I don’t like that.”

Busch’s frustration highlights a deeper debate within NASCAR. It explains that the push for broader appeal should come at the cost of sidelining seasoned veterans who have shaped the sport’s legacy.