“20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration…” are words that echo in the ears of every NASCAR fan when you talk about the Daytona 500. In 1998, the 7-time Cup Series Champion, Dale Earnhardt, willed his way across the banks of Daytona to pick up his first-ever Daytona 500 victory in his 20th season. After finishing runner-up at the ‘Great American Race’ four times in the past, the Richard Childress Racing driver finally did what every soul in the building was waiting for. Now, 27 years later, Kyle Busch has a chance to recreate history.

Kyle Busch carries the tradition of Richard Childress Racing on his shoulders, but those shoulders have been through some strife lately. Busch is entering the Daytona 500 coming off a 57-race winless streak, and this is drawing some eerie parallels to Dale Earnhardt in 1998. The Intimidator too was coming off a winless season before 1998. However, Busch feels there is one major difference that could stop him from emulating Earnhardt.

Can Kyle Busch repeat history with RCR?

While Kyle Busch did endure a winless season, it’s not like he was lounging in 20th having a stroll around the track for pleasure. The 2-time Cup Series Champion was ever so close to claiming the checkered flag on multiple occasions. Most notably at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished third in a three-wide finish with Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez by a mere 0.007 seconds.

Speaking of the determining factor that led to such a close finish, Busch made an important point regarding Next-Gen cars. In 2022, NASCAR leveled the playing field with Next-Gen cars. The creativity and excellence of the garage, which used to give some teams an upper hand, was lost as parity entered the stock car racing series. Speaking on the near victories, Kyle Busch said to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “It’s just tough, with all the cars being more equal, you’re fighting for hundreds or thousandths of inches.”

When Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 1998, the races were nowhere near as closely fought as they are today. Three of the 10 closest finishes in NASCAR history have come in the Next-Gen car and 7 of them have come in the 21st century, a nod to the improvement in engineering across the grid as the years went by.

If we’re talking about Kyle Busch being unlucky, then we have to bring up the 2023 Daytona 500, which is probably the most accurate parallel to Dale Earnhardt. For context, The Intimidator won that race as he took the white flag under caution, and back then, the rules stated that the leader of the race in that scenario would be declared the winner. However, by 2023, NASCAR had implemented an overtime rule, which ruined Busch’s run in the 2023 Daytona 500.

A frustrated Busch said after the race, “I think this is the first time I led lap 200, so I wish it was 1998 rules. But no, it’s just part of the course. I’m used to it. I come down here every year just to find out when and where I’m going to crash and what lap I’ll come out of the Care Center.” Busch led the field with two laps to go but a caution caused an overtime restart which saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (7th at the time of caution) eventually take the lead and win the race. “I think this was the first time I led Lap 200 here. I wish it was 1998 rules,” Busch continued.

While Busch had a tough time getting across the finish line in 2024, his start to 2025 wasn’t too great either. At the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, Busch’s RCR Chevrolet No.8 did not look up to speed. Or maybe he was struggling to keep up? He finished the Clash in 15th place. However, a 10th place finish at the Duel 1 at Daytona added a tinge of optimism for Rowdy Nation as Busch was back amongst the top 10.

In the media day leading up to the NASCAR season, Busch touched on the parallels with Dale Earnhardt, saying, “You’d certainly like to hope so. Twenty years of trying. There was another storied racer of the past that won on his 20th try and that was a pretty big deal. He was a former RCR driver as well, so it’d certainly be nice to win that race and do it with RCR in the No. 8 Zone Chevrolet. So that would be pretty cool.”

Some might be tempted to say that the stars are aligning and that this has to be Busch’s year, but Daytona has proven time and time again that it cares not for what ‘should’ happen. A three-time series champion like Tony Stewart never won the Daytona 500, while a driver like Trevor Bayne managed to win in his very first attempt. Busch has enjoyed an incredible career with two Cup titles and more wins across all three national divisions than any driver in history (231). He’s captured every crown jewel on the schedule, excluding this one. But unlike Earnhardt, Busch hasn’t won nearly as many races at Daytona (34). 

As Kyle Busch enters 2025, he is under immense pressure to deliver with RCR as he is in a contract year. His crew chief, Randall Burnett, shared his thoughts as well on the expectations and goals for 2025.

Trending

1

“I’d Have Smacked Him”: NASCAR Veteran Sends a Strong Message to Defend Dale Earnhardt Jr. Against Fans’ Hate

2

Roger Penske’s Final Hopes Slipping Away as NASCAR Fans Prepare for Honda

3

Richard Petty Calls for NASCAR to Return to Its Roots Amid Fans Growing Resentment

4

Rick Hendrick Accused of ‘Burying’ Ross Chastain’s Real Persona as Fans Insinuate Trackhouse’s Exit From Chevy

5

Bubba Wallace Proposes a Bold Solution to End NASCAR’s Hypocrisy on Dangerous Daytona Finish

Randall Burnett takes it upon himself to get Busch back in victory lane

Austin Dillon, grandson of RCR owner, Richard Childress, convinced Kyle Busch to join the team in 2023 after his fallout with Joe Gibbs Racing due to a lack of sponsorship. Speaking on the relationship they have developed, Dillon expressed optimism in his turnaround for 2025. “I think Kyle is learning a lot over the couple of years that he’s been with us, I think he’s a happier person, personally. I like being around Kyle. He obviously is the same when it comes to hating to run bad or not up to his standard. And his standard is as high as it gets. He’s a champion of our sport,” he said.

While RCR has made some changes in its leadership department, it has let Randall Burnett remain as crew chief for Busch, a veteran crew chief who doesn’t seem to get rattled and is well aware of the demands. Burnett said Kyle Busch handled his first winless season like a professional. “We went through some tough times — especially the mid-part of the season — we had a lot of stuff not go our way, not pan out for us… Obviously, he’s Kyle Busch, he wants to win a lot of races, and he should be winning a lot of races. It’s up to us to get him back in victory lane,” Randall Burnett said.

Dillion added by saying the organization is focused on doing just that, “For us at RCR, we just have to put maximum effort in every week to deliver the best product, and that’s the best we can do. Try and give maximum effort every weekend, Put him [Kyle Busch] in the best position we can. And we’ll see where all the chips fall at the end. But I think he’s enjoyed his time at RCR and wants to be a part of this organization to the end, I hope.” 

Kyle Busch will turn 40 this season and is well into the back end of his career. If he wants to have one last hurrah, will he trust RCR to help him achieve it? Or is Busch already looking at prospective suitors for 2026? Let us know in the comments below!