“That One …Stung the Worse” – Kyle Busch Reveals One of His Biggest Regrets in His 21 Year Long Career

There is a bunch of ace drivers who have snagged the Cup Series crown but have never managed to grab the golden ring at the Daytona 500. Names like Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch spring to mind. This time around, with the Daytona 500 in the rearview mirror, Kyle Busch cruised to a P12 finish, even leading the pack for a decent 12 laps. Considering the end-of-race demolition derby, that’s not too shabby. Yet, in a heart-to-heart with Kevin Harvick, Kyle let slip that there’s a thorn in his side. But that thorn isn’t from this year’s Daytona drama.

Kyle Busch’s sore spot dates back to last year

After switching gears from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, Kyle made quite the entrance at Daytona, nearly clinching victory until a major pileup turned the tables, allowing Ricky Stenhouse Jr to swoop in and steal the win. Kyle was leading a mere 6 laps, but he was in a prime spot, neck, and neck with teammate Austin Dillon, when the chaos unfolded, sweeping away his shot at Daytona glory along with Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and a host of others.

Reflecting on that heartbreaker with Harvick, Kyle didn’t mince his words, “That one probably stung the worst just thinking because I even said it over the radio like I was like if this was 1998 when Dale won I would have won. Like the race was over we come back around the next time and it’s yellow and Checkered you know.”

He continued, “So that hurts because I can always in my own mind in my own crazy mind I can always have an ashtrick that I did win yeah but I don’t have the trophy. So yeah I mean it dwells on you for a little bit but you’re automatically our sport moves so fast you’re automatically into the next week and going and Racing for the next next trophy there you know.”

Kyle admitted the sting of missing out on such a golden chance, saying that missing out on such opportunities is a shame, but Busch is hopeful that this year would be his. He also peeled back another layer, sharing his past insecurities at Hendrick Motorsports that drove him to join Joe Gibbs Racing, a topic he hadn’t touched on before.

“took a backseat” – Kyle Busch reveals the reason behind switching from HMS to JGR back in 2008

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In the candid chat with Kevin Harvick, a former adversary turned Cup Series champ, Kyle Busch opened up about why he left the Hendrick Motorsports nest back in ’08. It wasn’t any bad blood or team drama; it was more about the internal tussle he faced. Sharing the track with legends like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who were racking up wins like it was nobody’s business, really got under his skin. Watching from the sidelines and not tasting victory as often hit him hard, nudging him towards Joe Gibbs Racing.

At JGR, Kyle was more of a quiet storm. Far from the fiery figure fans were used to, he soaked up everything like a sponge, honing his skills in silence. This strategy paid off big time, as he bagged two Cup Series titles with the team, cementing his status as one of the greats.

Reflecting on those early days, Kyle shared, “When I joined JGR, I was off of 3 years of being with Hendrick. Seeing Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and the success that they were having, I was jealous. I was only winning once or twice a year, they were winning 6 to 10 times a year and it was like what am I doing wrong?”

Read More: Kyle Busch Defied Denny Hamlin’s Prediction During the 2024 Daytona 500

Busch wondered, “Why can’t I be like those guys right now, in my first 3 years of Cup racing? I kind of took a back seat at JGR, just kind of like floating around, listening, like doing all that even though we were successful winning races with all the different crew chiefs that I had over there.”

Now, with his sights set on RCR, it’ll be a spectacle to see if Kyle can weave that championship magic once again after his stint with Joe Gibbs Racing.