With Kevin Harvick Departing From the Cup Series, Can Kyle Busch Dethrone the Legend from This Mountain?

It was in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s fatal crash during the Daytona 500 led to Kevin Harvick‘s unexpected debut in the NASCAR Cup Series. Since then, the legendary racer has never looked back and has cumulated the most number of starts in NASCAR, outperforming every rival of his.

Harvick, who retired at the end of the 2023 season, notched up quite a few records in his two-plus decades in the sport. But the one that stands out is his P1 spot in a highly coveted list wherein he surpassed legends like Richard Petty and Mark Martin. But it is possible that Harvick’s record may be broken by Kyle Busch, who sits second in the list of most NASCAR starts.

Following Harvick’s deep-rooted legacy and impressive record in NASCAR, a revelation on X showcased the top 10 drivers on the list of “Most NASCAR Starts All Time,” and was captioned, “Kevin Harvick’s legacy stands firm as he held the record for the most NASCAR starts for an impressive stretch!”

Harvick ventured into the realm of NASCAR when he sat behind the wheel of the #2 Team Realtree NASCAR Truck in 1995. Four years later, Harvick debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway. He made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2001.

He broke the record for most NASCAR starts in April 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway. This was his 1,198th career start across the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series. He retired after 1,299 career starts.

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Harvick’s arsenal of achievements has another coveted title to add. However, it was the following remark that sparked a wave of intrigue in the community as it asked, “Do you think Kyle Busch has what it takes to break his record?”

Kyle Busch can displace Harvick at the top by 2026

Having 1214 starts in NASCAR, Kyle Busch is 85 starts away from surpassing Harvick and claiming the P1 spot. But the question is, amid retirement talks surrounding 38-year-old Busch, will he be able to clinch that spot?

According to Autoweek, Busch wishes to race with his son Brexton, who is eight years old right now. As planned, Brexton would be around 15 or 16 years old when he’d showcase his driving skills in the Camping World Truck Series, and Busch is looking forward to competing with his son on the tracks. So, it is safe to say that the RCR driver won’t be retiring anytime soon, at least not for the upcoming five years.

Busch is more than nine years younger than Harvick. He also regularly competes in the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, in addition to his full-time Cup Series schedule.

Adding to that, in 5 years, the number of NASCAR Cup races held would be somewhere around 180 races, keeping in mind the 36-race schedule of 2023 and the 40-race schedule, including four non-championship races of 2024. This means, that if Busch participates in every race of the upcoming seasons, then he will top the list in the middle of the 2026 season.  Thus, it’s hard to imagine Busch not reaching 1,300 starts within the next few seasons.

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Kevin Harvick reigns at the top, but Kyle Busch is not that far. Do you think Busch will surpass Harvick, or will the retirement concerns get the better of him?