“20 years of making an attempt, 20 years of frustration…”
Each NASCAR fan instantly acknowledges these phrases, spoken within the last moments of the 1998 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt had gained all the pieces there’s to win at Daytona – and to today, no driver has extra victories than him on the Florida superspeedway. Nevertheless, it took him two full a long time to say the largest prize of all of them. In an unprecedented present of respect, each member of each crew then lined up on pit highway to congratulate ‘The Intimidator’ after the checkered flag.
Dale Earmhardt have fun his victory
Picture by: NASCAR Media
Buddy Baker was the closest to matching Earnhardt, driving the ‘Grey Ghost’ to victory in his 18th try. For Darrell Waltrip, the No. 17 gained in its seventeenth try the place he did his personal model of the ‘Ickey Shuffle’ in Victory Lane. David Pearson is the second-winningest driver within the historical past of the Cup Sequence, however his solely 500 win got here in his sixteenth begin. Trying decrease on the record, Bobby Allison and Michael Waltrip gained of their fifteenth begin. However solely Dale went 0-19 earlier than lastly successful NASCAR’s crown jewel occasion.
For some drivers, a victory within the 500 appeared like a certainty and but, it by no means got here to fruition. Tony Stewart has extra wins at Daytona than any driver not named Earnhardt and was a constant pressure to be reckoned with on plate tracks, however the 500 nonetheless eluded him. Mark Martin almost toppled Earnhardt’s file in 2007, however misplaced in a cinematic picture end in his twenty third try. Regardless of 4 runner-up finishes between them, each of the Labonte brothers – who every managed to make themselves Cup Sequence champions – by no means had been ready so as to add the five hundred to their Corridor of Fame resumes.
And that brings us to the current day. As already said, nobody past Earnhardt has made 20+ begins in ‘The Nice American Race’ earlier than lastly successful it … however that’s precisely what Kyle Busch is making an attempt to do that yr. Busch’s older brother, Kurt, needed to wait till his seventeenth Daytona 500 to win in 2017, however the youthful Busch brother is now approaching his twentieth try – the identical as Earnhardt when he gained.
Naturally, comparisons are being made as Busch stares down ‘20’ begins within the 500. There’s additionally the truth that he’s driving for a similar group as Earnhardt – Richard Childress Racing, which since that iconic day in 1998 has gained the Daytona 500 two extra occasions with Kevin Harvick in 2007 and Austin Dillon in 2018.
Busch has loved an unbelievable profession with two Cup titles and extra wins throughout all three nationwide divisions than any driver in historical past. He is captured each crown jewel on the schedule, excluding this one. However not like Earnhardt, Busch hasn’t gained almost as many races at Daytona… .
The driving force of the black No. 3 was all the time a menace at Daytona, making his 20-year wait much more stunning. He gained a whopping 34 races on the speedway — a file that’s probably by no means to be damaged. Busch has eight wins complete on the speedway, and his most up-to-date win on the oval got here in one of many Duel qualifying races, 9 years in the past. Nevertheless it’s not like Busch has been persona non grata on the 500 both. If destiny had been kinder, he might have raised the Harley J. Earl trophy on multiple event by now. Right here’s simply a few of the highlights:
The ‘virtually’ Daytona 500 champ
2007: Busch makes the successful transfer a second too late and is boxed into the underside. Exiting the ultimate nook, he loses management from third and ignites an enormous pileup behind the race leaders.
2008: In a Penske vs. JGR for the win, Busch pushes his new teammate Tony Stewart whereas his older brother Kurt pushes Ryan Newman. Ky. Busch loses contact with Stewart on the ultimate lap, permitting the Penske duo to prevail.
2009: Busch leads almost half the race in a dominant exhibiting earlier than getting taken out in a weird wreck because the lapped automobiles of Dale Jr. and Brian Vickers tangled.
2016: Very similar to 2007, Busch runs on the underside whereas the skin line surges. He would not attempt to take the run, however his teammate straight behind him [Hamlin] does. Busch crosses the road third whereas Hamlin goes on to win the race.
2019: Busch earns a career-best end of second within the 500, dropping any potential likelihood at making a run on the win after preventing Logano for the runner-up place.
2023: In his first 500 with RCR, Busch is controlling the race with teammate Austin Dillon proper behind him. Their makes an attempt to orchestrate a late-race restart goes awry and Dillon wrecks. Busch continues to be in competition, however will get wrecked himself on the ultimate lap.
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro and Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing, Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford Mustang
Picture by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Photos
That 2023 race is very painful for KB. When a late-race warning for a lone spinner compelled the race into extra time, Busch radioed the next phrases from the lead because the occasion crossed its scheduled distance: “Again in 1998 that will be the win, boys!” he stated, referencing Earnhardt’s 500 triumph. In contrast to the Indy 500, NASCAR’s crown jewel occasion just isn’t assured to finish at Lap 200 and Mile 500 within the fashionable age. In reality, that race ended up being 530 miles – 12 laps additional than anticipated. Between Lap 200 and 212, each RCR drivers had been wrecked and a despondent Busch was scored nineteenth within the last working order.
Earnhardt was on Busch’s thoughts late in that 2023 race and there’s little question the ‘Man in Black’ will likely be on the forefront of Busch’s thoughts once more, ought to he be in that very same place once more this week. Some is perhaps tempted to say that the celebrities are aligning and that this must be Busch’s yr, however Daytona has confirmed time and time once more that it cares not for what ‘ought to’ occur. A 3-time collection champion like Stewart by no means did win the five hundred whereas a driver like Trevor Bayne managed to win in his very first try.
Not the one dropping streak to observe
Surprisingly, Busch making his twentieth begin isn’t truly the longest dropping streak on this race. Martin Truex Jr. will likely be working his twenty first Daytona 500. Whereas MTJ has a tough file at superspeedways, he was on the dropping facet of what turned out to be the closest Daytona 500 end in historical past. In 2016, Hamlin beat him to the road by simply 0.010s.
Brad Keselowksi will likely be one other driver to observe intently. Making his sixteenth begin within the 500, he’s all the time a menace at each Daytona and its sister monitor, Talladega. In 2021, he dramatically crashed whereas making an attempt to make a last-lap cross for the win on his then-teammate Joey Logano. Neither made it to the end line.
If Busch pulls it off, the comparisons to Earnhardt will likely be instant, and it is not simply the media making that connection. “You’d actually wish to hope so,” stated Busch on Media Day, who has led 342 laps in his Daytona 500 (greater than every other driver and not using a win).
“Twenty years of making an attempt. There was one other storied racer of the previous that gained on his twentieth attempt to that was a reasonably large deal. He was a former RCR driver as nicely so it’d actually be good to win that race and do it with RCR within the No. 8 Chevrolet. That will be fairly cool.”
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Dale Earnhardt
Kyle Busch
Richard Childress Racing
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