By David Morgan, Associate Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Their names are synonymous with reaching the pinnacle of NASCAR Cup Series racing as champions, but all of them have one glaring hole in their resume – a win in the Daytona 500.
Like so many that have come before them in search of capturing a victory in the biggest race in all of stock car racing, it has been a journey for each and every one of them, with near misses and heartbreak all along the way in the search for immortality.
For two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, Daytona has served up plenty of ups and downs throughout his career, from leading at the end of regulation just last season to end up on the rollback in overtime to being wheeled out of the track in an ambulance following a vicious crash in the Xfinity Series race in 2015 that forced him to miss the Daytona 500 altogether.
As he enters the 2024 edition of the Great American Race, he’ll have his work cut out for him coming from 34th place following a crash in the Thursday Duels and having to go to a back-up car.
Despite the weight of not having won this race yet, Busch noted that he has learned to not let the moment overwhelm him, just taking things as they come throughout the course of the event and if it is meant to be it will be.
“[Early on] it was kind of like – it’s a big deal, this is a big race, this is a big moment. It was butterflies, it was all that sort of stuff, especially when you get down toward the end,” Busch said.
“Since I got comfortable at JGR, it was like ‘man, it’s just another race’, don’t let it get to you and don’t let the meaning of this race counteract the events of you trying to win. Vegas for instance. I went to Las Vegas, my home track, and I watched that place be built and all that. I put so much pressure on myself in winning an Xfinity race there that I crashed every year, did stupid stuff, spinning out at the checkered flag, and whatever, you know?
“Finally, we won that thing and it was like a relief and it was like, ‘wow, you really didn’t have to do as much’. You know?
“You do have to put all the right pieces in the right places. You have to have the right car, you have to have good pit stops, you have to do your job, and if we can all execute and do our job as our team, with this No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1 on Sunday, then its meant to be and its our day, then by all means we are going to celebrate like crazy.”
His former…
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