3 instances that cruelly denied Kyle Busch his maiden 2024 NASCAR Cup Series victory

Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is the winningest active driver, with a staggering 231 victories across all three Series. He has 63 wins in the Cup Series, 102 in the Xfinity Series, and 66 in the Truck Series. Since registering his rookie season at the 2005 Daytona 500, the Richard Childress Racing driver has won at least one race every season.

However, that dominant streak ended with a disappointing 2024 season. Despite having five top-5s this past season, the #8 Chevy driver failed to park his NextGen ride in the victory lane. With that, he failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012, wrapping the season at the worst rank since his rookie season, in P20.

That being said, let's explore three cruel instances that robbed Kyle Busch of a potential maiden 2024 Cup Series season win.

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#1. Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch lost by 0.007 seconds

NASCAR: Ambetter Health 400 - Source: Imagn

Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the season's second Cup Series race and Busch began the 260-lap battle from third place. He came fifth in Stage 1 but then drastically lost track positions, settling in 24th in the second stage. Nonetheless, the RCR phenom rallied back into contention and fought for first place in the final stage.

Despite a late overtime restart, Busch didn't let his guard fall. His efforts could've paid off massively but he couldn't emerge victorious in the three-wide battle against Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney, losing the race by 0.007 seconds.

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#2. Daytona International Speedway

NASCAR: Coke Zero Sugar 400 - Source: Imagn

The 25th race became one of the most dramatic battles of the season. Kyle Busch was eyeing his maiden win, hoping to keep his playoff bid alive while Harrison Burton aimed for his career-first Cup Series win. The two-time Cup Series champion steadily rose from his 11th-place start to a P7 finish in Stage 2.

Moreover, Busch chose the inside line on the final restart and was primed to ace the race. However, the Wood Brothers Racing rival got a massive push on the backstretch from Parker Retlaff, propelling Burton's #12 Ford to victory, resulting in another setback for the RCR driver.

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#3. Darlington Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 - Source: Getty

The Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway was Kyle Busch's final chance to punch his playoff ticket and keep the decade-long streak alive. However, a poor qualifying resulted in a 17th-place start, and until the final stage began, Busch largely lingered outside the top 10.

But the final stage proved a game-changer as the RCR driver surged to battle with the frontrunners. With fresh tires on the #8 Chevy, Busch began the final overtime restart from the fourth row. However, Chase Briscoe mastered the restart and took the lead.

Busch tried to outduel the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver for 17 straight laps but his efforts were insufficient. As a result, Busch lost his final playoff shot by 0.361 seconds.