"Always liked to beat Kyle Busch" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. names the RCR driver as his toughest NASCAR rival

In a recent podcast, NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. named Kyle Busch as his toughest rival. The NASCAR Hall of Famer disclosed that he liked to defeat the #8 driver on the track, whenever possible.

Although the podcast began on different topics, the host eventually managed to get Earnhardt Jr. to talk about the fiercest rivalry during his career as a full-time race car driver in the sport.

To recall, the rivalry between Earnhardt Jr. and Busch began in the 2008 season. Both drivers were gunning for the lead during the Richmond race. With just a few laps to go, Busch lost control of his #18 Toyota and crashed into Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 Chevrolet, wrecking both cars. However, time eventually healed the differences between the two racers.

After retiring from the Cup Series in 2017, Earnhardt Jr. started a podcast called the 'Dale Jr. Download.' In 2018, he invited Busch on one episode, where both put their feud behind them and patched things up.

During the interview on 'Rubbin is Racing' podcast, the host asked Earnhardt Jr.:

"Who was the worst person you would, when you (Earnhardt Jr) were driving, to see in your rear-view mirror?" [1:02:50 onwards]

Earnhardt Jr. replied:

"I had plenty of problems with some people. I mean Kyle Busch is at the top of the list in terms of drivers that I had, I had, you know some hard times with. We ended up working it out." [1:03:06 onwards]

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"Kyle Busch is extremely talented race car driver" - Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While the overall podcast focused on Dale Earnhardt Jr talking about his dad's legacy in NASCAR, a certain part was focused on his rivalry and eventual friendship with Kyle Busch.

Earnhardt Jr. praised his decade-long frenemy Busch by saying:

"I always liked to beat Kyle Busch. He was great. He was, really you know, very extremely talented race car driver. Plus, you know, we had this little attitude with each other." [1:03:23 onwards]

While the rivalry lasted during the two-time Daytona 500 winner's final years as a full-time driver in the Cup Series, he managed to eventually sort things out with the #8 Richard Childress Racing driver.

Here's a post regarding the 2018 podcast:

Even though the two racing legends have let bygones be bygones, there are still debates going on among fans about who would win in a ten-lap shootout between Earnhardt Jr. and Busch in their prime. Their rivalry has become a part of NASCAR history, it seems.