“I feel like Dale Earnhardt Sr. right now”: When Kyle Busch made his feelings known after first triumph of his 18th full-time season

There was a time when Kyle Busch felt like the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. As he spoke to reporter Jamie Little after emerging victorious in the 2022 Food City dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the fans booed at him suggesting that it was what the racing aficionados call a "Mickey Mouse win".

After registering his first win of the 2022 season and third at the Bristop racetrack, Busch stood smiling on the pit road. Reflecting on how he got the win after the then-leader Tyler Reddick got spun out by Chase Briscoe on the last lap, the two-time Cup Series champion said:

“You got one... doesn't matter how you get them It's all about getting them so I can't say enough man, I feel like Dale Earnhardt Sr. right now. This is awesome, I didn't even do anything. Just a testament to our team and Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, M&M, appreciate the Crunchy Cookie Camry TRD here and it being fast enough to stay in contention.”

Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing that year itself and moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2023. Notably, Richard Childress Racing was once the home of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Earnhardt Sr. won 67 races and six championships with the iconic No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy.

Busch is currently battling a winless streak that started after he won the Enjoy Illinois 300 at the World Wide Technology Raceway in June 4, 2023. With that, he broke his streak of winning at least one race every season for the last 19 years.

Kyle Busch resonates with crew chief Randall Burnett following son Brexton’s micro-sprints and go-kart events

Brexton Busch, son of NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch during the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in 2023 - Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch never knew how difficult being a crew chief was until he decided to act as one for his nine-year-old son, Brexton Busch. Busch remembered snapping at his crew chief Randall Burnett in the past just like Brexton did at him. This made Busch appreciate the job of a crew chief even more.

Busch addressed the matter in a recent episode of the Cheddar’s Chatter podcast, saying,

"If it’s not right, I am getting yelled at! ‘Dad, it’s too loose’, ‘Dad is too tight’, ‘Dad, it’s too slow.’ Man, I probably hit it right, maybe 10-15% of the time. The rest of the time, I am like, you gotta ride it.”

“Now, I know what Randall is saying. I take it in stride now. Where years ago, as dumb as I was, as fiery as I was, I didn’t take the other side sense into play. Now that I am older, I am a dad, I am a car owner, I am a crew chief, and I am a truck driver [I get it better)” Kyle Busch added.

Kyle and Brexton Busch are expected to race against each other at the 2024 Tulsa Shootout which is scheduled to be held from December 31 to January 4. This is going to set the mood for the 39-year-old's entry in the annual Chili Bowl Nationals next year.