“It wasn’t meant to be”: Kyle Busch opens up after narrowly missing out on a famous Daytona win

Kyle Busch has weighed in on missing out on the Daytona win by a minuscule margin of 0.047 seconds on Saturday, August 24. The Richard Childress Racing driver was leading the final lap but Harrison Burton snapped the victory after getting a push from Parker Retzlaff.

Busch started his 25th Cup Series race in 11th place but dropped to a 13th-place finish in Stage 1. Nonetheless, he improved his run and climbed to a seventh-place finish in the second stage. The #8 Chevy driver led eight laps and inched closer towards his maiden win this season as he dominated the final restart.

On the other hand, Burton didn't lead any of the laps. However, after the chaotic final stage and Josh Berry's flip prompted a red flag, the Wood Brothers Racing driver found himself in second place during the final restart.

Busch chose the inside line while Burton was on the outside. The RCR driver was half a lap away from securing his playoff berth but the last-minute push by Retzlaff helped the WBR driver propel to the race win.

Despite putting the pedal to the metal, Busch couldn't find his way past Burton and settled in second place. The #21 Ford driver's victory marked his team's 100th Cup Series triumph.

"Finished second, it's all good. We were really, really, really lucky to miss those crashes tonight... Was hoping we could get those free No. 8 specials at @cheddarskitchen but it wasn't meant to be. We'll regroup and come back next week," Busch said via PRN Live on X.

"Besides flat-out wrecking him, there was nothing I could do," the RCR driver expressed how he could've won the race.

Kyle Busch's P2 at Daytona was his second near-miss after losing the battle by 0.007 seconds in the season's second race hosted by the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch could miss the playoffs for the first time since his full-time debut in 2005

Kyle Busch's 2024 season has three top-5s and seven top-10s, but no wins so far. Had he not lost the battle by slight margins at Atlanta and Daytona, the tally of victories would've stood at two.

The Nevada native entered his rookie Cup Series season in 2005. Despite securing two wins, nine top-5s, and 13 top-10s, he couldn't punch his playoff ticket. However, since then, Busch has never missed a place in the playoffs and has been among the top 16 drivers every season. But that's in jeopardy this season.

The Playoff Picture now has 13 drivers with at least one win in their arsenal. Kyle Busch is below the playoff cutline in 18th place. With one regular season race left, only a victory at the Darlington Raceway could help him secure his place among the championship contenders.