Kyle Busch faces huge test in 2025 Daytona 500: Can Richard Childress star end his 57-race winless streak?

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season feels like a make-or-break year for two-time champion Kyle Busch. On the heels of his career's first winless season in 2024, the 63-time Cup Series winner's storied career is heading one of two ways.

At this point of his career, the Las Vegas native has accomplished just about everything there is to in the sport. Busch has over 200 career victories across NASCAR's top three major touring series, by far the most all-time. He secured Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 and is currently one of only two active drivers with multiple championships. Perhaps the most impressive fact is that Busch was the winningest Cup Series driver of the 2010s, amassing 40 victories behind the wheel of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

However, Busch's career is at a crossroads. Ahead of the 2023 season, Busch made a stunning move by leaving JGR after 15 seasons to pilot the #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He found solid success at RCR in his first season, winning three races and competing in the playoffs until being eliminated in the Round of 12.

Yet, 2024 was a different story. Kyle Busch failed to win a single race for the first time in his career and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2012. He tied a career-low with a 20th-place finish in the points standings.

Nearing 40 years old with his 21st full-time Cup Series season ahead, Busch is closing in on retirement. While last season doesn't define everything he's achieved, it would be disappointing to remember Busch's final years in NASCAR as ones rife with struggle. Heading into 2025, Busch has accomplished nearly everything in the sport except win its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500.

While this will be his 20th attempt, Kyle Busch has come close before, finishing top five three times including runner-up in 2019. In 2023, Busch led lap 200, the race's originally scheduled final lap, but got passed for the lead as the race went into overtime. The last time the Cup Series was at Daytona, Busch led at the white flag of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 but was passed by Harrison Burton for the win.

It would only be fitting if Busch could snap his 57-race winless drought in his 20th try at the Daytona 500. Back in 1998, late seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt finally wheeled his way to a Daytona 500 win in his 20th attempt, driving the #3 machine owned by Richard Childress. If Kyle Busch can pull off a Daytona 500 win in an RCR car, it would be a storybook moment for one of NASCAR's greatest drivers.

Kyle Busch reflects on "toughest" year of his career in social media post

Kyle Busch (8) during practice for the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. - Source: Imagn

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season wasn't the year anyone expected from Kyle Busch. After going winless for the first time in his career and failing to make it to the playoffs, the 39-year-old reflected on the year following the season-finale race at Phoenix.

While it was a difficult year, Busch made it known that he was still thankful for his team's efforts all season long in an Instagram post. He wrote:

"Arguably the toughest year of my career. Full of trials, n heartbreaks. I know my RCR guys r gonna get after it this winter n we’ll come back stronger nxt season. Grateful for all of our partners, helping us do what we love. Thx Rowdy Nation for sticking w me. Y’all r the best.💯"

Despite failing to win a Cup race last season, Busch won two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races in Atlanta and Texas, respectively. Kyle Busch is the winningest driver in the series with 66 wins.