“Maybe I’m getting to the end of the road” - Kyle Busch once drew a parallel with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on not winning in their final seasons

Kyle Busch once compared his career graph to NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who struggled to reach the victory lane in their final full-time NASCAR Cup Series seasons. Busch failed to record a Cup win in the 2024 season, and it was the first time the 39-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native went winless in any season over his 20-year NASCAR career.

Both Gordon and Johnson had illustrious careers, but their last seasons didn’t deliver the fairy-tale endings. Gordon managed to reach the championship 4 in his 2015 farewell season but fell short of winning his final race. Johnson, who won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and numerous races, couldn’t recapture his dominant form before stepping away from full-time racing in 2020.

Earlier this year, during the second episode of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, Kyle Busch reflected on how dominant drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Gordon, Dale Jarrett, and Jimmie Johnson often faced boos during their peak years, but as their winning streaks weakened later in their careers, fans’ attitudes softened, leading to more cheers.

“The only other thing about that, though, is a lot of the good, a lot of the great drivers, right? Earnhardt, or Jeff Gordon, or Dale Jarrett, or Jimmy Johnson, they do. They get a lot of boos, right? They win too much; they get a lot of boos,” Kyle Busch said.

“And then towards the end of their careers, they don't really win as much, so the cheers kind of start coming. People start realizing, like, okay, they're getting towards the end of the road. We might pull for him now; he's okay. So maybe that means I'm getting to the end of the road,” the 39-year-old added. [15:25]

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Kyle Busch once reveals how long he will compete in NASCAR

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has completed his 20th year in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. Speaking to Harvick, the #8 RCR driver shared his long-term career aspirations. Busch is hoping to compete in NASCAR at least at the age of 45.

“I mean, if I think about it, you know, Brexton turns 16 in eight years. So eight years, it'll put me around 45. So that's kind of what I'm hoping for. I hope I can make it that long. As long as health is good and everything's good, then yeah,” Busch said.

Kyle Busch is regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, racking up 63 wins in the Cup Series, 102 in the Xfinity Series, and 66 in the Truck Series. He claimed the NASCAR Cup title in 2015 and 2019 and currently sits 9th on the all-time Cup Series wins list.