Tracking Down Earnhardt Remains Realistic for Kyle Busch

Getty Kyle Busch puts a win sticker on his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro.

Kyle Busch moved to 63 career Cup Series wins at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4. Now he has addressed whether he can realistically track down Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list.

The Intimidator is eighth all-time with 76 career Cup Series wins. Busch is 13 from matching him and 14 from passing him. This is something that Busch has wanted to achieve, but he did not view it as a truly realistic option in recent seasons as he struggled to check off as many wins as he is accustomed.

“I would have said — probably the 2015 to 2019 timeframe when I was winning five, six at a clip — that that’s definitely obtainable,” Busch said during a June 10 media session at Sonoma Raceway. “And then we kind of slow down the last few years, and then I would have probably told you, ‘I don’t know if I’ll get there.’

“And then this year, we’ve got three, and I feel like there’s plenty more. So hopefully we can continue to showcase that at RCR with the 8 car and go out there and win some more. I think anything’s possible. I think it would be more fair to talk about, I guess, once I at least hit 70. Right? Which that could probably happen by the end of next year, so hopefully it does.”

Busch Had a Strong 5-Year Stretch

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Busch is no stranger to success. He has the all-time record for the most consecutive seasons with a win (19), and he has two Cup Series championships to his name. He also has two separate seasons where he won eight races.

One of these seasons took place in the middle of a strong five-year stretch. Busch won five races in 2015, four in 2016, five in 2017, eight in 2018, and 2019 while winning both of his championships.

His final three seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing were a drastic departure from this run. He won once in 2020 — after his elimination from the playoffs — and then he won twice in 2021. Busch’s last win with JGR was the Bristol Dirt Race in 2022 after Chase Briscoe spun himself and Tyler Reddick on the final turn.

Since joining Richard Childress Racing over the offseason, Busch has gotten back to his winning ways. He has struggled in some short track races, but he has also won at Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway.

If Busch can add more wins in 2023, he will potentially put himself in a position to hit 70 overall by the end of the 2024 season. This is something that he believes is attainable. After that, it’s a matter of continuing this consistency and chasing down Earnhardt.

Several Favorable Tracks Remain for Busch

GettyKyle Busch signs autographs for NASCAR fans.

Hitting 70 wins by the end of 2024 is attainable for Busch, especially if RCR continues to bring fast cars to intermediate tracks and superspeedways. There are also multiple tracks remaining on the schedule where he has numerous wins. The majority were in previous generations of cars.

Some potential tracks where Busch could capitalize with a fast No. 8 RCR Chevrolet Camaro are Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Raceway. Busch has wins at both of these tracks from his time with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Tyler Reddick was also strong at both tracks during his final season with RCR, the first of the Next Gen era. Though an engine issue at Michigan disrupted his day after the race reached the halfway point.

The road courses also present an opportunity for Busch. The Cup Series drivers will head to Chicago for the inaugural street race and then they will take on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course and Watkin Glen International before the playoffs start.

The No. 8 had speed during the trip to Circuit of the Americas, and Busch used it to finish second overall. Reddick also won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before finishing seventh at Watkins Glen during the 2022 season. This was with a different downforce package, but RCR appears to have kept its speed after the changes.