We continue our ‘Kyle Busch Remembered’ series as NASCAR takes on Daytona International Speedway. Busch won a single-points paying race at Daytona in each of the three national divisions.
But those three count towards his record 234 career NASCAR wins across the three national divisions — more than any other driver in history. Sadly, Busch died at the age of 41, just days after his final NASCAR victory.
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Since then, we’ve been highlighting his most impressive, memorable, or even infamous moments at whatever track is up next on the NASCAR Cup schedule.
We’ve already covered Atlanta, Sonoma, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Richmond, and New Hampshire, which you can find by clicking the names of each track as mentioned. Now, here’s a look back at Rowdy’s most memorable moments in his two decades of racing Daytona…
Note: 2015 leg injury not included
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Kyle Busch Daytona NASCAR Stats
NASCAR CUP: 42 starts / 1 win / 2 poles / 9 top fives / 13 top tens / 558 laps led
O’REILLY: 23 starts / 1 win / 1 pole / 7 top fives / 9 top tens / 350 laps led
TRUCKS: 5 starts / 1 win / 0 poles / 5 top fives / 5 top tens / 55 laps led
2026 NASCAR Cup — A special Daytona 500 pole
Watch: Kyle Busch ecstatic to win first-career Daytona 500 pole award
In Kyle Busch’s final race at Daytona International Speedway, he earned pole position for NASCAR’s crown jewel. It was Busch’s first-ever pole in the Daytona 500, as well as the 35th and final pole of his Cup career. He went on to lead 19 laps, including the ceremonial Lap 3 where the crowd raised three fingers in tribute to Dale Earnhardt, marking the 25-year anniversary of his passing. Busch ultimately placed 15th in the race. “Certainly, here on Wednesday night, being able to qualify on my first pole for the Daytona 500, that’s pretty special,” said Busch after the result.
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2023 NASCAR Cup — Leading at the 500th mile
Watch: ‘I’d love to’: Can Kyle Busch win the Daytona 500 for RCR?
The only box Busch never checked in his NASCAR career was a victory in the Daytona 500. Well, in 2023, making his very first start with Richard Childress Racing, he was leading at the 500th mile before it all ended in a crash in overtime. “Back in 1998, that would be the win, boys!” Busch radioed to the team. He was later unimpressed with how the race devolved into a wreckfest, becoming the longest Daytona 500 in history at 212 laps and 530 miles. “I’m used to, come down here every year to just fine out when and where I’m gonna crash and what lap I come out of the care center.” And in KB fashion, he then asked who ‘lucked into it’ and won the race, reacting to news that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won with a simple “there you have it.”
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2014 NASCAR Truck — Photo finish for lone Daytona Truck win
On the final lap of the 2014 NASCAR Truck season-opener, Busch was pushing Timothy Peters. As they exited Turn 4, he perfectly timed the run to the outside. Peters ran him wide as they drag-raced to the line, and Busch won the race by just 0.016s. It was his only Truck win at Daytona, and his final Truck start at the superspeedway. Following his 2015 leg injury in the NASCAR O’Reilly season-opener, he never ran a lower division Daytona race again.
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2012 NASCAR O’Reilly — Almost wins in dizzying finish
On the final lap of the 2012 NASCAR O’Reilly season-opener, it was the Busch brothers in control. Kyle was pushing Kurt in a race dominated by the tandem draft. As Kurt and the tandem pairs of Logano-Bayne and Stewart-Sadler all crashed, the door was wide open for Busch to squeeze through and claim victory. He dove to the bottom and avoided the chaos above him, only to get hooked by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as he cleared the accident, slamming nose-first into the outside wall.
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2012 NASCAR Cup — Unreal save and final restart charge
In the pre-season exhibition race we now call the Clash, Busch pulled off one of the most stunning drives of his entire career, and it didn’t even count toward a championship! He spun sideways in a shower of sparks not once, but twice, showcasing incredible car control as he straightened it out and avoided any real damage. He restarted eighth for a two-lap dash, and then proceeded to fly through the field, passing Tony Stewart in the final seconds of the race to win an epic photo finish.
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2009 NASCAR Cup — Blocking Tony Stewart to the finish line
Not a finish Busch was a fan of, but it’s one of the most memorable. Busch snatched the lead away from Tony Stewart at the white flag, and it was ‘Smoke’ vs. ‘Rowdy’ for the win. Mirror driving to the best of his ability, Busch blocked Stewart low, and then tried to block him high, only to get turned into the outside wall in a wild finish. Stewart won as Busch crossed the line airborne after getting clobbered by Kasey Kahne.
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2008 NASCAR Cup — Only points-paying Cup win at Daytona
Luck was never really on Busch’s side at Daytona. In points-paying Cup races, he earned just one win in 42 starts at the iconic superspeedway, but luck was truly on his side for the one time it did go his way. In 2008, he was side-by-side with Carl Edwards for the win in the summer Daytona race. Busch was just barely ahead of Edwards when the race-ending wreck broke out behind them, giving him his one and only Cup win at Daytona.
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2007 NASCAR Cup — Losing to Jamie McMurray in historic photo finish
Busch was part of the closest photo finish in the history of the Daytona 400-mile race in the summer, but unfortunately for him, he was on the losing side. It was also the final Daytona race of the Gen 4 era, before the Car of Tomorrow took over. Busch had the lead, and even the announcers thought he had the victory, only for McMurray to surge ahead at the last possible second. They were separated by just 0.005s, making it the closest finish in that race’s history, and it remains the top ten closest finishes at any track in all of Cup Series history.
Read Also:
Daytona Cup pole is a special “life achievement” for Florida native Ross Chastain
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