Kyle Busch needed a hot start to the season.
Busch finished the 2025 season winless, down in 21st place in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, ensuring a second straight year without qualifying for the playoffs. The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver is riding a 93-race winless streak, which he could snap with his first Daytona 500 checkered flag.
But it’s a new season with a new postseason format with the return of the Chase, and Busch quickly showed those struggles might be behind him, as he started by earning pole position Wednesday for the Daytona 500.
“I’m happy for Kyle,” FOX Sports’ Kevin Harvick said during Thursday’s live edition of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” at Daytona International Speedway. “I think that Kyle Busch being competitive and winning races is really important to our sport. But I’m really happy for Richard Childress. Richard Childress is somebody who has meant so much to this sport… He just has such a legacy in this sport. And I know how hard he works to make those cars fast.”
Richard Childress Racing, Harvick said, had been struggling with speed last season. But that wasn’t the only issue. Busch had to clean up a lot.
“You have to not spin out, you have to not wreck, and when that wasn’t happening, they were making mistakes on pit road. So they have a lot to clean up. But what happens is, you get in those positions where you’re somewhat desperate. … So I think he just has to take a deep breath.”
Busch has had to adapt to the new age of racing where you can’t “man-handle” the cars as Harvick put it, and you “have to have that finesse.” In the first qualifications of the 2026 season, he’s showing strides, edging out Chase Briscoe for P1.
[NASCAR: 4 Takeaways From Daytona 500 Qualifying]
“I think it’s something that Kyle has to be able to be comfortable with and get what he wants out of that car,” Harvick said. “But the first thing they have to have is speed. Well, guess what? They showed up at the Daytona 500 with speed. And I think that’s dangerous for the rest of the field.”
“It’s a contract year for Kyle Busch, and I believe that he can still get it done.”
He reminded his opponents of that on Wednesday.
Daytona
