{"id":1648,"date":"2026-05-24T21:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1648"},"modified":"2026-05-24T21:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:34:11","slug":"commentary-kyle-busch-matched-dale-earnhardt-sr-s-racing-spirit-and-he-forever-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1648","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: Kyle Busch matched Dale Earnhardt Sr.\u2019s racing spirit \u2014 and he forever will"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\u201cBack in 1998, that would be the win, boys!\u201d<\/p>\n

We might have to lean in, but we can hear it. It\u2019s Kyle Busch. His voice crackles over the radio. He\u2019s joking with his No. 8 team as he watches a yellow blur wave from the flag-stand. It\u2019s the 2023 Daytona 500. Three laps left. Caution\u2019s out. And Busch, the once-precocious-then-dominant-and-now-so-called-aging-giant of NASCAR, is laughing through his frustration.<\/p>\n

Read more Late pass sends Felix Rosenqvist past David Malukas for the closest Indianapolis 500 win in history<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s never won the Daytona 500. Not yet, anyway. In 1998, Dale Earnhardt Sr., the driver Busch is endlessly compared to, won his first Great American Race in this very way, under caution, after so very long. Rules were different then. Now, Busch has to find another way. Overtime\u2019s up next. The proverbial weight of being the best driver to never win the sport\u2019s ultimate crown jewel, for now, is still on his back.<\/p>\n

Back in 1998 \u2026<\/p>\n

We know what Busch is thinking right now, on this backstretch, in the lead with his teammate Austin Dillon right behind him. He\u2019s wondering aloud if he\u2019s been robbed of his Earnhardt moment. For Earnhardt, after all, it took him 20 tries to win a Daytona 500; Busch, right now, is racing in his 19th, and he\u2019s so close.<\/p>\n

The rest of us are shaking our heads. Or maybe our fists. Or maybe both. But we\u2019re watching nonetheless, holding our collective breath, wondering what will happen next.<\/p>\n

Back in 1998 \u2026<\/p>\n

In three years and several months, our heads and hearts will drop. It\u2019ll be a Thursday evening, a few days before the annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when we hear the unthinkable news that Busch had died from an undisclosed illness that a few hours before had put him in the hospital. We\u2019ll hear stories about how the 41-year-old was racing in Durham two days prior, and that three days prior he was singing to his 11-year-old son, Brexton, who was blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ll remember him for all his racing accomplishments \u2014 a steady rush will come: We\u2019ll be reminded that he was the youngest driver to win a Cup Series race. That he was so good that he changed not one but two NASCAR rules to keep his dominance from reigning everywhere. That he won 63 Cup Series races, ninth-most all-time; that he went 19 consecutive seasons with a Cup win, most all-time; that he won 234 NASCAR races across all three national series, most all-time; that he won two Cup Series championships \u2014 one even in that cursed 2015 season, somehow, after breaking his leg before that year\u2019s first race.<\/p>\n

But most of all, we\u2019ll remember him for his spirit. For the fact that we watched him grow up in front of us and change from a talented kid into a brash but undeniable champion.<\/p>\n

Read more Cuban pilot charged in downing of planes lived in Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Back in 1998 \u2026<\/p>\n

In fact, if we really boil down his legacy, we\u2019ll remember him for being this generation\u2019s Earnhardt. We\u2019ll lay out the parallels between him and Big E and find them astounding. Like the fact that Busch was the sport\u2019s villain for so long. That he wrecked people up and down pit road, and that people hunted him down and threw fists at him because of it. That some fans loved him, that most fans booed him, that all fans respected him.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ll remember that right when he needed help \u2014 when his sponsor exited the sport and Busch was then left without a home \u2014 Richard Childress came and offered him a ride. Childress was Earnhardt\u2019s close friend and car owner. Childress was a long-perceived enemy of Busch because of a 2011 skirmish \u2014 but when he got Busch to sign a contract, Childress told everyone listening: \u201cI looked at him in his eye, and I\u2019d seen that same look in Dale Earnhardt Sr.\u2019s eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd gasped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s hungry. And we\u2019re going to win. I\u2019ve seen that look before.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see Busch fall out of favor with several drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., only to repair the scars. We\u2019ll read Dale Jr.\u2019s testimony online on that Thursday \u2014 a testimony that is candid about their \u201creally challenging existence for many years\u201d but that is also forthcoming about how Busch instigated a way to figure out their differences. We\u2019ll then read something from Dale Jr. so powerful, so true, that if you let your heart go there, you can see that it applies to Busch and Dale Jr.\u2019s father alike: \u201cI will never be able to make sense of this loss,\u201d he\u2019ll write, \u201cbut I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in 1998 \u2026<\/p>\n

But all that is still so far away. It\u2019s time to finish the 2023 Daytona 500. It\u2019s overtime, after all. Two laps until forever. Busch leads off the restart. He gets a nice shove on the inside lane. The outside gets momentum. He falls back to fourth. Then comes another wreck he narrowly avoids. Another caution. Another overtime restart. Then, at long last, a shot on the outside! A firm push! Could it be?! The white flag! One last chance!<\/p>\n

And then, out of nowhere, a car gets loose and rams into his left-rear quarter panel. Busch isn\u2019t given the chance to race through the start-finish line. He later emerges from the infield care center without knowing who won the race. He couldn\u2019t see through the smoke and carnage.<\/p>\n

We ask him how he feels, and he says he\u2019s frustrated with the fact that he didn\u2019t get to finish his race on his own terms. We nod like we understand, even though we never could.<\/p>\n

Read more Orlando Pride tries to break out of slump at second-place San Diego<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commentary: Kyle Busch will forever be linked to Dale Earnhardt Sr. Both NASCAR stars possessed an unmatched competitive spirit. The only difference? Busch never got his Daytona 500 win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motorsports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nCommentary: Kyle Busch matched Dale Earnhardt Sr.\u2019s racing spirit \u2014 and he forever will - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1648\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commentary: Kyle Busch matched Dale Earnhardt Sr.\u2019s racing spirit \u2014 and he forever will - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Commentary: Kyle Busch will forever be linked to Dale Earnhardt Sr. Both NASCAR stars possessed an unmatched competitive spirit. 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