This season feels extremely important for Kyle Busch’s career at Richard Childress Racing after a year of disappointments. As he prepares to compete in his 20th Daytona 500, Rowdy will be determined to record a victory this season. The last time Busch came close to winning the Great American Race was when he was competing for JGR #18 in 2019. However, Denny Hamlin won that race, and Busch had to settle for second place. Despite having won more than 200 races in all NASCAR series, Busch has yet to win the Daytona 500. The headlines surrounding Rowdy’s powerful performance at the heat race 1 were dominated by his reappearance at the Bowman Gray Clash, which qualified him for the main race, finishing in 4th place.
He did, however, receive a warning early in the main race when Daniel Suarez’s vehicle collided with Noah Gragson’s, spun #8, and then drove off to the pits. Busch finished in 15th place, unable to demonstrate much of his abilities at the quarter-mile circuit due to the little collision that occurred a little early in the race. After the turbulent 2024 season, Austin Dillon is looking forward to the 2025 season with optimism, so Busch is not the only hope for Richard Childress Racing. The team made many structural adjustments throughout the offseason. where John Klausmeier assumed leadership as RCR’s Technical Director when Keith Rodden moved into the position of Vice President of Competition. Austin also received his new crew chief, Richard Boswell.
Austin’s fight with his brother, Ty Dillon, prevented him from qualifying for the main event, so the Bowman Gray Clash didn’t work out for him. For Richard Childress Racing, the conclusion of 2024 wasn’t great, and the beginning of 2025 hasn’t been either. After being in the news for all the wrong reasons last year, the club is in dire need of a redemption story. Now that Bowman Gray is behind them, RCR can concentrate on the season’s most important race, which is in only one week. Can Kyle Busch win at Daytona and break his duck? Or will a mid-pack finish have to do for RCR?
