#5 Kyle Busch goes out with a bang at Daytona
Kyle Busch has never won a Daytona 500 in his Cup Series career, but he’s managed to come close. This year, Kyle Busch was leading the pack and looked to have a chance to win with 16 laps to go when his motor blew, and he was bumped out of the way by Joey Logano.
Not only would this be a sign of things to come for Kyle Busch and the #18 team, but it also extended his streak of failing to win the Daytona 500.
#4 Gaining momentum at Fontana and Phoenix
While Kyle Busch would finish a disappointing 15th at Las Vegas, he regained a lot of that momentum over the next two weeks with a second-place finish at Fontana followed by a third-place finish at Phoenix. Sure, both finishes were short of the win that he needed to qualify for the playoffs, but he showed that he could be a contender.
Sadly, the season was paused only days after this race and wouldn t be resumed for over a month. When NASCAR decided they could resume racing, qualifying and practices were canceled, forcing drivers to race what they brought from the shop. This became a huge problem for Busch throughout the season, who either didn t get a good starting spot, or didn t have a good car.
#3 Blowing it at Bristol twice
It s no secret that Kyle Busch is a hell of a short track driver, which is why him losing out on a win at the Bristol bullring is unfathomable. However, what s even crazier is the two-time Cup Series champion missing out on a victory two times in a row.
Busch led 100 laps in the first Bristol race of the season but lost the lead to Chase Elliott on lap 434. He would then go on to lose a few more spots before finishing fourth. In his second race of the season at Bristol, Busch led 159 laps and almost won a spot in the next round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, he was run down by eventual race winner Kevin Harvick and shuffled back to second with under 20 laps to go.
#2 Kyle Busch knocked out of final 8
Kyle Busch came into the round of 12 knowing he needed a win to advance into the next round of the playoffs, and he was hell-bent on getting one until the end. His quest started at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he managed to lead 6 laps but got bumped back to 6th before the end of the race. Keep in mind, this wasn t that bad of a finish, it just wasn t the win he needed.
The next race was at Talladega, and while Kyle Busch managed to hang around until the end, he was caught up in a wreck at lap 188. This resulted in the former champion finishing 27th and needing a win at the Charlotte Roval to stay in the playoffs.
That didn t end up happening, and Busch was knocked out of the playoffs after finishing 37th at the Roval.
#1 Finally winning at Texas Motor Speedway
Believe it or not, Kyle Busch has won at least 1 race in 14 straight seasons as a Cup Series driver, and that streak was in jeopardy in 2020. He didn’t find victory until the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Not only did this keep Busch s streak alive, but it was also a shot in the arm for a driver that really didn t have that great of a year. He did finish in the top-10 in points and managed to win a race before the end of the season, but it was a huge drop in performance for Joe Gibbs Racing. It might even be the beginning of the end for Busch s career.
