Kevin Harvick raises eyebrows, reverses course on Kyle Busch

Former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick turned heads this week by openly rooting for longtime rival Kyle Busch to get back into Victory Lane. A stance few would have expected during their heated on-track battles.

Speaking on the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick made it clear that Busch returning to form would be a major win not only for his team, but for NASCAR as a whole.

“Kyle Busch winning for our sport would be massive,” Harvick said. “It’d be great for RCR and for our sport in general. We just need Kyle Busch to win one race, because he is such an intricate part of the sport.”

Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion and owner of 63 career Cup wins, has endured a rare drought by his standards. His last victory came in June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway, and he has now gone more than two full seasons without a win, a stark contrast to the dominance that defined much of his career.

Harvick acknowledged there are still questions surrounding Richard Childress Racing as Busch looks to rebound. Particularly with organizational changes taking place behind the scenes. But he also emphasized Busch must clean up mistakes if he wants to contend again.

“Kyle Busch can’t spin out and wreck as much as he did either, if he’s going to be in the game,” Harvick added.

More than anything, Harvick admitted it’s tough to watch one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers struggle late in his career. He even compared Busch’s current situation to the closing years of Jimmie Johnson’s career, when the seven-time champion endured a long winless stretch before stepping away from full-time competition.

“I hate to see where it’s at right now for him,” Harvick said. “You don’t want his legacy to go out like Jimmie Johnson did, where you go three years without winning races.”

Harvick concluded with a surprising admission that’ll resonate with both fans and haters of Busch: “I’m rooting for Kyle Busch. That’s rare,” he said. “It sucks when you see something that’s been so successful not be in Victory Lane.”

With the 2026 season approaching, Busch faces mounting pressure to end the drought. If he can, it would not only boost Richard Childress Racing but also restore one of NASCAR’s biggest stars to the spotlight. Something even longtime rivals now want to see.