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NASCAR Legend Overcomes Hate To Hope for Kyle Busch’s Redemption

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gowtham Ramalingam | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Who could have imagined that a time would come when THE Kyle Busch would struggle to finish in the top-10 of a Cup Series race? The 2024 season and the ongoing one have turned into dire nightmares for the man who once ruled the tracks with no mercy.

And the downfall even has drivers who once hated him feeling sorry. The 2014 Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick, was a big hater of Busch back in the day. But now that he is retired, and both drivers are wiser men than they once were, all issues are sorted and they’re able to have a conversation without throwing fists.

Speaking on the “Harvick Happy Hour” podcast, he firstly admitted that he used to passionately hate Rowdy. However, that sentiment took a back seat as he continued to note that Busch’s current situation is not good for the sport and will reflect badly on it as a whole.

“I can’t imagine Kyle Busch going out like this,” he said, with a painful smile. “It’s bad for everything. It’s bad for the sport. It’s bad for him. It’s bad for everything that says ‘Kyle Busch.’ I hate to see where it’s at.”

Harvick led laps even in his final start in 2023 and reiterated that he couldn’t have imagined leaving the game in a non-competitive state. This is part of the reason why he takes Busch’s inabilities personally and hopes for his redemption.

Busch’s Crew Chief Leaves Him Stranded

Harvick continued, “I don’t believe Kyle Busch is that bad. I have a hard time believing that. So, it’s definitely kind of a mess.” Austin Dillon, who is Busch’s teammate, won a race this year. So, the car not being good enough to win is not a contention that can back the poor performances.

Busch has eight top-10 and two top-5 finishes so far this season. The reason for these below-average numbers remains a mystery. The one person who won’t be sticking around to solve that is Randall Burnett. The crew chief has been with the No. 8 team since 2020.

It was announced earlier this week that he will be serving as the crew chief for Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch in 2026. Rodney Childers was pegged to be his replacement, but he, too, has now signed with JR Motorsports. This leaves Busch in a rather difficult scenario.

Retirement is not far on the clock for him. But before he decides to hang the boots up, the fans who celebrated him for decades would love to see him leading laps once again. So will Harvick.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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