NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch took a dig at Tony Stewart as the latter prepares for a Truck Series return this year at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart, who retired from NASCAR after the 2016 season, will drive the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram 1500, which happens to be the team’s All-Star entry.
This marks Stewart’s first Truck Series start since Dover Motor Speedway in 2005, where he bagged a runner-up finish. The NASCAR Hall of Famer is now more invested as a team owner and driver with the NHRA.
When asked about Stewart’s Craftsman Truck Series return, Kyle Busch said (via Kelley Crandall on X),
“I hope he doesn’t plan on finishing.”
Hinting that Stewart must have had to get quite some monetary backup to enter the upcoming Daytona event, Busch said he should get Tony Stewart a special t-shirt that he got printed years ago for the now-defunct Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Busch wore that t-shirt ahead of the season-opening race at Daytona back in 2022. It read,
“MOST EXPENSIVE DAY EVERY YEAR.”
Kyle Busch currently drives the No. 8 Chevy Camaro for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is a two-time series champion and the record holder for most wins in all three national NASCAR racing series.
Last season, Busch ended up finishing 21st with three top fives and 10 top-10s. He has been winless since June 4, 2023, when he won the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Kyle Busch will return in his No. 8 RCR Chevy in 2026. He will be paired with a new crew chief, Jim Pohlman, while his usual crew chief moves to Trackhouse Racing to call races for 2026 Cup Series rookie, Connor Zilisch.
Kyle Busch Weighs in on NASCAR Chase Championship Format for 2026
Kyle Busch is no stranger to the Chase championship format that NASCAR is expected to implement in 2026. As a matter of fact, Busch made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2004, back when the series switched to “The Chase” format from a full-season points system.
Busch appeared rather pessimistic when he spoke about the modified Chase format. He never won a championship under this arrangement, finishing as close as fifth in 2007 and fourth in 2013. The following year, NASCAR switched to the infamous elimination-style playoffs.
“I remember when we had ‘The Chase’ format, getting wrecked once or twice, you’re eliminated. You have no chance at a championship,” Kyle Busch explained. “And with wrecks being a whole heck of a lot more these days of people running over people, maybe it’ll keep it even because everybody’s getting wrecked in the final 10.”
“But when it was just me, or it seemed like it was just me and not the front two, three guys, I think the best we placed was maybe fifth or third or something like that in points,” he added.
That being said, next up for Kyle Busch is the 68th running of the Daytona 500, the only crown jewel race that the Las Vegas native has yet to win. Scheduled for February 15, the 500-mile feature will be televised on FOX (starting at 2:30 pm ET) with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Also Read:
Mark Martin calls new championship format “the biggest win” after NASCAR’s major playoff overhaul
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