Like pretty much everywhere else, Kyle Busch won at Daytona International Speedway.
The future Hall of Famer, whose sudden death at age 41 on May 21 shocked the sports world, is NASCAR’s all-time winningest driver across its top three circuits. He ranks ninth on the Cup Series leaderboard with 63 victories, and no one earned more checkered flags in the history of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) or Truck Series (69).
He captured the Cup championship in 2015 and 2019.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Busch at NASCAR’s most iconic track.
He never won the Daytona 500, though he finished second, third and fourth in 21 starts. He began the 2026 event on the pole.
And he suffered a compound break of his right leg and a fracture of his left foot in a wreck during a 2015 Xfinity Series event.
But Busch also prevailed in all three national touring series and ARCA at Daytona. Here’s a look at each win.
Kyle Busch won the 2008 Coke Zero 400
On the second overtime lap of Daytona’s Cup Series summer race, Busch held a nose on Carl Edwards in Turn 1 when a four-car crash broke out just behind the leaders and brought out the final caution of the day.
NASCAR reviewed the footage and named Busch the winner.
“I can’t believe we are here right now,” he said afterward. “We were leading when it mattered most.”
Kyle Busch won the 2007 Busch Series summer race
The final Busch Series race at Daytona was fittingly claimed by a guy named Busch.
He had the dominant car in the Winn-Dixie 250. He led 65 laps, including the last 26, on his way to Victory Lane.
“It means a lot not only to this whole team, but to myself to prove that I don’t give up,” Busch said.
The second-tier circuit became the Nationwide Series the following season.
Kyle Busch won the 2014 Truck Series race at Daytona
On the final lap of the season opener, Busch went high to the outside wall and squeezed past Timothy Peters. He beat Peters to the finish line by 0.017 seconds.
“Certainly I’m going to cherish this one,” Busch said. “It’s a big win for KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), not necessarily just myself. Certainly, it’s great for Toyota, too, and having Toyota get on the truck tonight and being in Victory Lane is pretty special.”
Kyle Busch won the preseason Clash twice
Busch kicked off two seasons with victories in NASCAR’s preseason exhibition at Daytona.
In 2012, he survived a wild Budweiser Shootout. On Lap 74, Jeff Gordon nudged Busch’s bumper, triggering a crash that caused Gordon to flip twice and land on his roof. It also produced a green-white-checkered finish.
Busch edged Tony Stewart by 0.013 seconds, setting a new record for closest Shootout ever.
“Oh, man,” Busch said. “I don’t know how many times I spun out but didn’t spin out. What an amazing race.”
In 2021, he collected another victory. It was the most recent Clash at Daytona and the only one to take place on the 3.61-mile road course.
Busch inherited the lead with the checkers in sight when an aggressive Chase Elliott move sent Elliott and Ryan Blaney spinning through the chicane exit.
“I knew I just had to keep my head down and stay focused ahead,” Busch said. “I had to get close enough to have a shot if something like that materialized, and fortunately, it did for us.”
Kyle Busch’s Daytona Duels history
Three times, Busch won his Daytona Duel race, a 150-mile qualifier that sets the lineup for the Daytona 500.
All three triumphs came in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota — 2009, 2013 and 2016.
Kyle Busch’s first Daytona win came in 2004 ARCA race
Daytona debuts can’t get much better than this.
Despite going a lap down in the 2004 ARCA race because of a penalty for a crew member going onto pit road without proper safety equipment, Busch got the lap back and diced through the field. He held off a late charge from Frank Kimmel for the victory.
“I came here when I was 8 years old, dreaming of some day racing at this facility,” Busch said. “I was never thinking I would be able to win the first time out. To do that is pretty amazing, a dream come true. This definitely beats the other wins.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kyle Busch won 9 races at famous NASCAR track despite no Daytona 500