In NASCAR, few rivalries get hyped up so much that fans talk about them for years. One such rivalry was between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, which peaked in March 2017 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Throughout the race, there was a lap battle going on between them, but one of Logano’s aggressive moves spun Busch down pit road. And after the race, Busch responded with a fist swing at Logano that made Rowdy leave with a bloody forehead. But that was just the first half of the movie.

Busch’s 2017 campaign was a gritty one, with five wins and a spot in the Championship 4 for the third straight year. Yet, as the final began, old grudges resurfaced, turning a potential title into heartbreak by less than a second. Now, Busch finally reveals what he held back all those years about Logano’s revenge, shedding new light on that fateful finale.

Unpacking the pit road payback

On the “Games with Names” podcast, Kyle Busch revisited the 2017 season finale, talking about the incidents that happened in the final race that cost him a straight title. Earlier that year, his punch to Logano in Vegas had turned a calm rival into a foe who was looking for the right moment to pay back.

“Joey Logano was also out ahead of me,” Busch recalled, “and Joey Logano, I punched him in Vegas earlier in that year, and so he was not a Kyle Busch fan. And so he aero-blocked me. Like he used his car as an aero defense tool for 10 laps.” This wasn’t just racing; it was personal, with Logano‘s No. 22 Ford acting as a moving wall, forcing Busch to overuse his tires in a desperate 10-lap chase.

The personal angle was born in Vegas, where Logano had spun Busch out on the last lap, sparking the infamous brawl. Logano downplayed it at the time, saying, “I was racing hard there at the end,” but Busch saw it as intentional. Fast-forward to Homestead’s finale, and it was a perfect payback time for Logano. Busch’s alternate pit strategy had him all geared up to chase down leader Martin Truex Jr., but Logano’s aero defense ate precious seconds.

“It took me 10 laps to get by him,” Busch admitted on the podcast, “so Truex had a two second lead or whatever it was by the time I got by Logano… I wasted my tires getting by, but I was still able to run Truex down and get close to them, but I was smoked when I got there.” That extra push on the tire for 10 laps made it wear fast, resulting in less grip and eventually handing Truex his lone Cup crown.

Back in that race, too, Busch had told the reporters a similar complaint, “Just wasting too much time with him (Logano). He held me up. I was trying to get by him and just overworked everything. He was there blocking every chance he got, so got a real buddy there, but that’s racing. That’s what happens.” His comments show he took this one more maturely.

The 2017 season was Busch’s season to win his second title after his first in 2015, but Logano’s grudge from earlier that season derailed his title hope. It was revenge, which many thought Logano must have forgotten after more than 30 races, but Logano served it hot in the most crucial moment for Busch.

Those raw edges of rivalry often fade into history, but Busch’s reflections pull back the curtain on what drives champions forward.

Earnhardt’s timeless Daytona magic

Dale Earnhardt‘s shadow looms large over NASCAR, and for Kyle Busch, one triumph stands apart from all, and that was the 1998 Daytona 500 win by Earnhardt. It wasn’t just another Daytona 500; it was a pure relief for a seven-time champ who’d chased the “Super Bowl” of NASCAR since his 1979 debut.

Busch, now riding the No. 8 for Richard Childress Racing, sees that 1998 win by Earnhardt as the blueprint for perseverance, especially after his own winless streak moving towards 100.

So what made that win epic? It was the aftermath of the winning moment, with a spontaneous wave of respect seen on the pit road because Earnhardt won it after 19 Daytona 500 grinds without giving up.

“I would say the 1998 Daytona 500 with Dale Earnhardt winning. So he was 20 years of trying, 20 years of aggravation and everything, and not being able to win that race, to finally being able to win that race,” Busch shared on the “Games with Names” podcast.

Earnhardt crossed the finish line, then paraded past crews from every team, giving high-fives and cheers, which is a rare sight in today’s paddock. It was not just a winning moment for a driver; that win also boosted NASCAR’s profile, drawing new fans to the intensity and emotions of a sport that was perceived as just hardheaded maniacs driving with left turns.

“And so that was a huge moment for our sport because when that race was over, as he was coming down pit lane, every member of every team was sitting out there on pit road like high-fiving them and giving him congratulations on the win and stuff like that. You don’t see that anymore these days,” he reflected.

Earnhardt’s life ended tragically three years later at the same track, where he celebrated his win and fans celebrated him as the brightest star of the sport. But his ’98 legacy still continues, inspiring drivers like Busch to chase those elusive breakthroughs despite being at rock bottom.