There’s a reason why NASCAR’s top level is so demanding. While the sport has three tiers in its national series, each of them can almost be described as a unique motorsports discipline in itself. Driving the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series vehicles brings about their fair share of challenges, and not every racer is as versatile as Kyle Larson to win multiple races on a track during the same weekend. With all his experience, Kyle Busch was still forced to learn that lesson the hard way, despite being the only driver to ever win all three national series in one weekend on two separate occasions (Bristol, 2010, and 2017).

‘Rowdy’ made his second Truck Series appearance of the season at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and the veteran ended up ninth at the 2025 Window World 250. However, Busch couldn’t use that experience during the All-Star Race’s heats and qualifying at ‘The Moonshiner’ as he looks to break his 69-race winless streak.

Kyle Busch makes a unique find at North Wilkesboro

Expectations were high for Kyle Busch. Why wouldn’t they be? Having experienced the tricky track while driving in the Truck Series, many expected him to use this knowledge to dominate qualifying. With Rowdy having the NASCAR record for Truck Series wins (67) and even winning the race at Atlanta this year, it’s no surprise that Busch chose North Wilkesboro to give him an advantage heading into the All-Star race. However, while knowledge was gained, it turned out to be redundant for Busch.

After finishing 12th in qualifying on Friday and 5th in the heat race on Saturday, Kyle Busch will start 8th, next to Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who finished fourth in Heat 1, for the race at North Wilkesboro this Sunday. While it is further back from his Truck Series start, a softer Goodyear tire, along with an aging track, could contribute to some exciting Next-gen racing. However, Busch feels the racing grooves are still limited for this Cup car.

Rowdy’s qualifying result was far from satisfactory. Revealing the underlying reasons behind his struggles, Kyle Busch said, “It’s funny because the Truck line that I was running was super high, entered right up on the wall. Get into the wall in the middle of the corner. The Cup car was a lane lower. Just a difference between the two vehicles. What I learned in the Truck race didn’t do a lot.”

Busch started the 2025 Window World 250 from second place, but couldn’t maintain his track position after the green flag was waved. By the end of Stage 1, the No. 07 Chevy was 10th on the grid, but managed to climb up to sixth after 140 laps. Eventually, ‘Rowdy’ was forced to settle for a ninth-place finish at the short track. However, he could not use that ‘high line’ in his Cup car during the heat races and qualifying, which means the Nevada native won’t have an advantage going into the All-Star Race.

To add to this, North Wilkesboro Speedway has been notoriously difficult to make passes on, especially during the Next-Gen era. Joey Logano led from pole in last year’s exhibition race and led 199 out of 200 laps at the 0.625-mile track. If history is anything to go by, Kyle Busch will have his work cut out for him on Sunday’s race, and with his Truck Series experience not proving to be useful, it will be a level playing field at ‘The Moonshiner’.

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Stenhouse Jr. looks back on his clash with Busch

Logano may have won the All-Star Race last year, but the exhibition event was dominated by what happened after the checkered flag was waved. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch clashed after the race because of an on-track incident, with tempers flaring and fists flying on the sidelines. What followed was a $75,000 fine for the Tennessee native, as well as two crew members being suspended for their role in the altercation.

When asked if the matter has been put to bed with Busch, Stenhouse Jr. said, “Oh yeah, we’ve talked. I mean, I’ve apologized to him for like, ‘hey, sorry that kind of got out of hand.’ And on the other hand, he’s like, ‘yeah, it’s kind of deserving, right?’ So he knew what he did on purpose, and so I would say we both probably could have done things different, but yeah, just part of it.” He went on to say, “It cost a little bit, but yeah, it’s part of it. I think, hopefully this year, I don’t plan on being out the first lap and plan on making the end of the race, so hopefully that all works out.”

Kyle Busch is also eager to put that incident behind him, as he said, “Move on and put that behind us.” A year later, both drivers are in close quarters once again, if their positioning in the Cup Series Playoffs standings is anything to go by. While both racers will hope they don’t tangle up again, North Wilkesboro Speedway tends to spring up unexpected situations. Could the old rivalry be reignited between the two? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!