Both Gordon and Johnson had illustrious careers, but their last seasons didn’t deliver the fairy-tale endings. Gordon managed to reach the championship 4 in his 2015 farewell season but fell short of winning his final race. While Johnson, who won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and numerous races, couldn’t recapture his dominant form before stepping away from full-time racing in 2020.
Earlier this year, during the second episode of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, Kyle Busch reflected on how dominant drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Gordon, Dale Jarrett, and Jimmie Johnson often faced boos during their peak years, but as their winning streaks weakened later in their careers, fans’ attitudes softened, leading to more cheer
“The only other thing about that, though, is a lot of the good, a lot of the great drivers, right? Earnhardt, or Jeff Gordon, or Dale Jarrett, or Jimmy Johnson, they do. They get a lot of boos, right? They win too much; they get a lot of boos,” Kyle Busch said.
“And then towards the end of their careers, they don’t really win as much, so the cheers kind of start coming. People start realizing, like, okay, they’re getting towards the end of the road. We might pull for him now; he’s okay. So maybe that means I’m getting to the end of the road,” the 39-year-old added. [15:25]
Kyle Busch once reveals how long he will compete in NASCAR
The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has completed his 20th year in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. Speaking to Harvick, the #8 RCR driver shared his long-term career aspirations. Busch is hoping to compete in NASCAR at least at an age of 45.
“I mean, if I think about it, you know, Brexton turns 16 in eight years. So eight years, it’ll put me around 45. So that’s kind of what I’m hoping for. I hope I can make it that long. As long as health is good and everything’s good, then yeah,” Busch said.
Kyle Busch is regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, racking up 63 wins in the Cup Series, 102 in the Xfinity Series, and 66 in the Truck Series. He claimed the NASCAR Cup title in 2015 and 2019 and currently sits 9th on the all-time Cup Series wins list.
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