Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch Ended Their Feud With Early-Morning Donuts and Beer
For nearly 20 years in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch have been among the sport’s most popular faces.
The star drivers also had a lingering feud that lasted over a decade. Although they’d pose for photos and make nice at events, it was clear the two drivers had some ground to make up in their personal relationship.
So what did it take for Busch and Earnhardt to put their grievances aside? All they needed were two great American elixirs: alcohol and donuts.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch had a lengthy feud
Like most NASCAR feuds, the battle between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch arose primarily from crashes.
Busch and Earnhardt had numerous crashes during the 2007 Cup Series season, but their real issues began in 2008. Earnhardt led the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond Raceway (Va.) in the final laps before Busch crashed into him.
That incident allowed Clint Bowyer to come in and steal both the lead and the victory.
From there, it was on between Busch and Earnhardt for a few years. Things at least improved to where they’d smile in photos with one another and look good in front of the camera when both still raced in the Cup Series, but the relationship wouldn’t be what it was before the crash.
Earnhardt and Busch made up over beer and donuts in 2018
The end of an era came following the 2017 season when Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from the Cup Series as a full-time driver.
Earnhardt focused on a budding sports media career and the Dale Jr. Download podcast. In the spring of 2018, Earnhardt welcomed Kyle Busch — his former nemesis — onto the podcast.
Busch showed up to the morning recording session with a case of Budweiser beer and a box of donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts. The two — along with co-host Mike Davis — sat down and discussed the 10th anniversary of their crash at Richmond.
During the podcast, Busch reflected on how they missed out on ending their problems so much earlier.
“I wish there would have been a chance that you and I would have been able to like get together while all this was kind of going on and just be like, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing? What can we do together?’ Now, at this time, at this stage of my career and my age, I would have done that.”
Earnhardt also admitted that he felt “consumed” by their rivalry at times.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch have remained friendly
The passage of time, coupled with Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s transition from full-time Cup Series member to racing analyst and podcast host, has done wonders for his relationship with Kyle Busch.
Busch has appeared on the Dale Jr. Download at times in the last few years. There has been no public rekindling of their feud, and the two remain on good terms through February 2021.
Meanwhile, Busch has remained a verbal critic of current Cup Series drivers. Chase Elliott and Joey Logano each felt Busch’s wrath after incidents on the racetrack.
Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19.
