Is Kyle Busch One of NASCAR's Best Ever?

One of the most controversial and polarizing drivers in NASCAR history, Kyle Busch has certainly made his mark in the world of stock car racing. Busch is a driver who every fan either loves or loathes, due to his brash attitude and his winning record. As he closes in on 200 NASCAR National Series wins across all 3 series, is it right to consider him one of NASCAR's all-time greatest talents?

As of the time I am writing this (March 5, 2019) Kyle Busch is 33 years old, and has 197 wins across all 3 NASCAR National touring series. Broken down, Busch currently has 53 Truck Series wins, 93 Xfinity Series wins, and 51 victories in the premier division Cup Series. 

Busch's win totals in both Trucks and Xfinity competiton are the all-time win records for each of those series. But where Busch's lower-seris domination is truly evident is in his winning percentage. 

Kyle has 53 Truck wins in 147 starts, or a 36% winning percentage. The next winningest Truck Series racer, Ron Hornaday Jr., had a winning percentage of 14%. 

In the second-tier Xfinity Series, Busch is 93-for-346, or 26.8%. The next-winningest Xfinity Series driver, Mark Martin, was 49-for-236, or 21% in winning percentage. None of these records are likely to ever be touched by another driver, so Busch has to be considered an all-time great in these divisions.

Just for comparison, Busch's 51 Cup Series wins have come in 501 starts. This winning percentage is right at 10%, placing him behind Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s 11% (Earnhardt had 76 career wins). 

In technical terms, Busch's 201st NASCAR National Series victory would make him NASCAR's all-time wins leader in national series competiton. However, Richard 'The King' Petty's 200 Cup Series wins trump Kyle's soon-to-be 200 in many fan's eyes. In his defense, Kyle has accomplished a lot in the Cup Series, but Petty's accolades in the premier series dwarf Kyle's. 

In Kyle's own words, his 200 wins do not compare to Richard Petty's record, per a quote from Beyond The Flag.  “No. Absolutely not because his number is obviously Cup wins and mine’s not. I feel as though I’m chasing Jeff Gordon (93 Cup wins) or maybe even David Pearson (105). Maybe — I don’t know if I can get there. I like to think I can get there. I’m at 51 right now, so if I can get another 50 in the next 10 years, that would certainly be nice to go out with 100 Cup wins. Nobody will ever touch 200.”

So where does Kyle Busch rank among NASCAR's all time greats? Last year, NASCAR On Fox did a comprehensive ranking of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history. They ranked Busch at 12th, which is a fair assesment given that Busch only has a lone Cup Series title to date. Should he win another two or three (or more) championships, his win total should place him in the 5th-8th best all-time range. 

Without a doubt, Kyle Busch is one of the greatest driving talents in today's era of NASCAR, and he will one day likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Exactly where he ranks up against Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon, Johnson, and other all-time NASCAR greats is a topic of debate that cannot truly be answered until he retires, but that does not make the current argument any less substantial.