Kyle Busch vs. Richard Petty

Now that Kyle Busch has surpassed 200 NASCAR victories, a legitimate argument can be made that he is the greatest NASCAR driver of all time. It is no secret that both drivers lived in different worlds in terms of the sport, but who would you say is the best?

Richard Petty is the King. The 200 victories that Petty accumulated in a span of 35 years, was a mark that not many people thought could be surpassed. In terms of Cup series wins…that probably holds true. NASCAR was different in the King’s time. He was a pioneer for innovation, such as bringing car haulers to races. Petty was also there before major corporations started sponsoring cars to further market their brand. Petty Enterprises made sure to show up to as many events as possible in order to win championships…in which Richard won 7. In 1964…Petty raced in 61 of the 62 Cup races for that season. Rules and regulations were much more liberal in these days as well, but Petty made sure to take every advantage he could. The competitiveness of The King cannot be argued with and the mark he left on the sport is one that can never be erased.

Kyle Busch has won 54 Cup races, 95 Xfinity races, and 55 truck races. All of these victories have come in a span of 17 years. With a total of 1,004 starts collectively…Busch has reached the 200-win milestone faster than anyone could have imagined. Much like The King, when Rowdy Busch shows up to the track, you better bring your “A” game, because you more than likely will be racing him for the checkered flag. Kyle lives in the world of conservative inspection rules and drives for a tiered organization such as Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle doesn’t have to turn a wrench, he has crew men for that. In 2008…Busch started in 86 NASCAR events in the top three series…completing a full season in the Xfinity series and Cup series. In comparison…Busch is not that different from Petty in terms of workload and starts.

This argument is truly a matter of opinion…and one that will last for ages. NASCAR fans are seeing greatness right now…Busch is 34 years old and only getting started. Petty started at the age of 20…Busch started at 16. I have given you the statistics and background of these two greats. Who do you think is better…The King or Rowdy?

AustYn

References: racing-reference.info

Richard Petty vs. Kyle Busch