NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick believes that Kyle Busch's speed ahead of the Daytona 500 is dangerous for his Cup Series rivals.
Despite the fact that he is winless for two and a half years in NASCAR's top division, Busch starts Sunday's Great American Race from the pole after showing some serious pace in qualifying on Wednesday night.
While you need a lot more than speed to win at a track like Daytona, with wrecks galore and luck also playing a huge part, a victory would be a historic one for the Richard Childress Racing star.
No driver has ever won the Daytona 500 after more than 20 attempts (a record set by Dale Earnhardt after his famous victory in 1998), with Sunday being Busch's 21st time of trying.
NASCAR RACE TODAY: Daytona 500 start times, schedule, how to watch live on TV and stream
Kyle Busch Daytona 500 speed 'dangerous'
Harvick, though, is optimistic about Busch's chances and believes he is a real threat to take the victory in Florida on Sunday despite having previously missed out.
“Certainly, this is things moving in the right direction," Harvick said, analyzing Busch taking pole for Sunday’s race on his Happy Hour Show.
“I think that Kyle Busch being competitive and winning races is really important to our sport. He deserves that.
“It’s a contract year for Kyle Busch, and I believe that he can still get it done. Kyle has to be able to be comfortable and get what he wants underneath that car, but the first thing they have to have is speed.
“Well, guess what? Showed up at the Daytona 500 with speed, and I think that’s dangerous for the rest of the field."
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Mamba Smith: Busch one of the best
Harvick’s co-host Mamba Smith added: “We're talking about one of the best guys to strap into a race car in the entire world, all time, so I'm happy for him.
“When you start out the year the way they ended it, which is without the speed, that’s tough, right?
“You just feel like it's another year of, ‘Oh, man, here we go again’.
