Kurt Busch calls Chase Elliott most overrated driver in NASCAR

The Busch brothers are clearly on the same page when it comes to who they think NASCAR should be promoting to fans right now.

Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch don’t always agree on everything, but one area in which they seem to be in lockstep is NASCAR pushing its current crop of young drivers to fans.

Not even 48 hours after Kyle called the focus on upcoming talent “stupid” during the NASCAR preseason media tour, Kurt was on The Domenick Nati Show and didn’t hold much back when it came to the next wave of notable drivers — including one young gun in particular.

While Kurt prefaced his answer on whether he agreed with Kyle’s stance by saying he didn’t entirely feel the same way, it sure seemed like it once he had a chance to elaborate.

"“What I think he’s trying to say is, we’re promoting these guys and they don’t have the race wins yet. There’s zero in the win column for a guy like Chase Elliott, there’s zero for Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, all those guys. … What I think Kyle is saying is that all these guys are being given a free pass, so to speak, to become a superstar, and we haven’t seen that success on-track translate to what’s being shown to the world.”"

He was then asked who he felt was the most overrated driver in the sport, and despite calling it a “touchy subject,” Kurt ended up landing on Chase Elliott simply because he has no race wins yet. On the flip side, Busch acknowledged that Elliott would be a “big player” in NASCAR at some point, just apparently not until he visits Victory Lane.

You can hear the entire interview right here:

Clearly, the subject of wins is very near and dear to Kurt’s heart. The one young gun he said NASCAR should be promoting is Kyle Larson, since he has been winning races. We’ll assume Ryan Blaney, who won at Pocono last year, is also alright in his book.

And while Busch’s stance is somewhat defensible if you feel like the only thing that matters in racing is who wins, it’s also worth noting that taking the checkered flag isn’t entirely in your hands. After all, there’s a good chance Elliott wouldn’t have a zero in his career Cup Series win column if Denny Hamlin hadn’t booted him out of the way last fall at Martinsville.

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In any case, let this serve as a reminder to all the media out there for the entirety of the upcoming NASCAR season. The Busch brothers don’t want to hear about your young guns, especially if they haven’t won any races yet. Consider the message received, loud and clear.

Sorry, Chase Elliott.