Dale Earnhardt Jr. says Kyle Busch will be considered one NASCAR’s all-time great drivers if he wins more championships

Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. each won seven Cup Series championships during their NASCAR Hall of Fame careers, the all-time mark Jimmie Johnson tied last year. Kyle Busch has thus far has won only a single championship, but many believe the 32-year-old will eventually join Petty, Earnhardt, and Johnson and be recognized as one of NASCAR’s great drivers.

But first, Busch must win a couple more championships, says Dale Earnhardt Jr., who believes if Busch can do that he’ll one day be in the discussion as the best driver of all-time. Earnhardt made his comments Tuesday on his weekly podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, following Busch winning the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch is the only driver to sweep all three NASCAR national touring series races on a single weekend at a given track. He also accomplished the feat in 2010 at the half-mile Tennessee track.

“Kyle Busch would be considered by many people to be the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport if and when he wins a few more championships,” Earnhardt said. “I think that’s the only thing that’s not allowed him to creep into that conversation yet for a lot of people.

“Kyle is definitely getting in this conversation, particularly with weekends like this. If he goes on and wins a championship or two or three more championships before he hangs it up, he’s gonna be in that [mix]. He’s going to be a contender for the championship, I perceive, for the next several years.”

Busch won the 2015 Cup championship and nearly successfully defended his title last season, advancing to the four-driver, best-finish-wins championship finale. He is again in title contention this season and is considered a favorite to do so.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver owns 40-career Cup wins, good for 17th on the all-time rankings. He is second only to Johnson among active drivers, and stands a reasonable chance of surpassing Johnson’s total as he has another 10 to 12 prime years remaining.

Johnson currently has 83 wins (three this season), tying him with Cale Yarbrough for sixth all-time. Johnson is also the only driver to win five consecutive championships.

“Regardless of whether you like him or not — just like Jimmie Johnson’s championships, five in a row … I’m comparing Jimmie to Kyle — but regardless of whether you like a driver or not, when they do something amazing and historic, you have to tip your cap. Kyle’s an excellent racer.

“Obviously, he’s won enough races to be in that conversation.”