This issue is triggered by the lack of the file "/etc/kubernetes/kubeconfig" in the node, but what i found interesting is the aesthetic error that follows:

2023-01-04T10:56:50.807982171Z I0104 10:56:50.807918   18013 start.go:112] Version: v4.11.0-202212070335.p0.g60746a8.assembly.stream-dirty (60746a843e7ef8855ae00f2ffcb655c53e0e8296)
2023-01-04T10:56:50.810326376Z I0104 10:56:50.810190   18013 start.go:125] Calling chroot("/rootfs")
2023-01-04T10:56:50.810326376Z I0104 10:56:50.810274   18013 update.go:1972] Running: systemctl start rpm-ostreed
2023-01-04T10:56:50.855151883Z I0104 10:56:50.854666   18013 rpm-ostree.go:353] Running captured: rpm-ostree status --json
2023-01-04T10:56:50.899635929Z I0104 10:56:50.899574   18013 rpm-ostree.go:353] Running captured: rpm-ostree status --json
2023-01-04T10:56:50.941236704Z I0104 10:56:50.941179   18013 daemon.go:236] Booted osImageURL: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-v4.0-art-dev@sha256:318187717bd19ef265000570d5580ea680dfbe99c3bece6dd180537a6f268f
e1 (410.84.202210061459-0)
2023-01-04T10:56:50.973206073Z I0104 10:56:50.973131   18013 start.go:101] Copied self to /run/bin/machine-config-daemon on host
2023-01-04T10:56:50.973259966Z E0104 10:56:50.973196   18013 start.go:177] failed to load kubelet kubeconfig: open /etc/kubernetes/kubeconfig: no such file or directory
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z [signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x1 addr=0x40 pc=0x173d84f]
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z goroutine 1 [running]:
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z main.runStartCmd(2023-01-04T10:56:50.975436752Z 0x2c3da80?, {0x1bc0b3b?, 0x0?, 0x0?})
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975436752Z  /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/cmd/machine-config-daemon/start.go:179 +0x70f
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975436752Z github.com/spf13/cobra.(*Command).execute(0x2c3da80, {0x2c89310, 0x0, 0x0})
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975436752Z  /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/vendor/github.com/spf13/cobra/command.go:860 +0x663
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975448580Z github.com/spf13/cobra.(*Command).ExecuteC(0x2c3d580)
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975448580Z  /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/vendor/github.com/spf13/cobra/command.go:974 +0x3b4
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975456464Z github.com/spf13/cobra.(*Command).Execute(...)
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975456464Z  2023-01-04T10:56:50.975464649Z /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/vendor/github.com/spf13/cobra/command.go:902
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975464649Z k8s.io/component-base/cli.Run(2023-01-04T10:56:50.975472575Z 0x2c3d580)
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975472575Z  /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/vendor/k8s.io/component-base/cli/run.go:105 +0x385
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975485076Z main.main()
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975485076Z  /go/src/github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/cmd/machine-config-daemon/main.go:28 +0x25

4.11.20

Always

1. Remove / change the name of the file "/etc/kubernetes/kubeconfig"
2. Delete machine-config-daemon pod
3. 

2023-01-04T10:56:50.973259966Z E0104 10:56:50.973196   18013 start.go:177] failed to load kubelet kubeconfig: open /etc/kubernetes/kubeconfig: no such file or directory
2023-01-04T10:56:50.975399571Z panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference

Fatal error
 
 failed to load kubelet kubeconfig: open /etc/kubernetes/kubeconfig: no such file or directory

but no runtime error

https://github.com/openshift/machine-config-operator/blob/92012a837e2ed0ed3c9e61c715579ac82ad0a464/cmd/machine-config-daemon/start.go#L179